Does your room feel off kilter or lopsided? Out of balance? Maybe it needs a seesaw!
Balance is an important element of good design. It is a sense of visual equilibrium. It’s how much an object attracts the eye or the visual “weight” of all the elements in a space. A balance of color, space, line, texture and pattern needs to be created. There are two main types of balance: formal or symmetrical balance, informal or asymmetrical balance.
Formal balance is created with mirror images on either side of an imaginary line that goes through the middle of the space. Formal balance is achieved when the two halves of a composition or design are exactly the same. Identical end tables flanking a sofa; a fireplace with matching bookshelves on either side, a pair of candlesticks placed the same distance from a central bowl of flowers all represent formal balance. Objects don’t have to be identical on either side-just close enough in size and shape to create the idea of a perfect match. This kind of evenly matched balance tends to create a sense of order and stability – evenness – if you will. It’s fairly easy to create, but if formal balance is over used, it can make a room seem static and stiffly conventional.
Informal or asymmetrical balance evenly distributes visual weight without using mirror images. Several objects grouped on one side balance a large piece on the other is a good example
Think about a seesaw when creating informal balance in your space. Equal weights balance each other when they are equal distance from the center. If one weight is heavier than the other, it must be moved closer to the center to balance the lighter one. This is also an excellent way to arrange objects on top of a table, chest or fireplace mantle. The heavier, larger, or more brightly colored object should be placed closer to the center than it’s companion piece, which is lighter, smaller or less noticeable. Ignoring this rule makes one side of your design composition seem too heavy, like an unbalanced seesaw!
Informal balance is achieved when two halves of a composition balances each other even though they are not identical. Size or physical weight is not the only factor involved in this kind of balance. Bright and warm colors, as well as bold patterns, advance towards you, visually taking up more space. A sofa upholstered in orange chenille fabric will have more visual weight than one in a smooth cotton fabric in a neutral color.
Irregular shapes, which engage the eye longer than regular ones seem more important, and therefore, also “weigh” more in terms of balance.
Some hints for balancing your space:
• Group like objects. Containers or frames don’t have to
match; in fact look more interesting if they don’t. Choose items that share similar colors and materials.
•Vary the height of objects in the room. Whether it is an arrangement of accessories or the furnishings, it is visually boring to have everything the same height.
•Add depth. Instead of lining things up, stagger objects in a front to back zigzag pattern.
•Create minor focal points. As the eye goes around the room it needs to be rewarded. This could be a large urn on the mantel, a beautiful plate on the coffee table, or the backdrop of a wonderful window treatment.
•Use odd numbers of objects. Using two can be formal, add a third to get some motion in the display
•Repetition. Repeating a color or pattern somewhere else in the room adds balance and harmony.
•Leave some breathing room. Less is more. Don’t cram too much in one room, you can always add, but it’s hard to take away.
If this all makes you feel like you’re on a seesaw, give your design professional a call to bring some balance to your life.
