Is Your Home Ready for a BFG?
Adding a big, friendly, giant accessory or feature to a room can create a delumptious design result. Here's how...
Joanna Tovia
3 July 2016
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well. Follow her photodocumentary about pets and the people who love them on Instagram @unfoldingtails
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well.... More
If your house is lacking punch, personality or panache, it’s time to throw out the rule book and use scale to your advantage. An oversized feature – whether it be lighting, an accessory or artwork – not only becomes a room’s focal point (and every room needs a focal point to avoid it looking bland), but also dishes up a big serving of smile-inducing delight to anyone who walks in … as these ideas will show you.
1. Lighting
A giant, custom-made pendant in contemporary stripes adds drama to this otherwise sedate space. Without it, the room risks looking old-fashioned, and it would be sorely in need of a focal point.
TIP: Using an oversized pendant over a dining table in an open-plan kitchen/living/dining area helps define it as a separate zone. A rug beneath the dining table also helps.
A giant, custom-made pendant in contemporary stripes adds drama to this otherwise sedate space. Without it, the room risks looking old-fashioned, and it would be sorely in need of a focal point.
TIP: Using an oversized pendant over a dining table in an open-plan kitchen/living/dining area helps define it as a separate zone. A rug beneath the dining table also helps.
Foscarini’s Twiggy Floor Lamp hasn’t achieved its iconic status for nothing. Adding one of these arcing beauties delivers style in spades day and night.
TIP: Adding floor and table lamps in living and dining areas achieves a warm and welcoming evening ambience far more readily than ceiling lighting can. Choose warm white light bulbs for living areas and bedrooms, and cool white for bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.
TIP: Adding floor and table lamps in living and dining areas achieves a warm and welcoming evening ambience far more readily than ceiling lighting can. Choose warm white light bulbs for living areas and bedrooms, and cool white for bathrooms, kitchens and laundries.
2. Art
A giant artwork is a safe bet when an expanse of wall needs filling – it’s hard to get this wrong. Big, bold, beautiful art can become the hero piece of a room, and is an easy way to inject colour and personality.
TIP: Rethink how high you hang artwork when it’s larger than life. Hanging big art closer to the floor can be a smart choice when there are no obstacles obscuring sightlines.
A giant artwork is a safe bet when an expanse of wall needs filling – it’s hard to get this wrong. Big, bold, beautiful art can become the hero piece of a room, and is an easy way to inject colour and personality.
TIP: Rethink how high you hang artwork when it’s larger than life. Hanging big art closer to the floor can be a smart choice when there are no obstacles obscuring sightlines.
Change the artwork and the whole room changes with it. Switch this sophisticated piece with a quirky or humorous artwork of a similar size, and the room would look and feel completely different.
3. Seating areas
Too often, window seats add a decorative touch to a room but fail to be very useful – no one sits there, in other words. A giant window seat like this one, on the other hand, is simply irresistible. Pile up the cushions and make sure the seat cushion is thick and comfortable; more than one family member is likely to choose this as their favourite spot in the house.
TIP: When you add lined, block-out Roman blinds, the window seat is likely to be a popular lounging spot when the sun goes down too – sitting beside windows when the temperature drops outside can otherwise be too chilly for comfort.
Too often, window seats add a decorative touch to a room but fail to be very useful – no one sits there, in other words. A giant window seat like this one, on the other hand, is simply irresistible. Pile up the cushions and make sure the seat cushion is thick and comfortable; more than one family member is likely to choose this as their favourite spot in the house.
TIP: When you add lined, block-out Roman blinds, the window seat is likely to be a popular lounging spot when the sun goes down too – sitting beside windows when the temperature drops outside can otherwise be too chilly for comfort.
A Tufty-Time sofa can take on all manner of configurations to suit a room and its purposes, but its oversized proportions deliver impact no matter which way you arrange it.
TIP: Choose wisely when picking an oversized hero for a room. Keep to one giant feature in any room and, in smaller rooms, go big with wall art rather than crowding your floor space with big objects that make it feel cramped.
TIP: Choose wisely when picking an oversized hero for a room. Keep to one giant feature in any room and, in smaller rooms, go big with wall art rather than crowding your floor space with big objects that make it feel cramped.
Sitting at the head of the table is even more of an honour with seating as regal as this at either end, and it adds some offbeat character to the room too.
TIP: When you’re playing with proportions, consider whether you want to balance a giant element (or two) with another so it doesn’t overwhelm the space. Oversized black pendants echo the big chairs in this dining space, and a huge mirror doubles their impact.
TIP: When you’re playing with proportions, consider whether you want to balance a giant element (or two) with another so it doesn’t overwhelm the space. Oversized black pendants echo the big chairs in this dining space, and a huge mirror doubles their impact.
Everyone loves a breakfast nook, but it’s even more appealing when the seating is oversized. This custom-made settee measures 183 centimetres wide and 140 centimetres high at its highest point – majestic proportions in anyone’s book.
TIP: Getting in and out of breakfast nooks isn’t always a graceful exercise. The fanned-out arms on this settee make the process infinitely less awkward.
TIP: Getting in and out of breakfast nooks isn’t always a graceful exercise. The fanned-out arms on this settee make the process infinitely less awkward.
4. Accessories
A giant globe isn’t something you expect to see when you walk into someone’s home, but it’s surprises like these that bring a grin to guests’ faces the minute they arrive. Adding a quirky element is sometimes the best move you can make in a room lacking a certain something to make it really sing.
A giant globe isn’t something you expect to see when you walk into someone’s home, but it’s surprises like these that bring a grin to guests’ faces the minute they arrive. Adding a quirky element is sometimes the best move you can make in a room lacking a certain something to make it really sing.
Adding a mirror is a well-known technique to enhance the sense of space in a room, but if you’re going to do it, why not go all the way? An oversized mirror will double the perceived size of any room.
5. Rugs
Soft and plush, textured or flat, rugs add that finishing touch every living room needs. Bigger is almost always better when it comes to rugs, as long as there’s about 20 centimetres between the edge of the rug and any consoles, entertainment units or other furniture aside from sofas sitting against a wall.
Choose the right rug for your room
Soft and plush, textured or flat, rugs add that finishing touch every living room needs. Bigger is almost always better when it comes to rugs, as long as there’s about 20 centimetres between the edge of the rug and any consoles, entertainment units or other furniture aside from sofas sitting against a wall.
Choose the right rug for your room
TIP: A rug that extends behind the rear legs of an armchair or sofa makes a room feel extra cosy and luxurious.
6. Bedheads
Oversized upholstered bedheads give bedrooms a luxe lift, particularly one as finely crafted as this one. For a high-end look, choose a quality fabric that won’t easily date and have the bedhead custom made by a professional.
Oversized upholstered bedheads give bedrooms a luxe lift, particularly one as finely crafted as this one. For a high-end look, choose a quality fabric that won’t easily date and have the bedhead custom made by a professional.
In the same beach house, a tall bedhead in a neutral tone still packs a punch, but allows the bedlinen to shine.
Browse more bedhead ideas
Browse more bedhead ideas
7. Plants
Indoor plants are now a must-have in any stylish home but sometimes a space calls for a pot plant of gargantuan proportions – to separate one zone from another, for example, or when you want the plant to be able to be seen from various vantage points (upstairs and down, in this case).
Indoor plants are now a must-have in any stylish home but sometimes a space calls for a pot plant of gargantuan proportions – to separate one zone from another, for example, or when you want the plant to be able to be seen from various vantage points (upstairs and down, in this case).
8. Outdoors
Don’t forget the garden when you’re playing with scale. This giant urn adds a sculptural element and delights visitors to this gorgeous garden … not to mention creating a focal point that draws our eye down the garden path.
TIP: Using giant focal points takes you on a visual journey and allows your eyes to come to rest on a particular point – if you enter a garden and skim over it without anything catching your eye, it needs a standout feature to act as a focal point; it’s just more satisfying.
Don’t forget the garden when you’re playing with scale. This giant urn adds a sculptural element and delights visitors to this gorgeous garden … not to mention creating a focal point that draws our eye down the garden path.
TIP: Using giant focal points takes you on a visual journey and allows your eyes to come to rest on a particular point – if you enter a garden and skim over it without anything catching your eye, it needs a standout feature to act as a focal point; it’s just more satisfying.
A giant chess set? If you have a backyard big enough to accommodate one, why not?
TELL US
Have you opted to super-size a feature at your house? Tell us about it or post a photo in the Comments below.
MORE
Move Over Giant Words, Say Hello to Numbers
TELL US
Have you opted to super-size a feature at your house? Tell us about it or post a photo in the Comments below.
MORE
Move Over Giant Words, Say Hello to Numbers
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My ego!
Great article! I've created drama/focal points in many different ways e.g. with dramatic colour, plants, outstanding furniture (in style, quality &/or size), very large windows (and views) .. and not to forget our beloved (large) standard poodle, Winchester ..