I received an email recently from a fellow design junkie who is concerned that the room she is redecorating will not "flow" with the rest of her home. Many of us experience the same concern - as our tastes change and evolve, we wonder, "Will this new addition of furniture, fabric, art, etc. "go with" what I already own?"
There are two classifications of "flow" - Spatial and Aesthetic. We're going to focus not on architectural or spatial, but on style "flow."In my opinion, there are two ways to look at style flow: Factual and Intrinsic.
Factual - This aspect takes into account the actual items in a room or rooms - the furniture, fabrics (including rugs), lighting, etc. This is where the design elements of Proportion, Line, and Color come into play. For example, does this large,
Italian Baroque mirror overpower in scale a delicate,
Federal table it sits above? Or does this rather diminutive and sparse
American Provincial furniture feel out of place in a home modeled after an ornate and tall-raftered
French Chateau?
The general "rules" are:
1) Maintain
Proportion - that doesn't mean everything has to be huge or small - just keep a balance between the two.
2) Design
Line in a room to keep the eye moving - mix curves against straight edges, and add visual interest with texture. As has been said, "juxtaposition gives the eye interest and relief." ...And lastly, there is
3)
Color. Putting color together in a room allows you to be the artist - think of the traditional
color wheel - colors can coordinate, contrast, or clash - yikes!
The other way I consider "flow" is to look at it
Intrinsically. As I see it, most homes, if decorated by the same owner or designer, will inherently have flow. Typically, our styles don't change radically - say, from very traditional one year, to ultra modern the next - they evolve. As we gradually shift our styles, our homes may take on more of one feel than another - but they still "go together," and the main reason they
DO is because
you, the owner, put it all together. Our homes reflect our lives - our interests, our travels, our comforts - they are indeed a "self portrait of the owner."
After all is said and done, keep in mind that design "rules" are much less strict today than they were in times past. Mixing styles can not only allow for plenty of "flow," it can also keep a look from being too "matchy-matchy"
(my personal nemesis!) Afterall, YOU are the one living in,
(and hopefully loving!) your home - if it provides interest and design compliments - kudos to YOU!!
Now...Go
Flow! ;)
Editor's Note: Some background research was done in, and design quotes were provided by, the 1953 version of House & Garden's Complete Guide to Interior Decoration, but otherwise, ideas and opinions are author's own.
I was apparently the last person in the Universe to know, as I've been under the weather, and less tuned-in (hence the lack of posts, also). I, like so many other design junkies, covet the mag, and am just beyond sad to hear of its demise. On a more personal note, shelter mags like Domino and Cottage Living (R.I.P.) are one my few connections to "real-Home" when we are in Brazil. Losing them has been a small body-blow to my sense of inspiration and brings unwanted doubt to my hopes of pursuing a design-oriented future - but I WILL persevere! We'll just have to work that much more diligently to search for affordable, great design!
I will take this moment to plug the Domino Book of Decorating, though....I'm even MORE grateful to have received it as a gift, and think there's no better time to grab one for yourself. You don't need to go far - they're on the MLHP Amazon store shelf!! ;)
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