Proportion is the relationship of an objects parts to each other. For instance, the legs, arms, back and seat of a chair. Often, you are reacting to bad proportions in furniture when you feel instinctively that there is something wrong about the piece without knowing exactly what it is that is causing this.

To use scale properly, you must consider the size of the room you are decorating, the major furniture pieces that will used in it, and the comfort and convenience of the people who will use it. Start with the room size. A large room needs furnishings on equally grand scale, while a small room needs lighter scaled pieces. To heighten your sense of scale and proportion, look through magazines and model rooms. Even if you do not copy them, you can see what works and if it is good for you.

The key to great design is to develop and understand what having a relationship with your room really means. There are five basic relationships we must consider here.

• Color Relationships
  These are usually most successful in a room when you use relatively few tones. Color schemes with two or three colors can show amazing variety when they appear in different materials. With four or five colors, you must handle the color distribution very carefully. To achieve a sense of unity when using many colors, you must feature one color in much greater quantity than any others and allow the rest of the colors to act as accents.

• Pattern Relationships
  These require careful planning in order to prevent a room from having a busy look that doesn't settle down. A lively pattern used in large amounts can make an exciting impact, providing there are no distractions. This is called The One Fabric Look. A design secret. Many patterns can work together effectively if there is a relationship between the design motifs or colors.

• Textural Relationships
  These depend upon the balance of the surface interest. A three dimensional quality against the relief of a smooth flat one.

• Style Relationships
  These are rooted in the actual style of the furniture. Very often this is consistent throughout, but of course styles are frequently mixed and the magic of the eclectic look can be born.

• Mood Relationships
  These are a matter of spirit. Although subtle and hard to describe, they are tangible. Some rooms are bright and sunny while others are subdued and restful. They can be casual or elegant, country or city, masculine or feminine. A mood can make the difference between two similarly furnished rooms.

  Remember, after the romance is over, the test of your love of what you have created and your ability to grow with your design, will come through. Plan your relationship with your new design well. It has to last for years to come.

  Marriage counselors help bring marriages back together, just the same as our counseling brings you and your room back together. We are always here for you. See Our Room Services.