In design, we often talk about ‘groupings’. Groupings are small collections of objects that work harmoniously together to create a ‘vignette’… (or simply put; a nice-looking focal point).
When styling a home, we will create these vignettes for any large otherwise empty surfaces such as coffee tables, dining tables and consoles, as they draw the eye to the centre of the room, helping to tie all the other furnishings together.
Groupings generally work best in odd numbers; threes or fives most commonly. These clusters can be all placed together or spread out across a surface; ie. 2 on one side, 1 on the other: distributed in a way that they still feel balanced.
This balance can be achieved in the following variety of ways:
Variance in texture
Group items that are made of differing textures: With accessories, think metal, glass, ceramic, marble, wood… texture also means plants. With cushions, mix materials (both structure and pattern): velvets, silks, cottons / patterned and plain… you get the picture!
Variance in height
Variance in colour
Similar to texture, mix and match items whose colours work well together. Note- In this instance, many naturally occuring textures such as metals, timber and greenery count as both texture AND colour… win/win!
Variance in distance
The space between objects is just as important as the space the objects take up, themselves… splitting a grouping into a pair, with distance separating a third object can help to balance a setting.
These same rules can be applied to the whole of your home…
For example: Imagine your couch, curtains and scatter cushions to be a grouping… do you have a good mix of colour, texture and height? Or do you maybe need to consider a side table with a lamp to give balance? We’d love to see some of your vignettes… have a play and send us a photo on Facebook!