The Size Has It: Play With Proportions to Bring Energy to Rooms

One of the most common misunderstandings that designers have with clients is over the concept of scale. Scale takes the relative sizes of objects and the proportion of materials of a room into account. Playing with scale — mixing objects of different sizes, masses, proportions and patterns — can transform a lifeless room into a unique, treasured space.

How do you start playing with scale? The most effective methods involve care and subtlety. Check out the great spaces below to see how sticking to similar shapes in different sizes can achieve a distinctive design.

Play with scale on a gallery wall. This is a simple way to bring a new sense of scale into a room. Mixing up different-size rectangular frames and mats creates a unique pattern. The sharp angles of each frame help highlight the curved Moroccan mirror, too.


Mix up your bedding patterns. The sheets, duvet and pillows in this room all have similar patterns with striped and jagged lines. Changing the pattern sizes — small, medium and large — creates dynamic scale and visual interest.


Tie architecture and furniture together. Try to use the same shape in different applications. You don't have to stick to just accessories! This room's furniture complements its architecture. The round window, tufted chairs and graphic circle-patterned rug subtly connect and balance the room.


Take a step back when organizing accessories. Bring some order to your bookshelves. No, this doesn't mean everything has to be all in a row. But consider the shape of your shelves and the shapes of the objects on them. The horizontal stacks of books nicely complement the rectangular shelves in this design.


Pay attention to pattern and structure. Help your furniture pieces relate to one another through similar angles and curves in both fabric and structure. The round ottoman in this room ties in to the wing chair fabric's round, graphic pattern.


Mix up material sizes. Contrast small objects with large ones to create visual interest. This room has different shapes and sizes, from the large-format square floor tiles to the mosaic rectangular wall tiles. The wall-to-wall rectangular vanity ties them all together in a timeless, modern design.


Play with your pillows. There's no need to stick to a standard pillow size. I like how this outdoor bench has varying colors, patterns and sizes with eight different square pillows. The variation allows each pillow to pop individually, but they also work together and create good visual interest.


Use scale to imply function. The length of this pool is complemented by a deck similar in proportion. The long span of windows gives the home's interior good natural light, but also helps to connect the exterior and interior.


Tie large items to small items. This fun tree mural relates to the botanical patterns in the bed pillows. The mural's larger scale draws the eye throughout the space.


Use scale to connect materials. I love how this oval porcelain tub sits on these beautiful organic oval pebbles. The two items are connected in shape despite the variation in materials, creating a calm and connected space.

More: 6 Lessons in Scale From Well-Designed Bathrooms

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