How Does the Rule of Three Help with Clutter Maintenance?

How Does the Rule of Three Help with Clutter Maintenance?

July 4, 2019

Many people overdo it when it comes to decorating their homes. It’s easy to get carried away when you see lots of pieces and decorative items that you love that also fit with the theme or style of your home. However, too many decorative items can very quickly make a room look cluttered and too full. In fact, more decorations take away from the impact that just a few would, often losing a focal point for the eye and creating a look of chaos instead of harmony. If you’re looking for tips for clutter maintenance in Walla Walla County, WA, you might be interested to learn about the rule of three.

The artist’s golden rule

Artists, designers, painters, graphic designers, clothing designers and anyone else who is interested in aesthetics knows the rule of three. Things that are in groups of three are more appealing and memorable and lead the eye across a space more effectively than even-numbered groupings. In fact, odd numbers in general—three, five, seven or nine—provide the benefit of being more pleasing to the eye. However, three is the smallest number that can be used to form a distinguishable pattern in our heads. Odd numbers force the eye to move around more, which creates a more interesting visual experience.

Even photographers know the rule of three, setting up the frame of their shot into thirds. For a landscape photographer, that would mean the skyline is either one third or two thirds from the top of the shot, while the bulk of the image would make up one or two thirds of the frame as well. For graphic artists, this means that the placement of icons, images and text would follow the third rule as well, creating a seamless experience for the onlooker. Icons and text should follow the rule of three as well, arranged in asymmetrical or balancing ways. Interior design that follows this principle will help you create a visually interesting home that looks intentionally designed and has visual depth and satisfaction.

Using the rule of three in decorating

To use this rule in interior design for the purpose of clutter maintenance in Walla Walla County, WA, you have to abandon the American notion that more is more. Instead of stuffing shelves full of knickknacks and useless décor, and covering walls with paintings and decorative items, experiment with the rule of three. Try decorating shelves with three items per shelf area. You can bunch items together by counting a set of candles of matching décor items as one of the three if you feel the need to bend the rule, but breaking this rule too much generally leads to clutter. It also makes your home more difficult to clean and leads to a more mentally stressful environment. You can even try adding the rule of accessories to your sartorial habits, which tells people that after they’re finished dressing, take off three pieces of jewelry or accessories before leaving the house. If you tend to be an over-decorator, try implementing this strategy with your décor to follow the rule of three!

Supreme Cleaning Services provides cleaning services to residences and homes throughout Walla Walla County, WA. We can provide tips for clutter maintenance in Walla Walla County, WA, as well as a full-service cleaning. Give us a call for a consultation!

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