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Interior Design vocabulary · Design Principles

Proportion

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/prəˈpɔːʃən/nounCore term

In interior design, proportion means: The relationship in size between the different parts of an object or a room, for example between the height of a lamp and its shade, or a window and its wall.

In Turkish: oran, orantı

How it is used

Often paired with scale in critiques and presentations. Things can be in proportion, out of proportion, well proportioned or badly proportioned. Designers use ideas like the golden ratio or the rule of thirds as rough guides.

Example sentences

  1. The new cabinets look heavy because the doors are out of proportion with the low ceiling.

  2. Getting the proportions right matters more than the colour of the sofa.

Common collocations

  • in proportion
  • out of proportion
  • well-proportioned room
  • scale and proportion
  • scaleThe size of an object compared with the room it is in and with the people who use it; also the ratio used on a drawing, such as 1:50.
  • balanceThe even spread of visual weight in a room, so that no side feels heavier or emptier than another; it can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
  • visual weightHow heavy or light an object looks, whatever its real weight; dark colours, solid bases, large size and bold patterns all add visual weight.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Design Principles

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