Happy Medium

There is no bigger evil in the world of the over achieving, insta-go-getting, facebook high rollers, than the word m-e-d-i-u-m. It's this stuck in the middle, static, neither here nor there option in life. It's not the cream of the crop, or the lowest of the low. A mentality of 'I'd rather miserably fail than be defined as mediocre'. No wonder there is the known phenomena of the "mid-life crisis". There is no sex appeal in middle. 

The pink logo creates a surprise in a 

well balanced space 

Or is there? 

It seems that humans have developed this odd, almost counter intuitive knack, to push boundaries, which is completely against any natural instinct. Nature always wishes to balance, to reach equilibrium. We as humans want for some unknown reason to defy that force of nature. We sleep less than we need to, we eat more than we should, we work longer hours, and in general don't really take very good care of ourselves and our environments. 

As a designer I like to keep things off balance, surprise the user of the space. I'll use bold colors where you won't necessary expect them. I'll align certain things that will keep you on your toes. But it's a delicate process that can't be done on a whim. These mis-alignments can only be done right when you have a balanced and clear idea, and when there is a solid anchor you can play off of. Otherwise it creates clutter, uneasiness and in general a feeling things were not thought out properly. So there is, you see, a certain method to the design madness. 

That is why a Happy Medium is one of the most critical things in our daily lives, and is one
of the hardest things to come by. (Ask any GC trying to level floors inside old homes). We need the temperature of the HVAC to be almost exactly the same in our work environments. Lighting and its brightness need to be precise. The height of our kitchen countertops is meticulously measured. 

The seemingly cluttered and uneven photo alignment is 

made possible due the well balanced and centered table

& mirror. 

The length and height of stair risers. All of which are meticulous averages, which years of usage in the world have managed to come by. These "lowly" mediums are the anchors of our day to day life, the blocks from which we are allowed to soar to different places. In my view "Average" should be proclaimed as a new goal, a place we all should aspire to reach, a balance that redefines our center lines, and alignments. A Happy Medium. 

Design by Numbers

I like watching HGTV, I really do. There is a calm that comes over me when I'm fed the easily digested  format of 3 out 3 in each and every program they put out (3 homes to pick out from, 3 tiles to choose from, 3 problems that will be solved).

                Too many choices can overwhelm            

The number 3 is a magical number in the design world; 3 vases, 3 color choices, 3 windows. I even use the number 3 trick when presenting clients options of tiles, colors, etc., it's enough to show diversity, yet not too much that it overwhelms them. Flipping through random furniture store catalogs most of the spaces have some sort of 'casual' feel to them. If you look closely, you'll notice many spaces have an odd number of pillows on the beds, an arrangement of 3 cups on table, these little things make you feel at "home".

There is the saying 'three's a crowd', so why the number 3 in design?
I don't think that there is a clear cut answer to this, I can only try and give my take on it.
From the beginning of time, there was a need to define aesthetics in a certain way, one aspect was the use of the Golden Ratio , which in very layman terms is devision of space to 1/3 and 2/3.
This creates a bit of an imbalance yet not a complete upset of space.

In the Jewdeo-Christian cultures the number 3 stars in many ways, the 3 fathers, the 3 archangels, triptych paintings at the alters. You see, we humans like things a bit messy, we like to round up some of the sharp edges of the corner. If there are only 2 vases on the fire place mantel, it will look balanced, it will look solid, static completely forgettable, and boring. We need to create a visual interest, something to draw the eye to, because if it's not balanced, we are intrigued. Any odd number would create this kind of visual upset, but most of us have small spaces and even smaller budgets.

Next time you arrange your dinning table, try putting 3 glasses of water with some flowers in them, I think the reactions you'll get will be great!

                                                Space divided into 1/3 and 2/3