Space Balance - Design

Space Balance

Have a plan, and have fun

Column by Scott Morse, Accessory Buyer for Garrisons Home Furnishings

Have you ever found yourself in a room that appears “off,” but can’t understand why?

One of the secrets to creating stunning rooms is balance. Design balance is something that should be considered at the beginning stages of your room design. Without proper balance, a room could feel uncomfortable.

A space with dark feature walls and heavy furnishings on one side of the room and nothing substantial on the other side gives the room a sense of tipping. The visual weight of the color and furnishings must be balanced throughout the space for it to feel comfortable. Color can be balanced throughout the whole project as well. If using lime in the front room, it might be nice to see it again somewhere else in the house.

The scale of the room is equally important—how the furnishings look next to each other, how they relate and how they dress the room. The space needs to have furnishings of all sizes and shapes to make the room interesting. The nicest dressed rooms are ones that have used different mediums like metal and glass, wood and wicker, fabric and leather.

Vary the scale around the space to create a little interest. The great room pictured is a fine example of balance—the entertainment wall is wood and stone, the flooring is wood with a contrasting color to the entertainment wall, and the kitchen has white cabinetry. To balance the space and add interest, I chose to use leather, fabric, glass and metal. These pieces make the space look larger and add interest.

The space lends itself to be contemporary. The inspiration for this was a bold, multicolor area rug in the dining space. An off white leather sectional was selected because of its contemporary personality and fun shape. The toss pillows add a splash of color and texture to the hard leather surface. You’ll notice that the color story travels across the entire room and into the kitchen.

The art and accessories were selected from the kaleidoscope of colors in the area rug. The trees and plants are very important in this project. There are many windows in this room and the plants bring the outside in. The zebra chair was a stretch, but totally unexpected and fun. The ruffle pillow brings the balance of color from the dining area to the living space.

Use furniture and accessories in your space that bring joy, comfort and memories. Great Grandma’s antique armoire or dining table. A piece of art, sculpture or accessory from a past trip. There are few boundaries to designing a great, inspirational room. Have a plan, and have fun.