Design Basics-Balance

Posted March 5, 2010 by erin under Design Elements

Balance is VERY important in a great room design!  It gives the person in the space a sense of calm and peace.  There are two different types of balance:

Asymmetrical Balance and Symmetrical Balance.

Symmetrical Balance is very balanced and even in nature.  It has a sense of symmetry and many times is much like a mirror image.  If you take half the room and mirror it, it will look the exact same! Symmetrical balance is very easy to design and is great for a beginner!

Asymmetrical Balance is just that, asymmetrical.  It uses different elements of design like color, texture, and size variations to appear balanced, even though it’s not a symmetrical mirror image. Asymmetrical balance is a little more difficult to balance out but can be done with a little practice.

Here are some examples and my explanations of how they are balanced:

This one is almost symmetrical, but not quite, therefore I’m labeling it Asymmetrical.  The left side has three different similar colored objects (picture frame, small yellow vase, small yellow bowl) that balance out the two darker objects (green frame, pine cone) of the right side.

This is a great example of asymmetrical balance.  In this photo the artwork on the mantle is not symmetrical.  The white and black accessories, though they take up much more space than the orange arrangement, are balanced well.  By choosing the white candlestick, it blends into the wall and feels less visually heavy than it really is.  Even the furniture is asymmetrically balanced.  The large white sofa balances well with the smaller, darker wood chairs and end table.

This (besides the little purple orchid) is a great example of symmetrical balance.  It’s perfectly balanced between the matching end tables, lamps, and single pillow to add a nice focal point.

Great example of asymmetrical balance (and a great arrangement for a wall with a slanted ceiling line!)  The large sculptures on the dresser on the left seem to balance that side well and are balanced well with the white lamp coming down into the space.  The white lamp actually seems more visually heavy in the space because of the high contrast between the light lamp and the dark wall paint.

This is another great example of asymmetrically placed accessories on the mantle.  Imagine the mantle with just the circular mirror and the two picture frames.  It’s not balanced with just that!  By adding the dark book holders and small accessories in front of the gray framed picture it’s visually balancing the darker frame and print.

Hope you enjoyed the lesson!  (Click on the photo to be taken directly to the source.  There are more examples of asymmetric vs. symmetrical design.  It’s a lot easier to see symmetrical, but sometimes the asymmetrical designs can be less obvious.)

Tags: balance, Tutorial

DIY Furniture-Knock Off Wood

Posted March 2, 2010 by erin under Tutorial

I’ve been following this blog for a while and just LOVE it!  It’s put together by Ana and called Knock Off Wood.  She takes things she sees in stores like Pottery Barn, West Elm, Land of Nod, and other stores, and makes the plans and a shopping list of supplies so you can make your own pieces for WAY less!  Here are some examples of her plans and finished project!  Be sure to go over and check out her awesome site!

This hutch as seen in Canadian House and Home was the inspiration for the plans for the hutch below!

This is what the finished piece will look like, go here to see the full list of instructions, supplies and everything else you need to get started!

These are some of my favorite shelves from Pottery Barn Kids, but at a hefty price tag of $900, not always affordable!

Ana shares the plans and finished shelves with us…and the best part is that she spent only $60!  She’s a genius!!

Worried about not being able to build these pieces?  Check out her newly created Flickr Gallery to see what people just like you have been building with her plans!  I can’t wait to get back into a house so I have a garage to build some new furniture in!

Enjoy!

Tags: DIY, furniture, Tutorial

DIY Paper Lantern Embellishments

Posted February 2, 2010 by erin under DIY

At CHA last week Deb and I saw some amazing things!  I have tons of pictures of cute booths, exhibits, and projects.  This project was at the Hambly Screen Prints booth:

Want to know how to make it?  Buy a paper lantern from any local store.  You can probably find these at a party store, IKEA, or a World Market type store.  Purchase your favorite clear overlay sheets (they are hand screened transparencies) and cut to fit each side of the light.  Adhere the top with a clear adhesive and you’re good to go!  How easy is that?  I think it would be fun and easy to change out for different seasons as well.  Imagine a spiderweb overlay for Halloween, or a different pattern for the holidays.

*If you don’t have room for a full sized hanging lantern, try this desktop one from World Market:

Tags: DIY, lamp, lantern, Tutorial

Tutorial: Modern Accent Pillow

Posted September 2, 2009 by erin under Tutorial

I’ve been envisioning this project for a while and finally had a chance to make it!  I wanted another accent pillow and wanted to use a reverse applique technique with a little hand stitching detail.  Here’s how it turned out!

You can make one too if you want.  It was super easy to do!

What you’ll need:

1/2 yard solid fabric for front cut into an 18″ square (Or I used a dinner napkin)

1/2 yard fabric for back cut into an 18″ square

1/4 yard patterned fabric for reverse applique

1 skein coordinating embroidery floss

needle, scissors, freezer paper

1. Cut out circle from freezer paper in the size you’d like your applique to be.  These are 4 1/2″ in diameter.  Iron onto your fabric where you’d like the cutouts to be.  (I’d also keep your pattern about 2 1/2″ from either side as the sides of the pillow will shrink a little bit when it’s stuffed and we don’t want your applique on the side.)
2. Trim around your freezer paper pattern to cut out the circles from the main piece.  Pin your fabric underneath and line up how you’d like it to show.  Hand stitch a running stitch around the applique circles to hold the fabric in place.
3. Place your finished pillow front, and back of pillow together with the right sides facing each other.  Stitch around the edge using 1/4″ seams and don’t forget to leave a 4″ opening along the bottom to turn and stuff.
4. Stuff with my favorite stuffing: Cluster Stuff from Wal-Mart.  One bag of this will stuff 3-4 pillows!  (Don’t forget to clip the edges before your turn right side out to stuff.)  After you’ve got it all stuffed, hand stitch the bottom closed and place in your favorite spot.

(For this Pillow I used fabric from the City Blooms Collection from Benartex)

Tags: accent, DIY, pillow, Tutorial

Make Your Own Canvas Rug

Posted May 28, 2009 by erin under DIY

This is a project that I’ve had on my to-do list for a while!  Try making your own canvas rug!  I think my next place with all hardwood floors will be the perfect place to try it out.

See the full set of supplies and instructions from Martha Stewart.

Tags: DIY, DIY design, How to, paint, Painted, painting, rug, Tutorial