Have you ever had a designer ask what you think of the scale? Has it given you pause for concern, filling your mind with dread at the thought that last night’s seven course degustation with matching wine flight is already showing round your middle?

Fear not.

The type of scale we’re talking about here is nowhere near as scary as the ‘number-climbing-higher’ machines that we keep hidden in the bathroom so they don’t steal our will to live.

This type of scale should be treated with respect though, as it also has the ability to make you feel either very comfortable or very uncomfortable in a space.

Scale describes how something – a building, chair, tree, sculpture - sits in relation to its context. Something is called ‘out of scale’ when it’s perceived to be either too big or too small for its location, causing the overall effect to appear out of balance.

Let’s say you were considering adding a fountain of some sort to your courtyard garden, fed from recycled water you’d collected. Here’s your garden now…

...and here are two options for your fountain.

Option 1:

...and Option 2:

What do you think?

You might feel that the first fountain is ‘out of scale’ because it is too small, and barely draws attention to itself.

You might also feel that the second fountain is also ‘out of scale’, this time for being too big, overwhelming the space and threatening to drench you whenever you walk past.

The right scale fountain for your garden is probably somewhere in between the two.

What happens though, if you quite like the dramatic effect of that great big fountain?

Is it OK to play around with scale?

Sure, if that helps you create the effect you’re after.

Say you spend a lot of time reading in the garden and drinking cups of tea – it’s what you do to relax.

You might deliberately choose to have an over-size (‘out of scale’) garden chair to celebrate your favourite thing.

Scale is one of the many Spatial Qualities you have available to create the house, garden, park or city you love.

Once you start noticing the scale of different elements and spaces, you’ll feel clearer about what you consider to be 'in' or 'out' of scale, and can more confidently engage in the design process for your project.

Now it’s over to you.

Have you ever visited a place (maybe a garden or a park) and noticed that one or more elements was out of scale? How did this affect your experience and what do you think would have improved it?

Let me know in the comments section.

Of course, if you found this interesting and useful don’t forget to share with a friend, and I’ll see you soon for more Design 101.

Have you ever heard designers speak about the way something feels?

Has it given you pause for concern, worried that any moment now someone's going to grab your hands, look deep into your eyes and ask you to share your feelings?

Fear not.

What we're talking about here are the qualities that affect how you feel when you’re in a particular room, garden, house, building, park, or city - any place really.

How does this place make you feel?

A bit freaked out, maybe? Is it overwhelming? The edges are a long way away if you're standing there in the middle. There’s nowhere to find shelter or privacy. Everything you did would be on full display. Unless you're a despotic dictator with need to frequently remind your peoples of your terrific might and power, you'd be unlikely to feel especially relaxed in such a place.

How about this place?

It’s different, isn’t it? It’s a lot more enclosing and protective for one. Perhaps you find it more welcoming.

This one?

Some people might find this place private, secure and serene. Others might find it a bit isolating.

Why is this important?

If you start to notice and understand how different places make you feel, it’s much easier to describe how you want places in your home or garden to feel. And once you know, it’s much, much easier to work towards achieving that feeling, or quality.

There’s lots of ways to achieve the quality you’re after, and we’ll talk about some of them in future Design 101 topics.

Now it’s over to you.

Think about your favourite place, either at home or somewhere you’ve visited. Now tell me what qualities it has – how does it make you feel when you’re there?

Let me know in the comments section.

If you found this useful and interesting, consider sharing it with a friend, and I’ll see you soon for more Design 101.