Decorating
Why You Need to Know the Rules of Proportion When Decorating
From the size of your TV to the height of a pendant, these golden rules are key to achieving a perfectly balanced scheme
Have you ever walked into a room and it just felt right, but you couldn’t put your finger on exactly why? Chances are proportion was a key factor. Whoever designed the room would have paid careful attention to getting the size and scale of the furniture and accessories just right for the space.
Here, Rohan Smith, senior interior designer at Coco Republic Interior Design, suggests ways you can create beautifully proportioned rooms in your own home.
Here, Rohan Smith, senior interior designer at Coco Republic Interior Design, suggests ways you can create beautifully proportioned rooms in your own home.
The most common mistakes people make
The main mistake is having all the furniture and furnishings in a room the same height, colour and style. The room ends up looking dull and static.
This is easily rectified. A tall floor lamp, for example, can add some height to a corner, while providing a lovely ambient light source. A tall cabinet or bookcase, meanwhile, can add visual interest as well as handy storage.
The main mistake is having all the furniture and furnishings in a room the same height, colour and style. The room ends up looking dull and static.
This is easily rectified. A tall floor lamp, for example, can add some height to a corner, while providing a lovely ambient light source. A tall cabinet or bookcase, meanwhile, can add visual interest as well as handy storage.
How to assess proportion
One of the easiest ways to decide whether a sofa, dining table or bed will suit the size of your room is to map it out with newspaper and lay it on the floor. This will give you a sense of how much floor space the piece will take up. Living with this template for a few days will give you a definite feel for how it will be to live with the piece.
A more technical method would be to use the Houzz Sketch tool or an app such as Magicplan. You simply take photos on your smartphone, which the app then translates into a plan of the space. You can then add objects, annotations and attributes to create a complete plan of your room.
One of the easiest ways to decide whether a sofa, dining table or bed will suit the size of your room is to map it out with newspaper and lay it on the floor. This will give you a sense of how much floor space the piece will take up. Living with this template for a few days will give you a definite feel for how it will be to live with the piece.
A more technical method would be to use the Houzz Sketch tool or an app such as Magicplan. You simply take photos on your smartphone, which the app then translates into a plan of the space. You can then add objects, annotations and attributes to create a complete plan of your room.
The Proportions You Need to Consider
Living rooms
These spaces can be tricky to get right, especially in open-plan schemes.
TV If the room is your main TV viewing space, then you’ll need to factor in technology as well as furniture. Is the TV too big for the room? Is the entertainment unit balanced with the size of the TV, and the room as a whole? A common mistake is to have a small entertainment unit with a large TV – it should be the other way round.
Also consider whether the TV is the correct distance from the sofa for viewing comfort. The sofa should be about 2.5 times the screen width in distance away, and no more than 5m. The centre of the TV should be about 1 to 1.1m from the floor.
Seating For living rooms, the furniture arrangement should be conducive to conversation. Two sofas facing each other or a U-shaped arrangement is ideal.
Avoid having a large sofa and a small rug, which will look unbalanced.
Coffee table The coffee table should be the right height for the sofa and chairs. You should easily be able to reach the coffee table from a seated position, so you can rest a cup of tea or a glass of wine on it.
Living rooms
These spaces can be tricky to get right, especially in open-plan schemes.
TV If the room is your main TV viewing space, then you’ll need to factor in technology as well as furniture. Is the TV too big for the room? Is the entertainment unit balanced with the size of the TV, and the room as a whole? A common mistake is to have a small entertainment unit with a large TV – it should be the other way round.
Also consider whether the TV is the correct distance from the sofa for viewing comfort. The sofa should be about 2.5 times the screen width in distance away, and no more than 5m. The centre of the TV should be about 1 to 1.1m from the floor.
Seating For living rooms, the furniture arrangement should be conducive to conversation. Two sofas facing each other or a U-shaped arrangement is ideal.
Avoid having a large sofa and a small rug, which will look unbalanced.
Coffee table The coffee table should be the right height for the sofa and chairs. You should easily be able to reach the coffee table from a seated position, so you can rest a cup of tea or a glass of wine on it.
Bedrooms
Bedside tables One of the main considerations in the bedroom is the size of the bedside table in relation to the bed. For a king-size bed, go for a large-scale beside table of about 70-90cm in width, depending on the size of your room. For a queen-size bed, a table of around 50-60cm is ideal.
Lamps Bedside lights should also sit proportionally with the bedside table and bedhead. Again, for a king-size bed, a larger lamp will work best.
For more interior designer advice, check out our agony aunt’s tips on how to make a new-build house less boxy
Bedside tables One of the main considerations in the bedroom is the size of the bedside table in relation to the bed. For a king-size bed, go for a large-scale beside table of about 70-90cm in width, depending on the size of your room. For a queen-size bed, a table of around 50-60cm is ideal.
Lamps Bedside lights should also sit proportionally with the bedside table and bedhead. Again, for a king-size bed, a larger lamp will work best.
For more interior designer advice, check out our agony aunt’s tips on how to make a new-build house less boxy
Pendant lamps
When pendant lamps are hung too high or low, they can look completely out of place in a room. You need to consider the size and style of the pendant, the ceiling height, and the space in which they will be hung.
Despite these variables, there are still a few hard and fast rules that can help when hanging pendants.
Kitchen worktops In a kitchen, hang lights around 70-80cm above the worktop. This height allows the pendants to provide a useful light source for working without intruding on the line of sight from the kitchen to the adjoining living or dining room.
Dining table Sit pendants at 75cm above table height to create an intimate and cosy dining space.
Hallway For entrances where people will be walking beneath the pendant lights, space allowing, the ideal hanging height is 240cm from floor level.
When pendant lamps are hung too high or low, they can look completely out of place in a room. You need to consider the size and style of the pendant, the ceiling height, and the space in which they will be hung.
Despite these variables, there are still a few hard and fast rules that can help when hanging pendants.
Kitchen worktops In a kitchen, hang lights around 70-80cm above the worktop. This height allows the pendants to provide a useful light source for working without intruding on the line of sight from the kitchen to the adjoining living or dining room.
Dining table Sit pendants at 75cm above table height to create an intimate and cosy dining space.
Hallway For entrances where people will be walking beneath the pendant lights, space allowing, the ideal hanging height is 240cm from floor level.
Artworks
Size of the piece Choosing artwork that’s the wrong scale for a room is a common mistake, with most people erring on the small side. Checking to see whether a gallery will allow you to bring a piece home on approval is the best way around this. If you fall in a love with a piece that’s too small for your room, try having it reframed with a larger mount.
Position on the wall Another common mistake is to hang artwork too high on the wall. If it’s too high, it will have no connection to the furniture below it, and if it’s above eye level, it can ruin the look of a room.
Ideally, artwork should be hung so the centre of the piece is at average eye level, or about 150cm from the ground. In a dining room, you might want to hang the pieces slightly lower to factor in the seated viewing height.
Also remember that having some negative space is important. Leaving some walls bare not only puts more significance on the pieces you’ve hung, but creates a calmer feel in the room.
Check out these creative ideas for alternative wall hangings
Size of the piece Choosing artwork that’s the wrong scale for a room is a common mistake, with most people erring on the small side. Checking to see whether a gallery will allow you to bring a piece home on approval is the best way around this. If you fall in a love with a piece that’s too small for your room, try having it reframed with a larger mount.
Position on the wall Another common mistake is to hang artwork too high on the wall. If it’s too high, it will have no connection to the furniture below it, and if it’s above eye level, it can ruin the look of a room.
Ideally, artwork should be hung so the centre of the piece is at average eye level, or about 150cm from the ground. In a dining room, you might want to hang the pieces slightly lower to factor in the seated viewing height.
Also remember that having some negative space is important. Leaving some walls bare not only puts more significance on the pieces you’ve hung, but creates a calmer feel in the room.
Check out these creative ideas for alternative wall hangings
Rugs
Rugs are a great way to bring a furniture grouping together. They provide a border for furniture to sit on and can help you create individual dining and living zones in an open-plan room where furniture has a tendency to ‘float’.
Sizewise, rugs should ideally sit under the front legs of the sofa and occasional chairs. This helps to visually link the pieces.
Rugs are a great way to bring a furniture grouping together. They provide a border for furniture to sit on and can help you create individual dining and living zones in an open-plan room where furniture has a tendency to ‘float’.
Sizewise, rugs should ideally sit under the front legs of the sofa and occasional chairs. This helps to visually link the pieces.
Colour
When choosing a palette for your room, consider the 60-30-10 rule, which is a timeless decorating principle that can help you create a balanced colour scheme.
Your 60% is the main colour for a room, which anchors a space and provides a backdrop for the other shades. In a living room, this would be walls, sofas and rugs.
Your 30% is the secondary colour, which would encompass occasional furniture, bed linen, and window furnishings. It should support the main colour, while being different enough to set it apart and give the room interest.
The final 10% is your accent colour. For a living room, this would include scatter cushions, decorative accessories and artwork. For a bedroom, think cushions and artwork.
When choosing a palette for your room, consider the 60-30-10 rule, which is a timeless decorating principle that can help you create a balanced colour scheme.
Your 60% is the main colour for a room, which anchors a space and provides a backdrop for the other shades. In a living room, this would be walls, sofas and rugs.
Your 30% is the secondary colour, which would encompass occasional furniture, bed linen, and window furnishings. It should support the main colour, while being different enough to set it apart and give the room interest.
The final 10% is your accent colour. For a living room, this would include scatter cushions, decorative accessories and artwork. For a bedroom, think cushions and artwork.
Accessories
Keeping an eye on the proportion of decorative accessories is another important consideration. One large bowl on a dining table might be all you need in that space to create drama.
Conversely, combining small pieces with other, similar objects can create just as much impact. A collection of ceramic pots makes one big statement, whereas a few pots scattered about will look disconnected and out of proportion.
Lamps should not overshadow the table on which they are placed. A large lamp on a slender table, for example, would appear top-heavy.
Too much variety of scale can cause visual chaos in a focused area, such as a bookshelf. Instead, group items of similar type and scale together, and line up similarly sized books for a balanced look.
These rooms will make you want to furnish with green velvet
Keeping an eye on the proportion of decorative accessories is another important consideration. One large bowl on a dining table might be all you need in that space to create drama.
Conversely, combining small pieces with other, similar objects can create just as much impact. A collection of ceramic pots makes one big statement, whereas a few pots scattered about will look disconnected and out of proportion.
Lamps should not overshadow the table on which they are placed. A large lamp on a slender table, for example, would appear top-heavy.
Too much variety of scale can cause visual chaos in a focused area, such as a bookshelf. Instead, group items of similar type and scale together, and line up similarly sized books for a balanced look.
These rooms will make you want to furnish with green velvet
What do you think of the rules of proportion? Are they the key to a successful scheme or not that important? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Proportion is key because furnishing a room is more involved than simply placing a few pieces of furniture in a space – some fundamental rules of design need to be considered, and proportion is one of the most important. You should think about not only the proportional relationship between the pieces themselves, but to the space that contains them.
A room looks and feels right when the proportions are good, and there’s neither too little nor too much furniture. If furniture is too big, the flow of the room can feel awkward. If it’s too small, the space won’t feel cosy or inviting.