|
|
|
THE POWER OF PLACEMENT
We all have an instinctive sense of how objects, such as
furniture and accessories, relate to one another in space, so we
recognize when designers have created a well-designed room. Left to our
own devices, many of us fall short in the area that designers make a
study of; the art of placement.
Placement has geometrical and logical elements that can
produce an aesthetic and satisfying result. Rooms may consist of
rectangles, triangles, circles, squares and ovals. You must be aware of
these shapes and mix up enough of them to keep the viewer interested.
Most rooms are rectangular, so the first critical step is
the placement of furniture. Very large pieces, like entertainment
centers or bookcases, are placed against the largest wall. Furniture,
with very few exceptions, should not be lined up against the walls, but
placed in an L or V wing shape for the sofa and chairs in, or close to,
the middle of the room.
We are most attracted to furniture groupings that are
arranged on an angle. You might angle a sofa to the midpoint of a long
wall and then place a chair, or chairs, at a right angle to the sofa.
Keep the focal points in view, at least from a side glance. Angles do
not work in every space, but it is worth trying.
If the furniture has been placed properly, the functional
end tables are brought in, topped with lamps, and this should form a
triangular shape, not necessarily equilateral. Now you have a triangle
within the rectangle. Adding round or oval coffee tables or mirrors
will soften the linear shapes, and add interest.
Next add the framed art, which will fall into a logical
pattern on the walls because it relates to the view provided by the
furniture placement. Make sure the art, or grouping, is large enough to
draw attention. A few small prints scattered on a large wall is random,
rather than proper placement.
Riding along with art display issues, table accessorizing is
the most admired and confounding aspect of placement. We all love the
final dazzle that can make an ordinary room look fantastic, but we are
often guilty of over or under doing the process.
Several areas are naturals for accessories: coffee, end and
sofa tables, mantles, credenzas and bookcases. In the simplest, but
effective, approach might be adding one large print over the mantle, one
large bowl on the coffee table, a lamp and ivy plant on the sofa table,
an end table holding a few books with a finial, picture frame, or candle
holder on top, and two candlestick lamps flanking a decorative box atop
a credenza.
Grouping items
is trickier but will work if you group in threes generally, and keep the
items close together, in staggered heights, and in varying shapes. For
example, round plates work well behind books, boxes, or candlesticks.
Small objects can detract from good placement, and are better left to
keepsake boxes
|