You've heard it before: It's all in the details. You change the size and shape of the rug in the living room and all of a sudden everything else looks out of proportion.
You put a tall vase on the coffee table and realize you need something large on the floor to balance it out. A new piece of furniture along a back wall grounds it nicely, but now the rest of the room seems to "float." It's a nice space, but not a great space . . . and you just can't figure out what went wrong.
It's all about creating balance, scale and proportion, and while that sounds easy, it isn't.
Even those with a good sense of design can be guilty of "eyeballing" items they think will fit in their space.
And since things look very different in the store, they end up with carpets that are too small, entertainment units that are too big, and accessories that don't do anything to enhance the area.
Admit it. How many times have you come home with a picture that was just wrong on the wall? How many knick-knacks are sitting in the basement because they looked ridiculous no matter where you tried to place them?
There truly are shapes, accessories and ideas that seem to work anywhere, any time, regardless of your design style.
The key is finding them, and for that we went to Sylvie Bigaouette of Plaza Interiors with a long list of questions.
Here's our Q and A:
Q: Are there some shapes that just naturally work together the best?
A: Opposites work well together, such as round and square, horizontal and vertical. When accessorizing, I like to work with odd numbers in grouping. But if I'm working to achieve a symmetrical look I like pairs, and I like them at the same height.
Q: If you don't have a natural eye for it, how do you figure out balance, proportion and scale?
A: The eye should easily travel in and out of the room, unless there's a distinct focal point. In that case, it should be the first area the eye focuses on. A good indication that the proportions in a room are wrong is when you walk in and you just don't know what to look at first. It just doesn't feel right. The chi -- the energy -- just doesn't flow.
Q: What are the biggest mistakes people make in a small room?
A: Trying to fit everything they own in one room, or filling the room with small pieces, thinking that they can't use one big "statement" piece of furniture with just a few other items around it. The best use of a small space is to keep it monochromatic. It will make the room look larger.
Q: OK, so what are the biggest mistakes people make in a large room?
A: Spreading the furniture out and lining the pieces up against the wall, like they're being stored in a warehouse. The best thing is to bring furniture closer to create cosy conversation areas. In fact, in a really large room, you can have several conversation areas.
Q: What's the No. 1 faux pas a designer notices when he or she walks into a room decorated by a "civilian?"
A: We see that nothing flows. The "civilians" can't make up their minds what style they want, so they have a western look in the family room and French country in the kitchen, complete with the roosters. One of my favourites was a family room with a beer bottle collection (empty, I might add) from all over the world. It took up an entire wall. The other faux pas is having too many or not enough accessories in a room; not knowing what works.
Q: Is there some easy way to learn the basic principles of decorating? Sort of a "design for dummies?"
A: Establish what style you want -- what you feel most comfortable with -- and keep it consistent throughout your home. One way to determine your style is by going through magazines and cutting out your favourite rooms. Pretty soon you'll discover you're drawn to a similar look. There's traditional, transitional, modern, European, eclectic . . . the list goes on.
Q: Any last bit of advice or tips you'd like to share?
A: Invest in good furniture and accessories and follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty per cent can be in one style and the other 20 per cent can be eclectic for balance. Remember that less is often more.
Canwest News Service
