When formulating your HDB interior design, one of the most important things to achieve is balance. A cohesive design makes your home look clean and refreshing.
When you enter a well-balanced room for the first time, you instantly feel connected and comfortable. If everything is in its proper place, it creates a good visual flow that contributes to making your space cosy and inviting.
Knowing how to achieve balance makes space planning and design a breeze. Here are some ways to create visual harmony and make your flat exquisitely calm.
Symmetrical Balance/ Formal Balance
Think of this style as having a big mirror in your room.
When a design is symmetrically balanced, the colour, texture, furniture, and accessories placed on one side of the design are the same as on the other. It is basically about mimicking or creating visual pairs.
Symmetrical balance is mostly used in classic or more traditional designs. Symmetry is a good way to create an inviting conversation area, like your living or dining rooms.
Think of your television console as the centre of a symmetrical design. Adding a 3 or 4-seater sofa on one side and two matching 1-seaters on the other creates a symmetrical balance. This is because the two single sofas mirror the size of the larger sofa. An elegant coffee table in the middle pulls this look together.
Asymmetrical Balance/ Casual Balance
While symmetry focuses on simple and more formal design approaches, asymmetry takes a more complex approach to create balance.
This does not require mirroring from one side to the other but instead mixes various designs and patterns in one area while maintaining a cohesive visual flow. An easy way to create this casual look is by curating decorative pieces or wall art and building a gallery on your accent wall.
To achieve an asymmetrical balance in your living room, try adding a tall lamp on one side to anchor your sofa. This also serves as additional accent lighting for your area.
Although it focuses on independent creative patterns and designs, building an effective asymmetrical design still requires some common elements, like a colour palette.
Radial Balance
Compared to symmetrical and asymmetrical designs, radial balance is rarely emphasised in flat designs.
Although rarely used, radial balance provides a stunning look in any space it becomes a part of.
Radial balance, as the name implies, is achieved by focusing on common elements positioned around a focal point. A good example is a round table setup. Your focal point on your round table is your centrepiece, whether a vase or an ornament. Similar pieces like plates, silverware, coasters, table napkins, or wine glasses arranged around the centrepiece create the radial balance.
Your matching dining chairs can also complete the look.
Ways to Make Symmetry Work in Interior Design
The Perfect Symmetry
Imagine your lovely sofa as your main focal point. You can create a conversation-friendly space by placing two identical chairs on each side of the couch. Add a spacious rug, an elegant coffee table in the middle, and some small decorative elements to amplify the cosy ambience.
A Cosy Transitional Bedroom
Although regarded as a classic style, it is good to incorporate symmetry into your modern furniture.
Add two storage bedside tables on each side of your fabric bed frame. This will help you maximise your storage space while achieving a cohesive and welcoming sleeping sanctuary. Include equally sophisticated pendant lights to brighten up your room.
Go Eclectic
You may think that eclectic design only works with asymmetry, but you can try a fusion of this playful style with a more formal, symmetrical balance.
Choose a statement piece for your room and surround it with similar furniture or decorations. A coloured sofa paired with a dark coffee table and accentuated with minimal accent chairs or two one-seaters can make your living room fun and inviting at the same time. Don't be afraid to work with your bookcases and gallery walls to express your style better.
Paired Symmetry
Try adding two coffee tables beside two outdoor chairs for your small reading nook or balcony. Add natural decorative elements like rattan baskets and greens to relax during your tea or snack time.
A Gallery Wall
Make your tiny foyer welcoming by adding a wall art gallery on your shoe cabinet. For slimmer shoe cabinets, hanging two wall art side by side will help you emphasise your piece.
Ways to Make Symmetry Work in Interior Design
Create a Cosy Living Room
Make your living space comfortable and elegant with a few luxe furniture pieces that you can buy online in Singapore. Partner your L-shaped sectional with a comfortable one-seater armchair or a bean bag on one side. Add a tall or medium-sized side table to anchor your L-shape, and complete the refreshing design with an extendable coffee table.
Double the Coffee Table
Build a charming living room interior design by doubling your coffee table. Make a fun, eclectic design with various coffee tables and sofa varieties.
You can also use ottomans as your coffee tables—position different decorative pieces on both of your coffee tables. For a more exciting look, go for a two-tier geometric coffee table to get the look of two pieces in one!
Create a Book Wall
Build a faux built-in bookshelf on one side of your space by pushing a tall bookcase against your wall.
Feel free to decorate your space with books, frames, baskets, and other decorative accents. To balance the other side, create a gallery wall with photos or art pieces that complement your area's theme or colour scheme.
Offer Flexible Seating Options
Create a fancy dining room design by combining comfortable dining chairs and versatile dining benches around your table. Feel free to play with the materials and colours of your furniture. For your mini kitchen island, add some bar stools and dining chairs on each side to give your guests a variety of seating options.
Incorporate Asymmetry and Function
Make use of your vertical space by anchoring your bed with a tall chest of drawers instead of a bedside table. This will give you a well-coordinated and space-efficient room. Utilise some pendants on the other side to balance the casual and cosy atmosphere.
Additional Tips
When designing your flat, you do not have to always stick with one style.
Remember that too much symmetry can make your design look dull and lifeless, no matter how elegant your furniture pieces are. Too much asymmetry can make your area messy and unpleasant to the eye. To decide whether to incorporate symmetry or asymmetry in your space, always look for structural focal points like a wall, your door, or scenic window placements.
Most of all, it is imperative to incorporate personal elements and high-quality furniture to make your home feel like your own comfortable place.