Milford chronicle., 1961-11-03
Accessories Add
Personality TO A Room
Miss Patricia A. Middleton
Home Management Specialist
University of Delaware

Accessories are those personal
touches that make a room charm
ing and different. Such things as
lamps, pictures, plants and art OBJ
jects are necessary to complete a
room. Their contribution to the
personality of home is tremen-
dous. Well-chOsen NJ wei /
arranged objects add personality,
color and interest.
Being able to recognize good de-
sign in accessories, and furniture
will help you enjoy your pur-
chases more. An appreciation of
good design can be gained through
experience, awareness and a know
ledge of the basic art principles.
These are: harmony, proportion,
balance, rhythm, and emphasis. 1t
takes training and experience to
recognize good form, but there are
three important tests that can be
applied:
/. Is the article simple? If it's
not simple, it may be poor in its
structural form.
2. Is the article functiOnally
sound or does it fulfill another
purpose? 1t may be functional or
strictly decorative. Recognize the
purpose and respect it for what
it is A word of caution: this is
not the only criteria for judging
design. Functional ability is no
guarantee of good design.
3. Is the form of the object in
fluenced by the material f ro m
which it is made?
Good Proportion m cans tn
something has a pleasing space re-
latiOnship. An area that has un-
equal division of space is more
pleasing than an area divided into
two or three equal parts. Proper
ton should be matter of feeling
and Judgment, not mathematics.
Balance is the grouping of
shapes and colors on either side
of a central point with equal en-
phasis on each side of the point.
Balance is needed to satisfy our
need for a sense of equilibrium or
stability.
Rhythm is the arrangement of
lines, colors and forms to create
a smooth flowing path along which
the eye may travel.
1t unites articles in group and
connects each group with the ad-
joining group. Rhythm helps to di-
rect your attention to things in the
proper order of Importance.
Emphasis directs the eye to a
center of interest in an arrange
ment. Emphasis should be put on
a few things. Avoid OVERRIDING it,
since its real value lies in economy
of use.
How are these art principles ap-
piled to the selection of accessor-
les for the home; Let's take lamps
as an example. Remember acces-
sories can be purely decorative or
they may be functional as well as
decorative. Lamps definitely have
a function to perform-to give
good light. To do this, they must
produce the amount of light need
ed where it is needed. 1t should
be comfortable, glare-free light;
that is directed where it is needed.
On the decorative side, the color
and style of a lamp should be in
harmony with the rest of the room
in which it is being used. Look at
the relationship of the height of
the shade to the height of the base
of the lamp, and the diameter of
the shade to the height of the lamp
Scale will come into the picture
as you consider where the lamp is
to be placed The table on which
it is used must be in scale with
the lamp. The lamp should be just
right for the table; not too large,
which gives the feeling that it
could easily be knocked over, nor
too small, making it seem lost and
insignificant.
Accessories cannot be judged
solely on their individual qualities.
They are not to be used in a
vacuum" Their qualities are en-
HANGED or detracted from by the
objects around them-hence the
need to have them we'll arranged.
Don't use all the accessories you
have at one time Have only few
displayed, and change them fire.
quently to give new look to the
room.