Creating Harmony in your Design Plan
By Lori Wawczak
 The principles of design are harmony, proportion, balance, rhythm and emphasis. Of them all, harmony is the most essential to a pleasing composition. Why? Because creating a harmonious living space is exactly what good design is all about.
Exactly what is harmony, you ask? Simply defined, harmony is the pleasing and orderly arrangement of all design parts so that they form a consistent and satisfying whole. Because one of today’s strongest design trends leans toward eclecticism, creating a harmonious room design by mixing a variety of design elements is a wonderful option. But, while having a single element or two out of harmony with everything else in a room may give that room a distinctive and personal touch, having most of the major elements opposed to each other in mood, line and color produces confusion and an unpleasant sense of discord.
Therefore, it’s key in planning your new room design that you create harmony between the sizes of different pieces of furniture you select for your new room. Another key consideration in creating a harmonious eclectic style is to definitely consider mixing periods and styles in your furniture pieces because it will not only make for a more harmonious feeling in your room, but will ultimately create a more interesting decorating scheme. It’s important to remember that when you decide to mix different periods or styles of furnishings, that your pieces all be in the same or similar mood – that is, either formal or informal, gay and frivolous or serious, dignified and formal.
For instance, a rustic looking ladder back chair would be completely out of harmony with the slim elegance of a classic Georgian console. But an Early American butterfly table would work very well with a French provincial piece, because both are simple, country type pieces.
Harmony is also very important when placing artwork and accessories in any room…especially when these pieces are placed over a large furniture piece. An example of this would be hanging a series of pictures on one level therefore creating a better sense of order, and making a more eye-pleasing grouping. Conversely, placing the same art in a stair step fashion would create a very unattractive arrangement by losing all cohesion and harmony.
About the Author
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| Lori Wawczak, Decorating Den Interiors
Lockport, IL 60441
815-588-1793
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