DESIGN TIP
for Your Home: Lines

Horizontal lines help spaces to feel stable, secure, and restful. If you want your home to feel comfy, consider utilizing horizontal lines or furnishings such as beds, tables, or couches throughout. Also note that the horizontal lines of molding or chair rails placed on walls at the same height help adjacent spaces to feel connected to each other and help lead the eye along to a focal point in the room.1

Vertical lines, however, are not as relaxing. They make our eyes travel upward and can make a room feel taller or more formal. Vertical lines also help lift the spirit, which is why most churches and the great cathedrals of old used vertical lines in their architecture. So if you are in the home-building or renovating stage and you want to convey strength or grandness in rooms like your formal living room or entryway, think about how to accent the vertical lines in these spaces through the use of taller windows or columns.2

And don’t forget about diagonal or curved lines too. Curved lines evoke a sense of femininity and diagonal lines nurture a sense of excitement.3 So consider the littlest of lines whenever you are designing or redesigning your home. They are more powerful than you think!