Did you know a pretty room has much more to do with how things in the room “play together” nicely and how they “feel” than their price tag? It’s true! Two of the best design concepts to learn about and practice in your home are scale and proportion. Let’s break them down into doable concepts. These will help you create a beautiful home!
Every home decorator should learn how scale and proportion work to create a feeling of cohesiveness and attractiveness in any room in of their home.
Scale and proportion are different. And just briefly let’s get to know a bit about each. Both of these important design elements have to do with how items work together in a space like a room.
WHAT IS SCALE
Here’s the easy definition…
SCALE refers to how an item (like a sofa) fits a space. This is super, super simplified but it is a good working definition for us!
WHAT IS PROPORTION
PROPORTION is how different objects (like a sofa and a chair) relate to one another. Again superly overly simple, but it works!
WHY YOU SHOULD USE SCALE AND PROPORTION INTERCHANGEABLE
Because we are not interior designers it’s not so important to know the nuances between scale and proportion in decorating but it is important to know how they work to create beauty and harmony!
So, we will use scale and proportion as the same thing. We know they are really not but we can think of them as one concept for our decorating purposes.
So here is our working definition of scale or proportion or both…
- Scale/proportion is the way an object relates to a room
- and things in a room relate to each other.
EASY TO SEE EXAMPLES
Have you ever seen a clown car? What happens when the doors of this tiny car are opened? Tons of clowns get out.
It’s funny because there is something wrong with so clowns getting out of a tiny car!
The car is the wrong sale or proportion to the clowns and vise versa.
Now think of a grand piano in a studio apartment! Same concept. But not so funny! They do not fit together unless the piano is the only thing in the apartment.
Then home decorators should always be thinking of how objects look together. Do the sizes and visual space they take up in a room make sense with everything else in the room?
THE MAGIC MATHEMATICAL FORMULA
Scale and proportion are really driven by math. There is something called the GOLDEN RATIO. It shows up in nature over and over again and it is exquisitly beautiful to our eyes and minds!
The ratio is 1:618. Now that probably does not mean much of anything to you but if you would see this ratio in an object you would definitely notice it.
Things like faces, seed heads of flowers, shells, spiral galaxies, hurricane images and more all have this 1:618 ratio.
And we find great beauty in things close to this magical ratio!
Are you thinking what does this ratio have to do with decorating?
It has a lot to do with design and decor! Designers often layout rooms according to this ratio!
But luckily, all we need to know is that this ratio exists! We have a pair of fabulous tools that can be, with a bit of practice, quite good at spotting something close to this ratio!
Our eyes!!!!!
Most of us really have an uncanny sense of beauty, scale, and proportion. Even if you think you can’t decorate you almost have a built-in sense about scale and proportion.
Add a bit of common sense and you can use your innate sense of scale and proportion!!!!
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR ALMOST PERFECT SCALE AND PROPORTION
Here are some very savvy, useful tips for incorporating scale and proportion when decorating a room.
LET YOUR EYES BE YOUR GUIDE
If it looks “off” then it is. If it looks gorgeous then it is! If you can’t tell keep reading the tips.
TAKE A LESSON FROM GOLDILOCKS
Goldilocks was looking for a chair and bed that were not too big and not too small but just right! You should be looking for furnishings that are just right for a room and just right in relation to other things in the room. That should be your big goal!!!!!
Big furniture, for the most part, belongs in a big room. Small delicate furniture belongs in a smaller room. Simple, right?
And big heavy furniture should not be paired with slim, petite furniture in the same room. And again, vice versa!
It’s really common sense!
MEASURE
Number’s don’t lie!!!!
Don’t guess the size of that chair you are putting in your bedroom. Know its measure and then measure it out in the room.
This will save you so so many headaches!!!!!
There is an old carpenter adage… measure twice, cut once.
Here is my decorator’s adage…
Measure correctly, the numbers don’t lie!
If you measure a piece of furniture properly trust the numbers. If the numbers say it’s too big than believe it! And if the numbers make a piece of furniture seem puny then believe it!
Don’t buy anything because you love it. Everything MUST fit comfortably in a space. And it must be the right size to play nicely with all the furniture in the room.
One of the biggest mistakes a home decorator makes is buying things they love. It’s perfect in the store or online! But that does not mean it will be perfect in your home.
Know how it will fit into a room and know how it will look in relation to your other furnishings! I can not stress this enough!
NEGATIVE SPACE IS IMPORTANT
No one likes to be crowded into an elevator. It feels awkward, right? We love our personal space. Well, furnishings don’t like to be crowded either! They need their own personal space too!
A room needs space! With nothing in it. We call this negative or white space. And it such an important part of making a room feeling pretty and comfortable.
Many home decorators tend to put too much “stuff” in a room! You can get the scale and proportion right but if there are just too many things in a room it will feel unattractive and confusing.
Just try taking accents and furnishings out of a room until it feels spacious. Wow, what a difference!
Even empty space needs to be scaled to the room and other furnishings in it!
PATTERNS AND COLORS
Scale and proportion go far beyond furnishings! Let’s look at patterns and color!
Here’s an easy rule of thumb to remember…
Bigger patterns look best in big rooms. Smaller patterns look best in smaller rooms.
The larger the room the greater the number of colors can be used in it. The smaller the room the smaller the number of colors should be used in it.
WHERE SCIENCE AND ART MEET
Just like almost everything we talk about when it comes to decorating, it’s part science and part art!
Knowing the basics of great interior design like the magic of three (see below) and the golden ratio will help you achieve a very attractive overall look. And so will a bit of color theory and learning about concepts like balance. These are all based on science and math!
But your personality and personal preferences and your style will be the artistic touch that makes every room in your home feel and look unique.
There is no beauty without a synergistic mix of science and art!
Now you know why scale and proportion in decorating is so so important!
So, get acquainted with the elements of design and practice them in your home together with pursuing a curated a style all your own! This is the sweet spot of decor! And the way to create a home that is truly comfortable, beautiful and YOU!
MORE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
You might also like to read about other elements of interior design. These complex concepts are broken down and doable for the home decorator.
THE ELEMENT OF COLOR IN INTERIOR DESIGN
HOW TO CREATE A FOCAL POINT IN A ROOM
I LOVE your style – unfortunately, the décor gene passed me up – no talent at all – I think I may always fall for the “buy what you love”. But on to my 2 questions: 1. What do you do in a small to medium size home/room with a large husband? He is NOT comfortable in the small chairs and couches that “fit” into the rooms (dining chairs as well as den/living room chairs and couches). I finally talked him out of his chair-and-a-half and replaced it with a recliner (which he says is too small for comfort but he’ll “deal” with it) and the recliner is still too large for the room!
What to do? We are elderly and do enjoy watching television “comfortably” —– 2. Do you have a television? I don’t see one in any of the “common” rooms in your home? If you have one, you have hidden it very well!!!
I do have a tv Amma. It hangs on the wall in the sunroom. THe best thing we did is to hand this big screen above a chair.
Are these decorating tips printable without the ads? I would like to put them in a notebook so I can refer to them again. Thanks. Love your site, but the ads are so numerous!
Hi Barb, the printables have no ads. Hope this helps.
Please tell me where you bought the two fern prints over your mantle?
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,they came from a local shop. They are from a manufacturers called c2b but I can’t find them.
In the scale and proportion article you show a photo of a round table with a chair leg close to the edge of a patterned area rug. In our last home the rug was not large enough and when pulled back to be seated, the chair leg was off the rug. Consequently there is an awkward struggle which resulted in curling of the carpet’s edge. I learned there is a rule for the size of a rug used with a dining table and chairs. We recently downsized to a lovely apartment in a senior living community in Austin, Texas so your article on scale and proportion is very timely. The very worst part of this move has been the unwillingness to part with the crystal, silver and china that is no longer valued by society today.
I so agree about the rug. The rug in our eating area is a bit small but for ease of traffic flow, we purposely bought it that way. I think it works here but it is not perfect. The ruggable carpet does not curl up at all. The bottom pad is rubber and the top layer of the carpet sticks to it.
Hi Yvonne, do you mean some objects should be 6 times larger than others? I think some of us are missing exactly what the ratio has to do with selecting furnishings.Always love your photos.
OH, NO! Nadia the number is a ratio of one! Don’t get stuck on the number! I just mentioned it to let you know that this number exists and is very important. But we can most often tell scale with our eyes.
Hi, Yvonne:
Can you please show us your “sun room”? I have been DYING to see what you’ve done with that room and unless I’ve missed a post about it, I haven’t seen it! I am sure your other readers are interested too. I know you are still getting settled in, but please give us a post!! Thank you!!
Blessings,
Beth
Speaking of today’s content…The proportions are great, but what are they? For just this room can you give us the numbers, room size, rug, couch, chairs, fireplace etc. And distance apart. I’m a touchy-feelly kinda gal. I carry a tape measure. Go to open houses to feel the room sizes, room arrangements, stuff like that. You said it was numbers…now help us visualize what you are saying…pretty please!!!
Hi Cyndi, today’s post is not about measurements. There are so many sizes of rooms and furnishing and rugs and ceiling heights etc. I would have to write a book. The numbers I’m concentrating on in today’s post are the magic of three and the golden ratio. These are really so so important and we can often use our eyes to see them. You can easily look up those other numbers online.
Great post today. I see too many homes filled with stuff. A room needs breathing space so the eye can rest. I love the simplicity of your new mantel.
Did you ever find a source for the two pictures over your console table in the entrance?
No luck yet, Joanna. Sorry!
Thank you for this interesting blog post. Very helpful. Amazing what we know without knowing it! Sometime would you share a sketch of your new home floor plan? I would enjoy seeing that. Thanks.
Hi Toni, I’m not an artist! So I think you can get the layout from the images.
Yvonne — LOVE those fern prints over your recently renovated fireplace mantle!! Can you please share where you purchased them?
Blessings,
Julie
Hi Julie, I found them at a Local Shop. Here’s the website. You might call them and inquire about them. https://cocalicocreek.com/
Just made a huge mistake in my powder room. HELP
Scale and proportion.
Bought a vanity that I love, had all the plumbing installed, and now I feel like it’s a beast in the room.
With 8 grandchildren it gets used a lot.
For men who stand and face the back wall it’s ok.
Sitting on the toilet you feel like the vanity is massive.
Ugh! An $500 mistake. I taped it off on the floor.
I should have used graph paper. Bummers!
Oh, Debbie! I’m so sorry! We have all made that mistake with something in our home. Why don’t you get a vanity that works in the space and sell the one you have now. I’d get a less expensive pedestal sink and try to sell the vanity you have now for about the price of the pedestal. At least you will get what you want and not spend any more $$$
I have a question. Is it okay to have a simple floral arrangement on each side of bedside tables in Master Bedroom? One has cherry blossom sticks in vase and other has twigs with berries and eucalyptus in a white pitcher.
Yes, Sherree. They don’t have to match but each bedside table should look balanced.
Thank you for this great lesson. I know you have said it many times but it is a good reinforcer. Your room looks very white, which I thought you don’t advocate(?). I love how bright the room is for winter doldrums. Thank you always for inspiration.
Ann I don’t advocate ALL white everything. In our open concept home the best choice was white walls. The white looks clean and keeps it from looking busy. Hope this helps.
Yvonne, Enjoyed the lesson on scale and proportion this morning . Your new livingroom at Tanglewood looks lovely but where are your small tables next to your chairs to set down a drink or book. The room needs more of your warmth and personality. I know it is a work in progress but it looks a bit too staged. I very rarely criticize anything on your blog which I love so hope you understand my comment.
Tanglewood is a whole new style. It’s not the same as StoneGable. I love its airy look and minimal furnishings. Remember it is an open concept home. And too many layers look very cluttered. As far as the tables? You don’t need a table next to every chair.