One of the secrets that interior designers use to make a room look its best is the idea of proportion control. This refers to the ability to constrain the size of room features, décor and furnishings so that they all form an aesthetically pleasing whole. Perhaps the easiest way to achieve the right proportion in your home is by getting rid of a bulky, traditional bed and replacing it with a cabinet bed or a Murphy wall bed system.

The Concept of Proportion in Interior Design

Proportion, in addition to comparative size or scale, is a way that interior designers balance elements within a room. It denotes both the shape and size of objects being in harmony with each other. For instance, a long, rectangular area rug placed beneath a square, pub-height table just wouldn’t look right because the proportions are dissimilar. Conversely, a large piece of furniture in a large room with bold accessories would look just right. That’s why it is important to consider the proportion of all pieces and elements in a room in order to achieve the right balance.

And one other tip from the professionals: always leave some “white space” in a room rather than cover every inch.

Large Scale Rooms Need Large Furnishings

If you have a large room, such as a great room, which serves a variety of purposes, then a custom Murphy wall bed system could be just the furnishing that proportionally anchors the space.

Encore Wall Bed with side pier cabinets.

Your Murphy bed can be placed in the middle of one wall, either in a horizontal or vertical configuration. You can – and should- opt to add custom side piers to take up the entire wall and add lots of useful space.

Custom wall bed system with wardrobes and drawers.

If you have a lot of square footage with which to work, consider extending the side piers to adjoining walls. This creates a complete, unified wall bed system which you can use for storage, work space, display shelving, bookshelves or just about anything you can possibly imagine. The focal point of a large room should be a large piece of furniture, and a custom Murphy wall bed system is just that – and it is highly functional as well as handsome.

Smaller Scale Rooms Require Smaller Furnishings

This Clover cabinet bed has a small footprint, but lots of storage space.

On the opposite end of the scale, rooms with a limited amount of space look best when you incorporate furnishings of similar proportions. In this case, a cabinet bed, which holds a queen-sized mattress and measures approximately 5’ wide by 4’ tall, is ideal for the space. These cabinets have a small footprint, which allows for a maximum number of elements in the room no matter how small. Plus, the addition of a hidden bed doubles the functionality in the room, allowing it to serve as a guest bedroom as well as a home office, crafting space, workout room or anything else you need in your home. The roomy storage drawer along the bottom of the cabinet and shelf along the top are bonuses as far as extra storage space.

When it comes to proper proportions for the rooms in your house, we’ve got a Murphy wall bed system or cabinet bed that will fit the space perfectly.