Today I’m diving into the interior design principle of balance. Why it matters, how it affects your home, and practical tips to incorporate better balance in your home.
Design balance affects your brain, body, and home.
Did you know your brain is constantly reacting to the environment around you? Whether or not you notice it, your brain responds with calm or stress depending on the aesthetics around you.
Consider how it feels to sit in a school gymnasium during a basketball game, compared to the comfort of your living room. The gym is a massive room full of hard, glossy surfaces that create loud echo’s. But your living room is small with soft textures like a rug or a blanket, and helps you unwind at the end of the day.
Aesthetics are an important part of creating a peaceful, comfortable home. And one piece of this is balance.
Types of balance in home design
What is balance, exactly?
Balance is how visual weight is distributed in a space. It ensures that no single element overpowers another. In other words, nothing is stealing the show that shouldn’t be.
It affects even the smallest details, like centered light fixtures and where to hang your art on the wall.
There are three types of balance:
Symmetrical
If you were to draw a line down the middle of your focal point (like your fireplace, bed, or dining table, for example) the two sides of the line would mirror each other. Each side has the same elements and arrangements. This repetition creates a clean sense of order.
This is especially great for bedrooms & living rooms.
Asymmetrical
This less-formal type of balance can create an interesting and unexpected visual movement. Instead of two sides of the room mirroring each other, this type of balance is focused on equalvisual weight and scale between all the elements in the room. This allows you to create more organic designs that flow together.
This is especially great for living rooms, office spaces, and bathrooms.
Radial
The center of the room is the focal point, and everything else radiates outward from it or inward towards it. You don’t typically find this in an everyday home. But you can use this principle to help style a round table in a dining space, or a unique, rounded extra area in your home.
This is especially great for dining rooms, breakfast nooks, and circular rooms.
Take a look around your room. Which types of balance do you see represented in your home, if any? is there opportunity for improvement?
How to Check For Balance In Your Home Design
If you’re unsure which type of balance your home naturally has, try this trick.
- Use your phone camera to take a picture of the focal point of the room.
- Open the photo and click “edit”.
- Draw a line down the center of the photo.
Evaluate both sides of the line and ask these questions.
- What do I need to add or change to create more balance?
- What, if anything, is drawing too much attention?
- What type of balance does the architecture of my home already have?… match this!
- What type of balance am I naturally drawn to: order and repetition, or naturally flowing and unexpected?
Following this basic design principle will create a foundation for your home to thrive. You’ll never want to leave. But like, in the best way.
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