The first of the seven principles of interior design is proportion and scale. It is through proportion and scale that we can create a space that looks and feels harmonious and peaceful before any thought of color, texture, or style is considered. This is why so many of us may have an untrained eye for interior design yet are able to walk into a room and know immediately that something feels “off.” Proportion and scale help us understand how all the objects in a room relate to each other and to the people who use the space. Misunderstanding this principle of interior design may cause us to create a room where beautiful, and possibly expensive, pieces of furniture look awkward or clumsy.
The golden mean, and the other classic rules of proportion, are useful tools. Yet the best measurement of all is whether something feels right in relation to the human form. When a coffee table is too big for a seating group, you have to reach to set down a drink. When it is too small, the furniture looks unrelated. If a picture is hung too high or too low, you don’t quite relate to it. You want proportions that seem intuitive, neither so small that they are overwhelmed by the space nor so large that they overwhelm it. By checking whether something feels right in relation to the architecture and to the people who will use it, planners can rely on their judgment, refined through practice, more than on mathematical calculations.
Height is a major factor in the perception of scale and should be taken into consideration when selecting most furniture and lighting. For example, if you have high ceilings, you can use a tall piece of furniture, a large pendant light and vertical elements to bring the eye upward and fill the space without making it feel cluttered at the floor level. If you have a low ceiling, you will want to use shorter pieces, emphasize horizontality, and use mirrors to give the impression of higher ceilings. When this balance is off, a room can feel heavy and oppressive or awkwardly empty. You can use the architectural elements of a space to your advantage and work with them to achieve the right scale, rather than trying to override them.
Proportion is another critical factor in both conversational seating arrangements and rhythmic interiors. A gigantic sectional in a relatively small room might make it difficult to navigate and converse, while a tiny armchair in a colossal space might look insignificant and lonely. Balance and proportion in furniture groupings facilitate the designation of different areas within a room without requiring dividers or walls. For example, if one room contains a big piece, there should be other pieces in the room that match the scale. Otherwise, the large item might feel out of proportion and imposing.
Ultimately, proportion and scale are not a theoretical construct. Their impact on how we feel in our homes—our level of comfort, security, and relaxation—is real. Once students are able to recognize these proportions in well-designed rooms (from both past and present), they will be able to use them naturally in their designs. Whether it’s pushing a lamp up a few inches or using a rug of just the right size to encompass the seating group, small proportioning adjustments can have a powerful effect on the “feeling” of a space. As they become more practiced, this becomes a natural part of the design process, and the act of designing an interior shifts from a series of independent decisions to a holistic process that produces spaces that feel “right.” Properly scaled and proportioned spaces are spaces that are relaxed, livable, and lovely.
