Scale is Everything in Design

Scale = the relative size and proportion of objects, furniture, and elements within a space.

In real estate, they say it's all about location, location, location and in interior design, it's all about scale, scale, scale. No matter how stunning your furniture is, if the pieces you buy don’t scale properly in the space, it just won’t work. I never recommend anything for a client until I know the dimensions of their space first.

Here are some good rules of thumb to work with to ensure you pick the right size pieces for your project.

Walkways: When you’re walking through your space, you don’t want to create obstructions or pathways that are too narrow. Generally, 36 inches is a comfortable minimum width for a walkway between furniture and it is the width of a standard-sized front door. This means, for example, that if you have to walk through your dining room to get to your kitchen, the path between your dining table and the wall or sideboard should be a minimum of 36 inches. This doesn’t include the dining chairs as these are generally pushed under the table.

Non-thoroughfare areas: For areas that aren’t a main thoroughfare in the dining room, you can get away with 30 inches

between the table and the wall or a piece of furniture which gives someone enough room to get to their chair and pull it out to sit down. For a dining room or nook area that has walls on 3 sides, measure the entire width and depth, then subtract 30 inches from each side. This will help you determine the proper sizing for the table you select. If you want to save a few inches and reduce the width further while maintaining functionality, consider banquet seating (a seat or bench which is specially designed to fit a space and typically runs along the wall) for one or more of the walls.

Seating areas: When deciding on a coffee table, you should make sure there is a minimum of 18 inches between the front of the sofa or chair and the edge of the coffee table. This ensures that you don’t bang your shins on it every time you sit down. The maximum recommended distance between the coffee table and chair/sofa edge is 24 inches. Anything beyond that and you will have to stand up to set an item down on the coffee table. In the example below, the television is on the wall to the right. You can still access the seating area with the 36-inch opening between the chairs. Notice how the furniture isn’t all pushed up against the walls, but rather floats in the space. If the room were smaller, the 18-inch minimum recommended space between the sofa and coffee table would apply. However in larger spaces, it’s better to use the maximum 24-inch space so items don’t feel pushed together.

If you're wondering how to make sure your pieces fit properly in your space, let's set up a personalized interior design consultation to discuss your needs. Please contact me at info@the-silver-lining.com or view my services online.

Learn more tips in my free Interior Design ebook here