A Brief "His"story Of The Golden Ratio

Artists, architects and a slew of interior designers have been using the golden ratio to create “pleasing” compositions for centuries. If you flip through any art or architecture history book the evidence almost jumps off the page. There is something about how the elements are arranged that just makes sense. Why should you care? Well, let’s say that you’ve spent the weekend rearranging your furniture and after moving it around 10 different ways, you still feel that something isn't “right” but you can’t quite figure it out. Chances are your room’s golden ratio is out of whack! Darlin’, we’ve all been there! So before you chuck the furniture out the front door and go full on minimalist, let’s really get into what the Golden Ratio is and why it’s important for decorating your home.
 

The Golden Ratio Defined

The Golden Ratio is a naturally occurring mathematical formula that creates a pleasing composition. It’s defined by Wikipedia as “the ratio of two quantities is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of two quantities.” If you’re anything like me and this totally makes your head hurt, think about it this way: Boiled down to its simplest essence, it can be thought of as a line that is divided into two parts. If the golden ratio is in effect, the whole length of the line divided by the longer part is also equal to the long part divided by the short part. What the what? More simply put, individual proportions are all equal when compared to the whole. When we look at something where the proportions are all equal, in this case a room design, it just feels right. Why? Because we are wired to recognize the attractiveness of living spaces that apply the golden ratio because our brains naturally want to make sense of our surroundings. Equal proportions make our brains happy. 
 

 See The Golden Ratio Everywhere!

We see examples of the golden ratio in nature all the time. Even if we are not consciously looking for it, our brains are picking out balance in flowers, trees, animals and in each other.  When that balance is interrupted by an anomaly, we notice. Say you have a bouquet of a dozen daisy’s and one of the flowers is missing a number of petals. Suddenly you are aware of the difference and the composition of the whole bouquet is out of balance. You may even move that flower to a less visible position in an attempt to re-establish the balance of the whole. 
 

Put The Golden Ratio Into Practice

Let’s put this theory to the test. To keep this as relevant to interior decorating as I can, say you have a rectangular multi-functional space. This space needs to serve two functions, eating and relaxing. It’s your typical living/dining room open space. In order to get the best balance for this space you can apply the golden ratio. Remember it’s about balancing the space. This doesn’t mean that everything has to be lined up and the same scale. It simply means that the way you divide up the room must be proportionate so that your composition is pleasing. 
 

Now let’s divide this space into thirds. I know… fractions, right? Stick with me for a sec. I like to use fractions, especially the rule of thirds because it’s pretty easy to work with and usually gives me a really nice composition in the end. So here’s our rectangular space divided into thirds.
 

If we think of this in terms of the golden ratio, we have a proportionate room, but it’s a little too equal. Remember the line analogy from before: the whole length of the line divided by the longer part is also equal to the long part divided by the short part. If we apply that thinking to this space we know that as long as we stay within the rule of thirds, we will have a golden ratio. So, let’s divide the room once more. We’ll leave 1/3 of the space alone and we’ll combine 2/3 together. Now we have a “short part” and a “long part”. We haven’t messed with the equanimity of the space, so we’re good.
 

Use The Golden Ratio To Save Your Back...Literally!

Time to start planning out the space. Yep, this is the process. Instead of moving everything around, it’s so much easier to think about how the space will need to function and then plan out the footprint rather than physically moving everything around, wouldn’t you agree? Let’s start building. 

I like to start with a clear picture of how my clients live. You should really think about this too because the way you use the space everyday greatly influences how the furniture and other items should be positioned in the space. For this example, let’s say that the clients will spend the majority of their time socializing and gathering in the seating area of and they’ll spend less time seated around the dining table. So, 2/3 of the space will be for seating and “family” room and the other 1/3 is for dining. 
 

Here’s a picture illustrating how the space looks with 1/3 reserved for dining and 2/3 being used for a family room. The composition is balanced, pleasing, and functional.
 

For a really successful design, apply the same proportions to each section . Remember in school when you had to reduce the fractions, yeah me too! This isn’t that… You’re not exactly finding a common denominator but you are sub-dividing the space further and that actually comes in really handy! For example: The chandelier is 1/3 of the total of the table, chairs and chandelier – golden ratio! 
 

Now flip to the other side. The upholstery takes up about 1/3 of the total space. The balance of this side is the tables and rug which takes up the other 2/3. 
 

To wrap things up, the golden ratio is a great formula to keep in mind when thinking about arranging your space. If you divide your space up like this, you’ll have a really pleasing arrangement. Don’t forget to apply the theory to all aspects of decorating. You can use this same formula when arranging accessories, styling a tablescape or any decorative endeavor. Try it out for yourself and leave a comment below to let me know how it goes.
 

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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.