Maybe it’s of my background in psychology, where the understanding of relationships is so important, but when I think of design I think that it too is about good relationships. What makes good design is the creation of a relationship; creating a whole from all kinds of different parts. The difference between clutter and beauty can be a fine line, but clutter feels like a bunch of things haphazardly thrown into a room taking up space. Create a relationship between these items and you might just have a great design.
What makes for relationships in design?
- Color: When you repeat color throughout a space it creates a relationship and a coherent design. Additionally, if you want to use several colors in a room, it helps to have them all together in one element, like in a rug, piece of artwork or a fabric. You can also place them together in one place, a brown sofa with pillows of blue and orange creates the color story. Using these colors in various places in the room then all makes sense.
- Repetition: At stated above, repeating color creates a relationship. So does repeating shapes or patterns, items, motifs or elements. While you may use many colors of paint throughout your home, repeating the same white painted molding, for example, makes the home feel coherent.
- Theme: When I say theme, you might cringe and say, but I don’t want my room to scream circus. A theme can be expressed subtly through the use of color and a few chosen items which speak to the theme. For example if you want to bring the outside in, use the colors found in nature and include some plants. You can also do something unexpected such as using a ceramic lighthouse and making it into a lamp for a room with a beach feel.
- “Vignette” or Story: If you love old books stack them up with a pair of old reading glasses on them, or place them in a bookcase next to a comfy reading chair with appropriate lighting, making the meaning of the space clear. Use an area rug to define your seating area in a larger room.
- Group like items: Instead of spreading that collection of vases around the room, where they may look haphazard or random, or have no impact, place them all together and you make a statement.
Don’t think that creating a relationship means you can’t mix things up. You can use those antique pieces you love and mix them into your modern space. Just think about how they relate (color, size, shape etc.) and you can find a way to make it work. And don’t forget that throwing something unexpected into the room can keep it feeling lively and fresh. Just don’t go too far or it will feel jarring and out of place. That balance between harmony and spice keeps all of our relationships alive and interesting, inside and outside of the design world!
Remember have fun and if you love it you can find it way to incorporate it!
I’m currently doing a study on lamp shades and the history of them. A little boring in know,dont suppose you could point me in the right direction? p.s.How do i subsrcibe to your posts?
Ardelle at the present time I don’t know much about the history of lamp shades, but I will do a little digging and let you know what I find. You can now subscribe to my blog at the bottom of the page, just click on WordPress Entries (RSS) for the blog and Comments (RSS) for the comments. I will be posting another entry soon, so stay tuned!
I found your blog when I was searching on google, and it brought me right to what I was looking for. I’m going to add your rss feed to my Google Reader, I look forward to reading more of your thoughts