Proper Size for Artwork & Accessories

Understanding Scale When Purchasing Artwork and Accessories for Your Home

Although your unique personal preferences may want to take precedence over basic logic, understanding scale is essential when you select artwork and accessories for your home. Choosing accents that fit properly into a room without getting lost or overwhelming the eye can be trickier than it seems.

Here are a few points to consider when choosing the ideal artwork and accessories to enhance your living space:

What is the shape of the area where you will be adding artwork or accessories?

A vertical space would be suitable for a tall lamp or vertical piece of artwork while a square space would invite a shorter, boxy lamp or a square or round piece of artwork. An example of using space improperly is putting a tall, vertical picture on a long, rectangular wall. The viewer’s eye will be drawn to the space on either side of the picture, rather than on the artwork itself. A better choice would be one long rectangular picture or a couple of small rectangular pictures that compliment each other. When art or accessories fit the geometric shape of the area, it is more comfortable to the eye.

What is the size of the area where you want to fill with artwork and accessories?

Choosing a large piece of artwork to display in tiny room will overwhelm the surroundings while small accessories will get lost in a large room. Select bold, oversized pieces for a big room and smaller pieces or art clusters for a small room to achieve the best look. Imagine how silly a huge vase would look on a tiny table – never mind how easily it could be knocked over and broken. On the other hand, a small photo on a wall with 12 foot ceilings would look ridiculously minuscule.

How can I figure out the right size artwork and accessories to choose before I go shopping?

When you want to decide the proper size for artwork and accessories to put in a certain spot, first measure the area. Once you have the measurements of the wall, table, corner or space you want to fill, try placing various size pieces of paper or cardboard in the area to see how they look. For example, tape a piece of paper to the wall to see if artwork of that size would be the right fit. By measuring and engaging in a bit of trial and error, you will be more confident about what you want when you go shopping – and less likely to have to go back to exchange items.

All it takes is a bit of visual planning and measuring to decide what artwork and accessories will bring your living space to life.

©2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard.