Interior Design Insights

Horizon, a Dome Decorating Difficulty. What is it?

by Judy South
May 16, 2007

horizon
Stand on a beach or the deck of a ship and look out at the ocean—what do you see?
The earth’s horizon, of course! My dictionary defines “horizon” as the line or circle that forms the apparent boundary between earth and sky.

But did you know that every furnished room in your house also has a horizon? A room’s horizon is the line around any room where the furnishings end and the walls to ceiling begin. sunset

The ocean’s horizon is one of the Earth’s most spectacular sights, but it becomes even more interesting when the moon and clouds break up the viewpoint on the horizon.

Rooms benefit from having a varied horizon too. A room in which all the furniture – or most of it – stands all at the same height (in a row around the perimeter of the room) breaks one of the most basic rules of decorating.

The walls above the furniture – and even the ceiling in the beautiful Monolithic Dome Home – are a perfect place to bring excitement and punch to an otherwise uninteresting room.

click any picture for larger view

A horizontal horizon is not good in a basic, rectangular room. In a dome it is also a problem. However, this can easily be fixed. This picture shows very little variation in the height of the furniture. A lamp and a tree struggle in vain to take the eye up to the vaulted ceiling. It’s a nice room, granted, but so much more can be done with it.

Take this second view of the same furniture, moved to another room, with a bit of redecoration. We added: curtains and a valance, an antique secretary, a large ocean scene to compliment the furniture and draw the eye upwards to the ceiling. The addition of the soft green rug did much to bring cohesiveness to this room.

Another view shows the high ceiling and other pieces (including a spiral staircase) which serve to delight the eye and focus on the height, not just the breadth of the room.

Remember, the basic rule is this: vary the horizon of your room. You can use any or all of the following: furniture in a variety of heights, pictures and other object d’ art, architecture, plants, mirrors, baskets. You are only limited by your imagination. If you could see the wall on the left, you would see a large round basket hanging up near the balcony of the loft.

To those who live in domes, I challenge you to look at each of your rooms with “new eyes,” eyes that will “see” your horizons and be able to add your own “moons and clouds” —furniture, plants, paint, accessories, and more. Your rooms will come alive with pleasing diversity.

Good luck to you all, and may your horizons be varied and beautiful.

Interior Design Insights

Horizon, a Dome Decorating Difficulty. What is it?

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