Scale and Proportion

One of the biggest challenges for an amateur is working within the scale of their space.  I’ve met with countless disappointed homeowners who, after investing deeply in beautiful furnishings and finishes, recruit help because it somehow just didn’t work.  Frequently, the problem resulted because the homeowner was uncomfortable working with the proportions of the room.  Large rooms are daunting – they tend to swallow whatever is put in them.  Small spaces are frustrating – there’s not enough room for everything that’s needed.

This client moved into an old apartment building with lofty ceilings and spacious rooms.  Her personal preference was for exquisitely delicate, feminine appointments and fixtures but these items were being lost in the large spaces and no matter how much she added, the rooms looked empty and bare.  She needed sizable pieces to bring the walls in and create boundaries within the rooms.  Done simply and cleanly, her more delicate items could then be showcased against this clean canvas.  The gallery of old flea-market picture frames filled with vintage mirrored glass is effective because its delicate nature is such a contrast to the large-scale velvet sofa and chair in its forefront.  Likewise, the huge cocktail table made from an antique hand-painted Spanish door doesn’t swallow the room because the details on the door are so finely carved.  Instead of bouncing off the door, the eye pauses to absorb the detail and as a result, the table seems smaller. .   It’s the contrast between the large simple furnishings and the small ornate accessories that make this strategy work.  Too much “large” and the eye is offended.  Too much “small” and the eye doesn’t know where to land.