Visual Weight 101: How to Balance Any Room

Why does this room feel so balanced? The visually heavy concrete wall is balanced by airy chairs and lightweight, interestingly arranged art. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Think about the spaces you love. Whether’s it a room in your own home or apartment, or something you fawned over on Pinterest, the room probably has a sense of balance. When your eye scans it, you can follow a natural flow. You pick out pieces that are anchoring the space and others that give it a feeling of openness.

Now think about spaces you hate, like the waiting room at the doctor’s office or the DMV. Sure, the poor lighting and stark decor don’t do these spaces any favors. But they also feel heavy and, put simply, blah.

You want to create a space that wows and isn’t at all reminiscent of the DMV. Fortunately, visual weight can help. Let’s take a look at this interior design tool.

When you want to open up a space, choose visually lightweight pieces, like those elevated on slender legs. Image: ParvinMaharramov/Shutterstock

What is visual weight, exactly?

Visual weight relates to the way an object attracts and interacts with our eye. In short, visual weight is how much your eye thinks a piece weighs. In most cases, this is pretty well tied to its actual weight. Solid wood items look visually heavy and are, in fact, heavy themselves. But visual weight and actual weight don’t always go hand in hand. Take, for example, a couch. If you put it on low, block legs or no legs at all, it will look very visually heavy. If, however, you mount it on taller hairpin legs, you can significantly reduce its visual weight.

This is a big part of why furniture is so important in a room. As some of the largest – if not the largest – pieces in a room, furniture is going to define the visual weight of the space. Too many sturdy, heavy pieces will make the room feel weighed down. Too many lightweight pieces that allow the eye through (like pieces in acrylic or with thin wire framing) and can make the space feel unestablished.

What gives an item its visual weight?

You might be wondering how to determine the visual weight of an item. Here are a few factors that affect visual weight:

• Size: The larger an item is, the more visually heavy it will appear.


• Shape: Shapes we’re used to, like squares and rectangles, usually appear heavier than irregular shapes with curves or unexpected angles.


• Proximity: A large, heavy-looking item can be made to appear lighter by surrounding it with other objects. When standing alone, its visual weight will be more apparent.


• Color: Lighter items generally appear less heavy than darker ones of the same size and shape.


• Texture/Depth: Texture that adds a lot of shadow can make an object seem visually heavier. Similarly, items with more depth look heavier. For example, a deep bookshelf will carry more visual weight than a shallow one of the same size and shape.


• Grounding: Items that are close to the ground appear heavier than those that are elevated and allow some light underneath them, like furniture on legs.

The heavy visual weight of the black cabinet is balanced by dining chairs on slender legs and a table in light-colored wood. Image: Iphann/Twenty20

Why is visual weight important?

We’re not just teaching you about visual weight so you can impress your friends at your next dinner party. Visual weight is key because it’s a huge part of achieving visual balance. Let’s go back to the rooms you thought about earlier, some you loved and some you hated. A big part of the reason we hate waiting rooms is because they’re filled with low, stocky chairs. There is usually very little to balance out that room (kudos to the people who at least put a potted plant in the corner). The result is a space that feels heavy and tired, where spending time makes you feel heavy and tired.

Now think about the rooms you love. They most likely have a good balance of visually heavy and visually light pieces, with plenty of space to let the eye travel between them. Interior designers think about visual weight when putting rooms together so the eye can scan the space comfortably, easily finding anchor pieces while getting relief from items with less visual weight.

In a wide, low room, the sizable lighting fixture, couch and fireplace serve as visual anchors. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

How do I use visual weight in my interior design?

As with so much of interior design, using visual weight to your advantage is all about finding balance. Basically, being aware of an individual object’s perceived weight can help you steer clear of issues like stocking a room with too much heavy furniture, making it feel cramped or forgetting to add a visual anchor.

When adding pieces to your room or rearranging the space, take into account the visual weight. Imagine your room is on a fulcrum. You don’t want to crowd all your visually heavy items to one side. Distribute them throughout the room and break them up with visually light items and open space. Balancing your room is the key to creating a space with good design. If you’d like to take a deeper dive into this concept, check out our article on how best to achieve balance in interior design.

Even if you’ve never heard the term “visual weight” before today, you probably already had a sense that it was important. Did this guide help you? Will you make any changes to your home now that you’ve learned more? Let us know in the comments!

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10 Small Corner Desks That Transform A Corner Into A Functional Small Home Office

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Productivity is possible, even in the smallest of spaces. And if you’re space-challenged, there’s no better place to set up your small home office than in an awkward, unused corner. Check out these 10 small corner desks — and how they’ve been styled — for great ideas to transform a corner into a functional small home office.

1. Harper Blvd. Kemble Metal/Glass Corner Desk at Amazon, click for price

For a sleek and contemporary look, choose a glass top to lighten up the corner. If you don’t have a window to look out, hang a mirror or wall canvas on the wall.

2. Fynn Wall Mount Corner Desk at Amazon, click for price

This floating desk is wall-mounted to allow space for a chair to tuck in. The cubbies are perfect for holding files and other items.

3. Ellen Corner Desk at Target, $130

This furniture-like small corner desk can also work as a small TV cabinet.

4. Friedman Corner Desk with Hutch at Wayfair, $183

Make maximum use of a corner by adding a hutch that takes advantage of the wall space over the desk.

5. Fold-Out Convertible Desk at Amazon, click for price

This well-designed wall desk has cubbies and a cork board to keep you organized. The actual desk surface area drops down, with the door becoming the supporting leg. To clear the area when done, put everything back in the cubbies and fold the unit back up to close.

6. Ameriwood Home Parsons Corner Desk at Amazon, click for price

The shallow lower shelf of this small corner desk can hold additional items like books or a small printer while still allowing space for your legs.

7. Willingham Wall Mount Folding Laptop Desk at Amazon, click for price

If all you need to create a home office is a spot for your laptop, this wall-mounted small desk may be the solution. Hang it on one of the walls of your corner for a mini work station.

8. Tangkula Corner Desk at Amazon, click for price

Some small corner desks have very limited surface area and storage. But this unit features a pullout keyboard tray and shelving large enough to hold a desktop computer tower.

9. Moorton Corner Computer Desk at Wayfair, $286

This transitional small corner desk can work in many home styles. Use a cube or square ottoman as a desk chair if your corner area space is limited.

10. Calgary L-Shaped Desk at Wayfair, $223

The L-shape of this desk fits well into a corner, with an integrated bookcase serving as one of the supporting legs.

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Helpful Hints for Small Room Arrangements

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Small spaces can be tricky to decorate. You can spend hours scrolling through Pinterest, gathering your inspiration for your compact quarters, only to find that in practice you feel extremely limited. Whether you’re in a full-blown tiny home, a small apartment or just have a room in your home that’s short on square footage, we can help. We asked our Freshome team for their top tips on small room arrangements. Here are 12 helpful hints you’ll actually be able to use in your small space.

Floating shelves and high-hung window coverings draw the eye up, making the space feel larger. Image: ThreeDiCube/Shutterstock

Think lofty

When you don’t have a lot of space along the x-axis of a room, think about the y-axis. Using your walls well can transform your room.

Float some shelves

In a small space, it can be hard to find a balance between overcrowding the room with furniture and it looking sparse. If you’re streamlining your furniture but still want the space to feel structured and designed, floating shelves are ideal. The Walnut Floating Shelves from The Container Store are perfect for displaying your favorite art and decor pieces while keeping table surfaces clear.

Get large-scale art

Again, just because you don’t want to crowd the room with stuff doesn’t mean you want it to look spartan. You can dress up even the simplest room with large wall art. If your room is especially small, swap a bold, graphic art piece for a large mirror. It will bounce light around the room, helping it feel bigger.

Elevate your window coverings

Help your room feel larger by drawing the eye up to your ceilings. When you hang your window coverings, hang the rod near the top of the wall. The long line of drapery helps the room feel more expansive.

A single large piece of furniture can anchor your small space. Image: Ruben Ramos/Getty Images

Think big

It’s a small room, so you should only put small items in it, right? Au contraire. Thinking big can help you transform your small space.

Add one large furniture piece

Confusing, we know. Why would you add something that’s going to take up a lot of your precious square footage? The answer lies in the feel of the room. Too many small-scale pieces can make the room feel cluttered and unanchored. Adding one large focal piece – whether that’s a comfortable sofa or a centering entertainment center – makes the room feel established.

Throw down a big rug

A light-colored, softly patterned rug can help brighten and soften your space, while also helping you delineate sections. Set a rug like West Elm’s Foil Diamonds Distressed Rug under the dining table or coffee table to create a sense of purpose for the space. Voilà! The rug delineates the area, clarifying its use.

Take a step back

When you’re designing a small room, it’s easy to get caught up in the details. But thinking big ensures you end up with a room in which you’ll actually want to spend time. Look at the room as a whole. If it’s still feeling small and cramped, make changes that will have a big impact, like lightening the wall color or adding more lighting to each corner.

A multitasking ladder serves as wall art and blanket storage. Image: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Think utilitarian

In a small space, each item needs to pull its own weight. This is a time to think smart and get sneaky.

Hide storage

A small space needs storage. When your space is compact, the last thing you want is to have unwanted items sitting out, right in your eye line. While bigger spaces might be more forgiving, little rooms keep everything in plain sight. That is, unless you get creative. Look for furniture with hidden storage. West Elm has a Stacked Disk Coffee Table with a hidden compartment inside, while Pottery Barn has a Tamsen Storage Bench where you can tuck items away.

Multitask

Choose pieces that can be used for multiple purposes. A padded ottoman could be an ideal place to put up your feet or, with the addition of a tray on top, a place to serve drinks and snacks. West Elm’s wheeled Mid-Century Bar Cart can be pulled front and center when in use or tucked away conveniently. Multifunctional furniture can help you extend the use of your small room without cluttering it.

Get organized

If you do plan to leave items out in your small space, make sure to organize them. Grouping like with like can help your space look tidier. And don’t be afraid to turn to baskets to keep things readily available without forcing your guests to look at them the whole time they’re in the room.

A ceiling-mounted lamp adds light and height to the space without taking up any precious square footage. A small coffee table adds functionality without cramping the room. Image: Westend61/Getty Images

Think thin

We talked about leveraging the elevation in your room to make it feel larger. Similarly, height can be a huge help when buying furniture for the space.

Stack it up

If you’ve got books, decor items or blankets you want to display in your small room, get a narrow bookcase. It’s a perfect display opportunity that minimizes square foot usage. Target’s Carson Narrow Bookcase is a tall, skinny bookcase that gives you five shelves of storage but is just 18 inches wide.

Add tiny tables

Small accent tables can make your compact room significantly more useful without making it feel cramped. Tuck a table at the end of the couch, side of the bed or in an unused corner. You’ll be amazed how much more pleasant it is to enjoy the room when you can easily put down your drink or book.

Choose skinny or mounted lamps

Whether you’re picking floor or table lamps, look for thin or wall-mount options. In a space where square footage is precious, these lamps can be powerful. They enable you to add more light – which makes the space feel larger – without sacrificing the flow of the room.

A small space can be a design challenge, but with these 12 actionable tips, you’re ready to tackle it. When you try them out, let us know which one was most helpful in the comments!

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HGTV Star Leanne Ford Is Disrupting The Design World By Offering Accessible Style

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She’s the co-star of the HGTV hit show “Restored By The Fords.” Her transformations always look a lot more high-end and expensive than what she actually spent. And, now, Leanne Ford brings us her high style at accessible prices in two collaborations.

Ford has created a stunning line of laminate finishes for the brand Formica, managing to make laminate surfaces cool again. According to Formica, her collection of 10 finishes were “hand selected surfaces inspired by natural elements and neutral colors.”

Besides the laminate collection, she also has a lighting line for Target. It’s no secret she’s a big fan of Target’s modern furniture collection, Project 62. And she’s created a lighting capsule to work with the collection.

A look at some of the Leanne Ford Project 62 lighting available at Target. All images courtesy of Target.

In a press release, Leanne explained, “Lighting is everything. It’s one of the most important elements in a space, if not the most important,” she said. “And if you pick the right piece, it doubles as a work of art.”

Here are 10 of our favorite pieces from the Leanne Ford Project 62 lighting collection:

You’ll find more than 30 classic and affordable pieces in the Leanne Ford Project 62 collection, starting at $30. And they all have more value than you’d expect from the inexpensive price tag: fabric-covered cords and the required lightbulb are included.

Want to see more of Leanne? “Restored By The Fords” has been picked up for another season, premiering in March.

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Walmart MoDRN Offers Scandinavian, Industrial And Retro Glam Styles

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In an unexpected yet welcome move, Walmart has rolled out an impressively chic line of furniture called Walmart MoDRN. The items are organized into three collections: Retro Glam, Refined Industrial and Scandinavian Minimal. Each collection includes accents and accessories that make it easy, as well as affordable, to create a complete and well-polished room in a snap.

A Refined Industrial setting featuring table top accessories in addition to wall art and furniture. All images courtesy of Walmart

High-end finishes like velvet and leather upholstery pieces, brass accents and real Carrara marble surfaces are standard, and also all at affordable prices.

• Beds – $599 to $649


• Sofas – $700 to $899


• Indoor/outdoor dining sets – $199 to $699

Here’s a look at the 3 collections:

Walmart MoDRN Scandinavian Minimal

Scandinavian Minimal features easy, understated pieces in smaller scale for space-challenged homes.

Shop the look:

Walmart MoDRN Refined Industrial

The Refined Industrial collection features cool neutrals like greys and beiges as well as plenty of texture.

Shop the look:

Walmart MoDRN Retro Glam

The Retro Glam collection features luxurious velvets and brass finishes, as well as on-trend pink and berry color tones.

Shop the look:

Mix and match all three collections to create a custom look that fits your personality and lifestyle best. Which pieces from the three collections are your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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