Creating Balance: Interior Design Spring Cleaning

Decorating a room can seem like a daunting experience: you know which pieces you like, but you can’t seem to decide which pieces fit in a room. Often, people find themselves picking up items from a variety of stores and find themselves in a hodgepodge of rugs, chairs and knick-knacks that don’t follow a cohesive theme. If you’re looking forward to spring cleaning as a time where you purge old items you no longer need to cut down on clutter, springtime is also the perfect time to breathe some new life into a living space. It is possible to throw on a new coat of paint and find some great new furniture this spring, without the stress of wondering if your vision will look right once you can see it in front of you. You can achieve your look by creating spatial balance.

Types of Balance

Balance is a tenant of design and it is essential to the way a piece of art, an article of clothing, or a room is conceived. In interior design, there are three primary types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial. Symmetrical balance refers to mirroring over a central axis, while asymmetrical has more to do with weight. Radial balance means a room is arranged around a central point to evoke centrifugal motion.

Do It Yourself

Pictured, you can see an example of asymmetrical balance. This type of balance is great to try out if you already have lamps, coffee tables and other pieces you would like showcased in the room. To accomplish asymmetrical balance, you would arrange the room so that the perceived weight of objects is equal on both sides. For example, the lamp to the right is tall and skinny, while the side table is shorter. To create balance, decorations were added to the side table. You can also see how the paintings on the wall are different sizes, though they are arranged in a way that evokes symmetry. Using balance as a guiding principle, you can more easily decide which pieces you want to keep, and which pieces don’t pass the spring cleaning purge.

Check out the Malibu Sectional by England Furniture.

Dimensions:

Width 148″

Depth 106″

Height 38″