Have you ever wondered
how stylists create their beautiful
vignettes?
How do they choose...
Which objects to include?
Where to place them?
Quantity to use?
Where to place them?
Quantity to use?
I've always enjoyed arranging
and re-arranging
little groupings of objects.
Since I began blogging, I have been
studying others' vignettes to
studying others' vignettes to
find ways to improve my own.
Nope, I am not a licensed interior decorator or
a degreed architect interior designer.
In another life I may have been.
These thoughts are just things I've
noticed about vignettes that please my eyes.
Here's where I find (peruse for hours) arrangements that help me.
Nope, I am not a licensed interior decorator or
a degreed architect interior designer.
In another life I may have been.
These thoughts are just things I've
noticed about vignettes that please my eyes.
Here's where I find (peruse for hours) arrangements that help me.
 |
| Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog and Printed Catalog |
blogs written by talented and creative decorators...
Take a look at some of their vignettes...
and many, many more...
So, let me share some of
the things I've learned
Element #1
Composition
"the way in which a whole or mixture is made up"
in a
is physically composed or made.
Composition is the real bones of a vignette;
without good composition, the most beautiful
objects are not ready for their close-ups, Mr. DeMille.
without good composition, the most beautiful
objects are not ready for their close-ups, Mr. DeMille.
Several bloggers recently wrote articles that
give great tips on composition,
especially about the
Number
of items to group together.
Odd numbers of items seem to be more pleasing
to the eyes than even numbers of items.
Visually, the vignette at my pine chest has
a total of nine items
(floral print, topiary, two birds, three cards, paperweight, lamp stack.)
The lamp on the stack of books works as one unit.
Two birds with the preserved boxwood create
a group of three.
There are three cards.
Seven items are in the cluster of smaller objects
that are viewed together.
The lamp and print are so different that this small
visual group is a vignette within a vignette.
Now, look back at the Pottery Barn image.
I'll wait.
There are three lanterns,
five items at the table group
(3 lanterns, table, flower under the table,)
seven major objects in the photo
(five at the table group and
two vertical posts.)
Composition involves more than numbers...
Movement
of the eyes is also a big component
of composition.
The whole scene should lead the eyes
up and back around in a circular fashion.
This is also one of the basic concepts in
printed page layout.
The eyes should not be led off
into nothingness, leaving the page, or,
in our case, leaving the vignette.
In this vignette, the preserved boxwood leads the eyes up
to the print, then the lamp draws the eyes down,
then down to the medium height card,
which leads down to shortest card of the three,
then down to the paperweight,
which leads back up to the short bird,
then to the taller bird,
back up to the boxwood.
The eyes never wander outside the vignette;
they are always pulled back to another feature.
Revisit the Pottery Barn grouping.
Here it is again so you don't have to look for it.
 |
| Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog |
The three lanterns lead
the eyes upward to the sky, but
the right-side vertical post draws
the eyes back down, and
the curled rope leads the eyes
down to the potted plant that leads
the eyes back up to the lowest lantern.
No one is led off looking into the wild blue yonder.
Focal point
is another part of composition.
Those who have studied art
are very familiar with creating a
focal point in a painting or lettering
so that a realistic perspective is created.
Focal points in paintings are often
known as vanishing points,
the spot where all the lines of sight
converge.
The focal point in my vignette is
the old French watercolor postcard.
This focal point is created by the placement of
the objects on either side of the postcard.
The lamp/book stack and the birds are
positioned closer to the front edge of the
pine chest with the postcard
placed farther back.
The lines of sight on either side of the card
converge on the postcard.
Seen from above, I realize I really should
move the shorter bird a little closer to the
front edge of the pine chest for
a more pleasing line of sight
to the watercolor postcard.
Oh, yes,... we will look at the Pottery Barn image
to see its focal point
and to see how the stylist achieved it.
 |
| Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog |
Do you think you see the focal point?
Where do your eyes focus first?
My eyes say the focal point is the
smallest lantern sitting atop the table.
Why?
The lantern is sitting at the corner of the table
with the corner at the center of the camera lens.
The lines of sight to the lantern follow the edges of the table
towards the front of the table.
This is reinforced visually with the
table leg pointing up to the lantern.
Horizontally, the large lantern is
behind the smallest lantern and
the medium lantern is slightly back
of the smallest lantern.
 |
| Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog |
More subtle, not perfectly aligned
lines of sight, is the rope draping
down to the table from the posts.
The rope appears to reach its
lowest point directly
behind the smallest lantern
leading the eyes to the
base of the smallest lantern.
Yes, those Pottery Barn stylists are
real pros!
Movement and focal point are achieved
by layering objects.
Movement is created by vertical variations.
Focal point can be created by horizontal variations.
Height and depth are two important keys to
stunning vignettes.
In summary,
 |
| Composition: Number, Movement, Focal Point Photo Source: Pottery Barn Online Catalog |
What do you think?
Try analyzing a vignette
that you just LOVE.
See if it has any of these
components and let me know
what you discover.
Stay tuned...
This is the first in a
Vignette Design Series.
I hope you will be back for
articles that will review the
roles of Theme,
Texture, and Color
in creating
vignettes to love.
❧
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