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Size, Balance & Color
 
  Size, Balance & Color When shopping for furniture consider three elements in your selections:

size/scale
balance/focus
color

Size & Scale
First consider the scale of your furniture and the scale of your room. A piece that looks fantastic in a showroom with 14 foot ceilings may overwhelm a room with normal dimensions. Smaller rooms, especially living rooms, may work better with a loveseat or apartment-sized sofa rather than a long sofa. An armless or "slipper chair" may also work better in a small room than a large overstuffed armchair. In contrast, a small loveseat or chair may be lost in a room with high ceilings and large open spaces.

First, find something you like, take a picture, measure it, and then lay out the overall outline on the floor or carpet with a ball of string. Imagine the piece in that space. If it works, then go out and buy it.

Balance & Focus
There should only be one bride at a wedding and only one "focal point" in a room. Choose an important element around which you can arrange your furniture. It can be a fireplace, a window with a great view, or a "conversation area." You can use an area rug to great effect to define a conversation area. Around this rug you can arrange a sofa, chairs, cocktail table, and other end tables. The chairs and sofa, however, should typically be no greater than eight feet apart.

Color
Color sets the mood for the room. Colors are typically divided into "warm" and "cool" colors. Neutral and earth tones are typically thought of as warm, while blue tones are thought of as cool. Warm colors can move towards your eye and make a room feel cozier. Use these restful colors in areas or rooms where you want to relax. These neutral colors are also most pleasant in rooms where there is a lot of furniture or where there are lots of pattern and texture. Cool colors, in contrast, recede from your eye and therefore make a room feel larger. Use these colors in more formal areas.

Occasionally the impulse will strike to use bold vibrant colors. These dramatic colors often work best in rooms you use occasionally, such as the foyer, bathrooms and dining rooms. Dramatic colors, however, can often make a room look smaller.