Designer's Golden Ratio - The 2/3 Rule

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1:00makes money management simple. Use code decorating at Monarch.com for half off your first year. That's 50% off at Monarch.com with the code decorating. It's all about the two-thirds rule. Hi, I'm Anita Joyce here with Kelly Wilkness and this is decorating tips and tricks. Today we are talking designed by proportion, mastering the two-thirds rule. I think this is really one of the more helpful rules I've ever heard of, Kelly. This is one you don't want to break. The two-thirds rule comes into play when you're laying out a room, which we recently talked about in our furniture placement episode. It comes into play when you're choosing accessories, particularly art. It comes into play with respect to your space and how things relate to each other. It is a very, very important rule. You may find that you are implementing this rule without even

2:05knowing it existed because your eye will gravitate towards things that are in the scope of the two-thirds rule that the two-thirds rule is being applied to. You might not know why you think a room feels good, but it might be the fact that the two-thirds rule is at play in that space. It really creates the balance. It really is amazing how this makes everything feel right and not off. I've seen people ignore this rule to their peril. It really does mess up a room. I mean, they weren't in physical danger, but their room did not look good. Well, you know, bad design is dangerous. You don't want to live with bad design because it makes you unhappy. It could be dangerous. It could be long-term effects of some bad design. It's easy to grasp a design rule. Even if you never heard of it, you don't think you're applying it. You don't think you could spot it out in the wild. We're going to talk to you all about it today,

3:08so you can understand it. You can use it and you can spot it. It is applicable from perfectly proportioned sofas to stylishly open shelving. You can use it in so many different ways in your home and small scale and large scale. Once you understand it, you're going to see it work in spaces that look and feel well-designed. Are we ready to say what it is? Yeah, my next note was so what is it? Well, it's when one element in the space is roughly two-thirds the size of another related element. This is kind of the secret. For example, if you have a sofa, have you ever seen somebody put a, well, let's say a 20, 25 by 20 piece of artwork above it? Does it look right? It doesn't because it's not big enough. The piece of artwork needs to be two-thirds the size of

4:11the sofa or you at least need to have several pieces of artwork that do take up that two-thirds the width of the sofa. Right. So if you did a grouping, it would be treated as a unit and it would then work within the two-thirds rule. It's the design world's golden ratio. Isn't it now? And it's less about math. So like me, if you're not a math aficionado, it's really more about creating visual harmony. What you're saying is you do not need to get the measuring tape out. No, you don't, but if that helps you in the beginning and if your mind works more like that and that can get you started and get you to see how this rule really makes such a difference, then go ahead. Measure your sofa, take two-thirds of that measurement and that is going to curate the art universe for you or let you know what size frame you should get for

5:11the piece of art that you have. So if that helps you grasp this concept and then put it into play in your home home, I'm not going to deny anyone the opportunity to use math. Math isn't everything. This applies also to kind of a negative space. I mean, that's really another way to think of it is that you want one-third negative space in whatever you're doing. So if you're doing kind of shelves, make sure that it's not all crowded because then that is not two-thirds. You want and maybe you have stuff all over it but some things are taller, shorter, but I think that empty space is kind of a way to think of it that you want one-third of emptiness or negative space in the arrangement that you're looking at. Oh, I really like that. Incorporating the negative space and looking at it from that perspective, but that is so true. I'm thinking of my own bookshelves. When I like the way they look, and there are books there, mind you, but there's a lot of, there's decor and there, and I don't crowd them all together, even though I might have several of something,

6:15oh, maybe do a grouping, and then there's space. So you definitely want to have that negative space. I really like that as an idea because sometimes people feel like they have to fill everything up, just like people feel like they have to keep talking. There can be some quiet space, there can be some, which is really funny coming from me, but even me, and even though we podcast for a living, you know, you can be quiet sometimes and that's okay. You don't have to fill every lull and you don't have to fill every nook and craddy in every shelf with stuff in your house. In fact, you shouldn't. Well, oh, oh, I just thought of another analogy. Like, you're sleeping a third of the day. See, it's like negative. Oh, you are on a roll. I'm telling you. I'm telling you. Yeah. So I mean, it does apply. It does apply. Yes. And you feel much better when you've slept at least a third of the hours of the day. So good designers are going to utilize this two thirds rule constantly and with really little thought. It sort of comes naturally with awareness and practice and you can become a person

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9:26And it also helps boost conversions, meaning less carts go abandoned and more sales for you. So it's time to turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify dot com slash DTT. Go to Shopify dot com slash DTT. That's Shopify S H O P I F Y dot com slash DTT. Let's use the living room for an example using the two thirds rule to scale the furniture and array and set the sofa the coffee table the chair side tables are all proportional in line with the dimensions of the room. So the magic two thirds rule is going to subtly tie everything together creating a sense of balance and cohesion. And that you can really feel. So even if you're just a brief visitor to the space, you can sense that the space feels good. It feels intentional.

10:26You might not feel to explain why, but of course you will because you listen to this episode. But you are going to walk away from that space or you're going to be in that space knowing it makes you feel good. And lots of times it is because the two thirds rule has been employed. Also think of it like your sofa. It's best if it's two thirds the width of your rug there. But I mean, it doesn't have to be, but you know, you want your rug a little bit wider than the sofa. Because if it's the same width, it feels off, which is what we've been saying. Everything needs to feel proportional. And that's one way to kind of check things. Is this two thirds rule? Because if something feels off, just think about is two thirds of this base filled up? Is there a third space that's resting basically? So we can apply that to so many parts of the room even going up the wall. Yeah. So I think you start with the walls or the architectural details that are in the

11:30space and you start using that rule from there and then apply it to everything down to bookshelves that are being styled or you're vignette on your coffee table, leaving a little extra space there, grouping the things together, then having some negative space. So if we start at the wall, imagine you're having this sofa in front of the wall while the sofa should be two thirds the length of that wall. Now, maybe you have some windows. Everybody's room is going to be a little bit different, but you get the sense of what we're talking about. You don't want your sofa to go end to end if you can avoid it. Not only because you'd like to have some end tables there, so you can have some lamps or something like that, but it would just feel overpowering in the space if the sofa went wall to wall. So two thirds is a really nice division. Half the size the sofa probably feels too small, so it feels dwarfed in comparison to the size of the wall. Then if you take the

12:31sofa and you're putting a rug in front of it, so if you use the term width or length, whatever, the rug that is running in front of it, parallel to the sofa, you should employ the two thirds rule there where the sofa is two thirds the size of the rug. So there's some rug coming out on both ends both sides of the sofa. The wall is bigger than the sofa, the rug is bigger than the sofa, then you're going to proportion a coffee table. So the sofa should be two thirds bigger than the coffee table. See, and you just like work your way into the room. Oh, that's good. Well, and if you have a bed against a wall, same thing with the artwork you want the artwork width to be two thirds the width of the bed. So the bigger the bed, the larger the piece of artwork should be above the bed. Woodworking, some paneling, Wayne Scotting, beadboard, a chair rail, oftentimes people have that or

13:31there's been a real trend of adding that in the last couple of years. Be careful on that. That's a side note. Just be careful. Don't go too trendy on that. Traditional is okay, but you don't want to go too trendy on that. If you're adding it, oftentimes the question is, well, where do I end that using the two thirds rule, you're going to come up a third off the floor and then the two thirds is going to be the sheet rock painted or wallpapered something like that, but you're going to go one third from the floor up. And that's a really good spot for a chair rail in particular because the chair on like a picture rail is supposed to be really the purpose of it so the chair isn't banging into the wall. Somehow that still happens in my house, but you know, that's another story as well. Yeah, it sounds like it. Yeah, I think it goes in so many different directions. I mean, there's probably a lot of things that you can apply this to that we haven't even mentioned, but that is

14:31something just to keep in the back of your mind. So if things feel off, I think this is something to check because it really does fix a lot of problems. No, it truly is magical. It's one of those rules that you may not even realize you're doing it if you're doing it right. And it's one that you're not going to want to break. Some design rules are sort of, you know, in that category of rules are made to be broken or something, whatever that phrase is, you can get away with changing them. Sometimes it's better for your design to break the rule. Yeah, maybe with mixing patterns and things like that, as you get to be more comfortable and advanced in your designing, you might want to break some of those types of rules. Don't we have an episode coming up on rules to break and rules to keep or something like that? Probably. Yeah, but I'm just thinking about you make the

15:32schedule. You should know. But I haven't looked at all of that. I've had a lot going on lately. But I am thinking about the episode that we just did and I'm thinking about the bedroom that I talked about where the bed was squished between there was a door on one side and then the wall and I actually angled the bed. And I mean, it certainly made it more functional, but I'm thinking it probably helped with the two thirds rule because it was taking up pretty much that entire wall with the way the bed was in there. But when you angle it, it just feels, it kind of breaks free of that. Oh, it's jammed in there. And maybe that's what made it work so much better from a visual standpoint. I hadn't really thought about that. So if your room feels off, consult the two thirds rule, listen to this episode once or twice. It's a quick magic trick. It truly is. It can help create flow, cohesion, ease in the room and create the right amount of visual tension where you've got some

16:37of this negative space and you're using that to create the design that you want. It's not just blank space. Well, and let's talk about it for a minute as far as artwork goes because this is what we see so much is small artwork on a big wall. We say it a lot. This is so easily fixed if you go with a two thirds rule. Is your artwork above a sofa? Is it above a bed? Now you know how wide it should be. Oh, yeah. That'll make such a difference. I don't most say if you can't get something that's the proper size right now. And what you have there is in proper size, take it down. You're not going to appreciate the art. Put it in a place where you can appreciate it. So find another place in your home where you can employ the two thirds rule. And the art is going to look so much better and you'll like it so much more. And then try to find the appropriate size piece for that other spot. It's not doing any favors being inappropriately sized. It could possibly make the whole room

17:44feel off, especially if it's a bedroom with very few other things in it except a bed and maybe some side tables. Walk around your house with it and see where else you might be able to put that piece of art and have it really work. Right. And the other thing that we see all the time is the rug situation. So that's another thing to keep in mind. To go with a rug bigger than, for example, your sofa, just make sure the rug is big enough. Your takeaway or your homework or your fun thing to do today is go into at least one of your rooms, if not all of them, and just have a look around with this rule in your mind. Have a look at the wall and how big is the wall compared to the furniture that you have near it or right in front of it. And then work down and work into the room and see if you are employing this rule. And if you're not, see where you can. Maybe take a picture beforehand. Take a picture after you think you've implemented the rule.

18:45And see where you've made the change. And if you like it in the photo and then how you're experiencing the space. So we suggest the photo all the time. It's such a great tip. And it will help you learn how to implement this rule. And it will also remind you of how you had the room before. In case you do something that you don't like and you're not getting the rule right, and you can always put it back to the way that it was. Why did buying glasses always feel so complicated and overpriced? Not anymore now that we have Warby Parker. Warby Parker is a game changer in I wear industry. Nothing comes close to their quality, price, selection, and customer service. Their virtual try-on is a total game changer. You can literally try on glasses from your phone before you buy. I recently went into one of their 300 retail stores. What a nice experience. So many glasses to try on. I ended up purchasing a pair of the Esme,

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21:48DTT. And do let them know that decorating tips and tricks sent you. And trust us, your laundry's never smelled this good. I want to talk about a crush that I mentioned a few episodes ago and just to clarify, because when I re-listen to that episode when I was editing it, I thought I don't think I was totally clear about the samplized countertop samples. Okay. So I think I wasn't clear because I didn't say it wasn't actual stone. Because in my mind, I knew that it was going to be the same adhesive type of material sample that they send you when you order the paint samples. Right. So that's what it is. So if anybody was thinking, oh my gosh, what's the shipping on that? They must send you real stone in the mail. And I'm ordering six of them. So I got them. They are larger than the samplized paint samples. A bit larger. Yeah. The quality is really great.

22:55It's some sort of vinyl. The reproduction of the composite material, because it isn't natural stone. Because obviously in every slab of natural stone is going to be different. So they work with cambria and one other brand, which I can't think of at the top of my head that I'm not familiar with. But they have those two, just like they have Benjamin Moore, SNW and Farron Ball. They have a limited brand that they work with with them. I recently had cambria C-court installed in a client's kitchen. In fact, it just went in last week. And I had ordered a C-court just to have in my collection of samples because it's a great composite. It's just got enough going on without too much vaning if you don't like too much vaning. And I brought it over to her kitchen where it had just been installed. And it was exact match. Oh, wow. Well, I can see the value in this, because if you were getting the real stone, this would be a very expensive item that you're getting and you're paying for the shipping. Or you're getting the sample from the place you're buying it at

24:00and you're having to return it. So I think that's great. I mean, I don't have a problem with that. The whole point is, is it going to work in the space with the other colors? So I think that's a great thing. How wonderful to be able to get it printed on something where you can kind of see a big space. I think it's a great idea. Yeah. No, it really is. It was really helpful. And it's adhesive like the paint samples are. And as I mentioned, it's larger. So you can actually affix it to your current countertop. And you could leave it there for as long as you need to to get used to it and see in the different light and whatnot. And it's not just a little two inch by two inch sample. We're in even with composite countertops. Sometimes there's some sort of different color or some sort of splotch. That's purposeful, but you're not seeing because you only have two inch by two inch. You're getting almost like, almost like when you think about wallpaper with the repeat, you're getting pretty much the full repeat. So you see what's happening.

25:05Well, how big are these? But I'm going to say they're at least 24 inches long. Oh, nice. Okay. And like by a foot. Yeah. Okay. Maybe maybe 24 by 18 something like that. Well, that sounds nicely sized. Yeah. And they come FedEx. They do, they always do overnight. So no matter how many order it's like eight, 95 or if you order a certain number of them, they give you free shipping. But I got maybe six different samples. It's not totally inexpensive. It was like 61 dollars. But well worth it. Oh, yeah. To drive out like the Cambria showroom for me is like an hour and a half drive. Oh, yeah. I hate those drives. Yeah. Yeah. And it's always since some place you don't really, you're not like, oh, maybe I'll do I earned out here. No, you're not. Where the stone yards are. I guess you're turning around and you're you're not going there when it's dark. So yeah. So I highly recommend it. But I did want to make it clearer because I thought to myself, I'm listening to this.

26:06And if I didn't know, it sounded like they're sending you actual stone. So a little clarity on a prior crash and tell us what your crush is today. Oh, I'm very excited about these very happy to get them because I wear my duck boots out here in the country all the time. And we started to go for our walk the other day. And I was like, this is weird. It's like, I am an inch taller on the one boot than the other boot. Like completely a broken off. I don't know how I or worn off. I don't know, but it was like, what happened here? So I mean, I had had them for a long time. It was a time to get a new pair. But I'm very happy with the pair. I got their spary, of course. Great brand. So no surprise that I like them. But these have weatherproof upper that is leather. And then the bottom part is waterproof to as well. I don't know if that's rubber or whatever. Something like that. And I got them with the brown upper and the navy on the foot part.

27:10And the thing I would recommend when you're buying some of these, I kind of found out the hard way. You've got to get some with the side zipper because they're to take too long to put on if you if they don't have the zipper. So you'll want that. But these are great. They look great. And I got them on Amazon. And they were over 30% off when I got them. So I will include a link. So what is your crush? Okay. My crush is something to watch. It's called the knife's edge chasing Michelin stars. It is produced by Gordon Ramsay's production company. We really enjoyed it. So it's a show about real restaurant tours and chefs that are trying to attain Michelin stars or retain their Michelin stars. And the host is absolutely darling. They go to various cities. They are in New York, LA, Mexico City. There are broad and various European countries as well. They take

28:12you into the kitchens. You get to know the chefs. You see them trying to prepare for when they think the Michelin reviewers are coming in. Peter and I are always joking now about being a solo diner because that's they really get jacked up if they think they have a solo diner coming in with a reservation. And if someone is maybe taking pictures of their food. Well, now I'm going to go and and start taking pictures of everything and eat by myself. So see if I can get some great service. Exactly. Peter and I were saying we should go to a restaurant and just eat separately and see what happens. But you have to go during Michelin season. It's a great show. You're going into the kitchens. It's kind of stressful. But you see this amazing food and we're total foodies. So we love that whole idea and seeing people that are so passionate about what they do kind of like me and you. Yeah. So passionate about what they do and trying to take it to the next level. And then they take you to the awards. And you know, of course, you're rooting for whoever your favorites are

29:15and to see who comes away with a star who keeps the star who doesn't get a star want, want, you know, and tries again next year. It's a great program. I think maybe there's maybe eight, six to eight episodes. But we will link it in the show notes. That sounds so fun. I would love to say that. I think you'll like it. You're a foodie too. I definitely am. Thank you so much for hanging out with us today. And remember, we are here to inspire you to create a beautiful home. Until next time, fabulous, fun. Wow. Even better than I had hoped or expected. These are just a few of the words used to describe a DTT design consult. We've been doing consoles for many years and boy, are we good at it? And people are loving the results of the advice and suggestions that we make for them. It's so easy to schedule a consult with us. Just simply go to our website decorating tips and tricks.com and click consult. There you'll be led through the very simple

30:15process. And sooner than later, you, I and Anita will be discussing your home in detail. So sign up for a consult today. Let us help you design and decorate the home that you want and deserve. Looking forward to talking to you soon.