Design Principles: Decor in Odd Numbers

My mom has been my ultimate inspiration in so many areas of my life but I think something we are most similar in is our interest in interior design and decor. She has such an eye for making things look totally perfect but completely effortless at the same time. Over the years, I have tried to follow her lead and pick up every tip I possibly could. Today I am going to tell you about one of the simplest but most effective tips she’s ever given me, which was to use decor in odd numbers. This is something that would be seemingly obvious but it’s not always easy to identify why something just works or doesn’t work. If you follow the rule of odds while designing and styling your rooms, you will likely notice a look of perfectly imperfect asymmetry.

Accessorizing with Odds

This principle has many applications but it is most useful when styling with accessories. When you are styling a bookshelf, for instance, if you try to style each shelf with four identical items perfectly spaced apart, you will end up with a piece that looks totally rehearsed and more like a display in a store than a striking piece in your home. To offset this feeling, you need to focus on using items in odd numbers at varying heights and depths. Try using three different objects, in a triangular position, with some items further back on the shelf and some more towards the edge. This gives dimension to the accessories and allows them to look styled yet effortless. The eye is drawn to the shelves but is able to first see the piece as a whole, rather than be focused on the small details which are less likely to make an impact. If you were using an even number of accessories, you would be tempted to make things exactly symmetrical which makes the style seem too tailor-made. Using an odd number allows you to move things around appropriately without looking unbalanced.

The Magic Triangle

This is basically fool-proof when you just can’t seem to get something to look right. If you went around my house and looked at all of my accessories, there would find more triangular arrangements than I am proud to admit but I can’t help it – it just works! My rule of thumb is to use three similar items and place the heavier items (i.e., larger, more solid, etc.) towards the back as an anchor. This allows the smaller item in the front to make a statement that it wouldn’t otherwise be able to make on its own. For example, in the case of these jars in my bathroom, they would look totally mismatched if I lined them all up in a straight line and they wouldn’t serve a decorative purpose if they were dispersed throughout the room on their own. Putting them together in the magic triangle and placing the tallest, most dissimilar jar in the back lets the two smaller jars become part of a set and make a statement all together.

Try using this principle with your accessories and let me know if it does the trick for you. May the odds be ever in your favor!

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