Strengthen Your Relationships- the Interior Design Way

Christine,

If my ceilings are only 8 feet tall, what guideline should I use for picture/frame selection. My pictures never seem to balance out with the wall space.


Thanks,
Heidi

Dear Heidi,

Great question. Fantastic question. When you get this principle down- your whole house will look better. It is the principle of relationships. Let me teach it by showing examples. Take the top photo with the blue and white photo. In this room, the sofa is against the wall. When your furniture is against the wall- the wall decor should have a relationship in size and scale to the furniture- not the wall. Don't hang it too high- it should be close to the furniture that it has the relationship with- this strengthens the relationship. With that said, you can have a relationship with the wall also- but not instead of the furniture that it is above. For example- take the second photo- here the collection of wall decor is hung close to the table, and just a little wider than the table- keeping that relationship. It also has a relationship with the wall- where the wall decor follows the architectural line of the wall- and fills the space of the wall. See the difference?

Take this bedroom above for another example. Here, again, there is furniture against the wall. In such a case- the relationship is with the furniture- not the wall space. Six plates on a wall would never work if there was no furniture there- but- the shape of the headboard- with the high arch- creates a situation where the wall decor has a relationship with the high portion of the headboard- and it totally works.

This photo shows us a couple of examples. The fireplace mantle is like a piece of furniture, and the wall decor above it has a relationship with the size of the mantle. To the left of the fireplace, there is no furniture against the wall- so the selected wall decor has a relationship in size and scale to the wall space itself. Notice how it fills the area nicely.

Here the sofa is on an angle- not pushed against the wall- and so- the wall decor goes lower than the sofa line- the relationship here is with the wall- not the sofa.

So- does that answer your question? Did I explain it clearly enough? Go around your home- check out your relationships.

Have you not voted for my sister's rug? check here.

Photos in today's post from Elle Decor October 2009 and House Beautiful October 2009.