Balance in an interior

When an interior shows a lack of balance I become restless and anxious. The human eye naturally tries to bring everything to balance, because it is something that lies in the roots of nature. Even the human body and inner processes are kept in a balance, breaking of which may lead to bad sequences.

In my understanding balance is the feeling that everything is in its place. So in a balanced interior a person feels calm and satisfied, while misbalance makes us imaginatively move the objects and try to arrange them so that they come to balance.

There are two main types of balance: symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric balance is easier to achieve, it is the type of balance when objects are precisely reflected at the two sides of a hypothetical central line. The human body is an example of it. But even in the human body, or leaves of a flower arranged symmetrically around its stem are not perfectly similar. There are some minor differences between the two sides of the central line, because perfect symmetry can be dull and boring.

Symmetrical balance was used in classical times, and today it is still perfect for creating classical solid interiors. It can be used in official interiors, governmental buildings, studies etc.

Symmetrical balance can be diluted by adding small diverse elements, that won’t affect the overall balance but will bring interest to it. Applying a brightly colored element at one side of the interior, or coloring a wall in a different color can help, but care must be taken not to break the balance. Color is a strong feature in creating balance, because it can balance differently shaped and sized objects, as well as misbalance completely similar ones.

Color is a strong tool in creating asymmetrical balance. Asymmetric balance is achieved by using differently sized and shaped objects that are brought to balance by appropriate arrangement and use of color.

For example, for balancing a massive sofa on one side of the room, several small or average sized objects will be required on the other side. But another way to achieve balance would be to color the massive object in light color, and place a single small but dark colored object in front of it. All the combinations depend on the particular project and there are no certain rules how a designer can achieve perfect asymmetrical balance.

It can be done only by experimenting and trusting one’s inner feeling of balance, and arranging objects until that feeling is satisfied. Asymmetric balance is more difficult to achieve, but it is also more interesting to the eye than the symmetrical balance, and interiors with asymmetric balance create an easy and lively feeling.

Balance is not only about the size and the shape of objects. It is also about using the right amounts and ratio of color, texture and pattern. Each element used in an interior must be used in just the right amount to achieve a perfect balance.