Design Basics Series: Scale

Sofa, armchair and tables are the right scale for this room.

Scale is a design principle closely related to proportion. While proportion deals with the relationship between parts of the composition, scale refers to the size of something, in relation to some known standard or convention.

Scale can be mechanical or visual.

Mechanical scale is the calculation of an object’s size according to a conventional system of measurement. For example, using the metric system you could say that a table is 190 cm long, 90 cm wide, and 74 cm high – which is the same as saying that it’s about 6.2 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2,4 feet high. If you are familiar with the system used, and with objects of similar size, you can visualise the table and have an idea of its dimensions.

Visual scale refers to the relative size an object appears to have when measured against other things placed in its environment, or against the space that contains it. For example: a king size bed may look too big – out of scale – in a small guest room, but it’ll look just right in a large master bedroom.

A canopy bed is just perfect for this large, high-ceilinged room.

You can consider an object placed against others much larger in size as small-scale; you can refer to an object grouped with other much smaller objects as large-scale. The same applies when an object appears to be much larger than what it’s considered average or standard.

So, for example, a delicate-looking chair will look out of scale when paired with a chunky table; same story if you place large armchairs close to tiny occasional tables.

Scale can also be considered in relation to the human body, and human scale refers to the relationship between the human body and its environment, and the feeling of smallness or bigness it generates. If, for example, an interior is disproportionately large and make you feel small, you could say that it lacks human scale, while a room perfectly proportioned and designed to meet  dimensional and functional requirements can be called human in scale.

Large scale usually denotes power, formality, and security, and it’s often used to create impressive buildings that reinforce these qualities. Although I acknowledge the elegance and formal beauty of some of these buildings, it’s one thing to visit a large scale public building, and quite another to live in it. My idea of the perfect house consists of a well proportioned, functional space where you can feel comfortable and at ease – not dwarfed, nor cramped.

We all perceive human scale through some elements  that we’re accustomed to see and use – doorways, windows, stairs, tables and counters, and various kind of seating. For these reason, these elements are often used to humanise  spaces that lack human scale.  For example, you may have noticed in museums, or large mansions, how the height of window sills, wainscots, and dado rails often retains a human scale to counterbalance the large scale of the interior.

Low furniture and low window sills add human scale to this large open plan interior.

So if you have a large room with a very high ceiling and large doors and windows, you can retain a feeling of human scale using a different paint up to a certain height, or a form of panelling, to visually reduce the scale of the interior.

Panelling and paint make the interior more human in scale.

In general, when you choose the type of furniture for a room try to pay attention to the way items relate to the size of the room, to each other, and to the people who will use the room. Keep in mind that once you’ve placed your furniture in the room, you still need room to walk around easily, open doors, reach objects…

I once stayed in a narrow hotel room with a bed clearly too big for  it. One side of the bed was pushed close to the wall, while the opposite side was as far from it as the width of the – tiny – bedside locker. You  couldn’t get into bed from the sides, but had to crawl in from the foot of the bed – very annoying.

Now that was a hotel room, not a house, and I stayed there just for one night… but can you imagine having to make the bed and clean that room every single day? So don’t overcrowd the room you’re furnishing, for both aesthetical and functional reasons!

One final thought on scale:  elements of unusual scale can be used successfully to draw the eye and create a focal point in the room.

—

In the next post of the Design Basics series I’ll talk about balance and how it can be achieved in a room. If you liked this article, please leave a comment, and share the link with others. To receive your free updates and make sure you don’t miss any post, subscribe to Positively Beauty here.

Photo Credit: Shootfactory

Tagged as: design basics, interior design