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Scale | Category: | Editorials (Cheryll Gillespie) | | Published Date: | June 2004 | |
CommentsPhjoto Credit : Celebrate
Scale is about looking balanced and properly proportioned. Scale refers to the relative size of an object in proportion to another.  Yes, one more thing that needs to be "kept in check" when considering all elements in a room.
Is the furniture appropriately scaled for the size of the space, and in relation to each other? Are the prints and patterns that you put in the room scaled well with each other? Is the scale of the artwork best suited for the size of the wall space or are the accessories well proportioned?
Scale is an important consideration with every design project.
So let's take this element and relate it to apparel fashion. You are wearing a delicate floral dress; when you choose your footwear you will most likely reach for a pair of strappy heels - they are delicate in nature (not to mention sexy) as is the dress. These two are well portioned. Next the purse; you choose a smaller bag, since a large bag would overpower the dress and the shoes. You make these same considerations when it comes to the accessories - big dangly earrings looks out of place; the better choice will be a pair of rhinestone studs.
Think about your own rooms or friends'. Too often we see rooms that are ill portioned. The coffee table is far too small for the sofa, a tiny picture hangs above a large mantel, or a giant-framed piece of art looms above a tiny loveseat.
The most important reason to ensure that all decorating elements are well scaled is, rooms not properly scaled do not make us feel comfortable or welcome.
The basic rules of good proportion are really quite simple to follow.
A coffee table should allow for about a foot shorter than your sofa (six inches each side). 
A picture or mirror to hang above your fireplace mantel should be approximately two-thirds of the mantel. For example, if your mantel is four feet long hang a 32 in x 32 in picture above it.
A third is a good number to bare in mind when designing.
Drapery panels should be a third the width of the window.
If you are mixing and matching patterns in a room ensure that each pattern is at least 30 per cent smaller or larger than the next.
If you have chosen a floral pattern for wallpaper and then you hang a bunch of tiny plates and pictures on the wall they will be "lost in the pattern" since they are too close in scale to the pattern on the paper.
Next, look at the large pieces of furniture in the room. Is the table out of scale for the size of the dining space (ask yourself is it too little, too big or just right). Is the sofa too large for the room? Would a loveseat be a better fit? What about the chair next to the sofa? Is it well proportioned in relation to the sofa? How about the entertainment center? Is it overpowering the space, or conversely, is it far too small in the middle of a large wall? Go into the bedroom and look at the bed - is the head of the bed lost in the room? Or does it take over?
Scale is as important a consideration as colour is to a space. Learn to keep your rooms visually and proportionality scaled and your rooms will look fabulous.
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