Take pride of your new apartment and have fun decorating. Here is another suggestion to get free the artist in you:
Want to create interest in every room in your apartment? Try decorating with an asymmetrical design to create furniture and accessory arrangements that make your rooms feel more comfortable and inviting. These home decor ideas will show you why asymmetrical balance works and how to use it effectively in your room layouts.
Why asymmetrical balance works
You might think that the term asymmetrical balance doesn’t make any sense. How can something be balanced, yet not symmetrical? Here’s why it works: instead of creating exactly-mirrored pairs throughout your apartment’s design scheme, you can create a sense of balance by putting similar — but not identical — objects, such as furniture, textures, and colors, together. Because asymmetrical balance uses similar, but not exact, pairings to balance out a room, it’s called “informal design,” and it makes for a relaxed, comfortable feeling.
Don’t take “informal design” to mean amateurish or simple, however. Asymmetrical balance can be quite complex and interesting, and you can apply it in a number of design styles from traditional to modern.
Let’s look at an example. Pretend that you need to buy chairs for a new dining table. You could buy four identical chairs to go with the table, or you could purchase two traditional chairs for one side of the table, and a bench of the same height for the opposite side. There you have it: asymmetrical balance. The height (and perhaps colors and textures) of the bench and chairs are similar, creating balance for the eye, but the objects on either side of the table are not exactly the same.
This example uses furniture, but asymmetrical balance also refers to balancing the visual weights of lines, forms, colors, or textures.
Ways to create asymmetrical balance
So how else can you use asymmetrical balance in your home decorating ideas? There are plenty of other ways you can use this technique to create interest in your apartment. Here are some major points to consider, as well as examples on how to use these principles.
•Arranging furniture and art. Balance larger objects with groups of smaller ones. For instance, you could balance a large piece of artwork on a wall by hanging several smaller pieces adjacent to it. Or you could place two recliners opposite a sofa to create an asymmetrical conversation area.
•Color. Small areas of vibrant color can balance out larger neutral-colored spaces. You might balance a bigger area of vivid color, like a bright fuchsia bed spread, for example, by painting a neutral color on the wall behind your headboard.
•Lightness and darkness. Use asymmetrical balance to play with light and dark colors in your room layout. If you want to pair black with grey, for example, you could place a larger grey object next to a smaller black one. The objects might not be the same size, but since one color is light and the other dark, you need more of the lighter color to balance out the intensity of the darker shade.
•Texture. Since interesting textures draw the eye towards them, create interest by balancing them with larger areas of smoother, less noticeable textures. This is why balancing heavy drapery panels made from velvet or chenille with smooth, light organza sheers works so well.
Think about how the principles of using asymmetrical balance apply to your own furnishings and color scheme, and you’ll see that there are many ways you can use this design principle to create interest in your own apartment. When it comes to decorating, you don’t have to be “square.” Think outside the box and use asymmetrical balance for a look that’s pleasing, yet visually exciting.
For more tips on using balance to create interest in your room layout, check out “The Art of Decorating with Feng Shui,” which explains the ancient Chinese art of using balance to create design harmony, as well as peaceful feelings, in a living space.
