To create a harmonious home, one must first look to the fundamental interior design principles and learn how to achieve a well-balanced interior. In design, balance is created through the equal distribution of visual weight in a room and can impact your level of comfort while spending time in your space. There are three styles of balance you can use to create unity in the home, including symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance and radial balance.
Symmetrical balance is created by repeating objects along a central axis, so that the two sides of an area mirror each other. A great example of symmetrical balance can often be found in the bedroom, where the bed is used as the central axis and two night stands are placed on each side. The symmetrical style is often the easiest way to achieve balance in a room, but it can also come off as boring or repetitive if used too often.
Like symmetrical balance, the asymmetrical style requires a central axis line. While you create symmetry by placing identical objects on each side of that line, asymmetry requires only that objects on either side of the line are similar in visual weight. For this style of balance, you will be relying heavily on intuition. If not done correctly, you will most likely walk in and notice that something appears “off.”
To create radial balance, objects are not placed on two sides of central line, but rather circled around a central point. An example of radial balance would be a circular dining table with chairs placed around the table or a spiral staircase.
Does your home have harmony? Walk from room to room and look for areas that might need improvement through balance.