Proportion in interior design refers to the balance between design elements including size, shape, colour and texture. Striking the right balance between different design elements in a single room is the purpose of proportion in interior design.

Proportion is a superior component implemented in interior design. This component is applied at every stage in the process of interior design. It is significant when choosing furniture, colours, flooring and other home decoration elements.

How do you choose, for instance, say furniture for the living room? You take into account the size and shape of the furniture. The shape and size of the furniture ought to match with the size and shape of the living room. This is precisely what proportion means in interior design.

Let’s take a look at the different types of proportion that interior designers reckon with in the process of interior design :

1. Colour proportion: Colours are a significant component of interior design. Colours you choose for a given space must be in proportion with each other and with the other elements in the room. In the field of interior design, interior designers usually suggest a combination of three colours to decorate the walls of a space. It is infamously referred to as the 60-30-10 rule by interior designers. These colours should also be in sync with the furniture, curtains and other decor elements.

2. Proportion of space: Proportion of space in interior design refers to the placement of elements or objects within a space. For example, take living room furniture. It is generally the largest element that goes in a living room. Now, if you buy an extremely large sofa, the center table must also be in proportion to the huge sofa you picked. If you end up choosing a small table in the middle, the outlook of the living room gets lost.

3. Proportion of light: Well, a perfect proportion of natural light and artificial light is necessary to complete the interior design of a space. A dark room is off-putting. Nobody wants to live in one. Light affects the perception of the space we live in. Did you know that the higher the light a room receives, the room is perceived to look bigger?

4. Proportion of shape: Shape is as important as any other component of interior design. The shape includes the shape of the furniture, room, coffee table, chair etc. Interior designers emphasize creating a pattern of the shape that is used in the process of interior design. For example, take the shape – square. If all the elements in the room are square-shaped, it creates a sense of style and uniformity in the room.

Proportion in interior design is interlinked with other factors of interior design. Mess up one and you have got yourself an unsatisfactory interior design. JD Institute of Fashion Technology offers a 3-year B.Sc in Interior Design and Decoration program providing a versatile teaching-learning methodology to inform, guide, and provide practical exposure in the field of interior design. 

What is proportion in interior design?