Do you ever look at a professionally decorated room and wonder what exactly makes it look so good? There are many aspects of decorating that come together to create the perfect room... but there is one element that brings it all together into a harmonious whole. That all-important element is balance. This article addresses materials and balance.

The materials used in your decorating must be balanced. Here I'm talking less about colors, and more about textures and designs. Some materials will take up more visual space and weight, while others will take up less - regardless of their colors. For example, a sheer material will be overpowered by a heavy tapestry - unless you use about four times as much sheer material as tapestry material. It's the same principle used in color. Evaluate your materials individually based on the colors used, the size of the print (if any) and the weight of the fabric. Darker colors, larger prints, and heavier fabrics must be used sparingly compared to lighter colors, smaller prints, and lighter, softer fabrics.

For example, I'm using medium-weight damask fabrics as well as extremely light sheer fabrics in my living room. The key to making them come together is to balance more of the sheer material with less of the damask. For window treatments, I've got long, full scarves and drapes of the sheer material, but only a simple tailored valance of the damask above the drapes and under the scarves.

Another example would be if you had two co-ordinating prints - one with large roses scattered all over, and another with tiny pin-stripes. If you wanted them to appear as equally noticeable, you would have to use more of the pin-stripe material than the rose material, even if the colors were about the same. The large roses would draw your attention to them, while the pin-stripe would fade into the background. If you had a comforter in the rose print, you'd want to make the bedskirt, shams, and throw pillows all use some of the pin-stripe since the roses are such a prominent and noticeable place.

The principle for balancing materials can be summed up like this: use less of the more noticeable, and more of the less noticeable.