Do-it-yourself Décor: Use "triangle" to group items

Some people have a knack for decorating. They seem to know just where to hang mirrors and artwork, or how to arrange accessories like a pro. There's a balance and symmetry, but how do they do it?

"Well, in general, you can use the triangle," said Ron Bradford, owner of Azulejo, a Mexican imports store. His two brothers are painters, and they taught him that artists use the triangle, which is a visual aid for composing art, he said. The idea of the triangle is to compose something, such as a painting, so that the eye is drawn from the bottom left corner to the top and back down to the bottom right corner, he said.

If you look around, you will often see the triangle's influence in paintings, floral arrangements and other artistic work, he said. So when he arranges paintings, folk art and other items for display in his store, he typically uses the triangle as a guide.

Start with a tall object, such as an urn, for the top of the triangle, he said. Then place shorter objects in front of the urn, from left to right. It can be a short, wide triangle, or it can be a tall, slim triangle, he said. And it's OK if the top is not perfectly centered. "The eye will still be drawn by the triangle."

Try grouping similar items, or items of the same color together, he said. A collection of blue and white pottery, for example, can be grouped together with a larger piece in back to form the triangle. Following a decorating rule of thumb, he recommends using odd numbers of items, such as seven or nine items, he said.

Grouping items together makes the difference between a collection that looks nice versus one that looks messy, he said. If you have collection of something, you love but it's just scattered around the room instead of grouped on a shelf or table, it may just look like clutter, he said.

The same goes for wall décor. He recommends using the triangle as a guide for grouping mirrors and other wall accessories. Using the collection of wall décor as the top of the triangle, you can arrange pottery and other items from left to right on a table in front of the wall to create the bottom corners of the triangle, he said.

And you can also create a smaller triangle within a larger one, but it looks best if the smaller triangle is off to one side, he said.

When hanging something heavy such as pottery or large mirrors, he recommends using a hanging kit purchased from a store. Or you can use two or three nails in case one comes out of the wall, he said. Use a stud finder (available at hardware stores) or knock on walls to locate a two-by-four stud behind the drywall, he said. Drive one nail into the stud, and use a level to drive another nail in at the same level, he said. Then hang the heavy piece.

When displaying personal photos on a wall or side table, use frames of the same color to give the grouping some commonality, he said. And group them in a triangle.

Bradford is not an interior decorator. But in addition to selling Mexican imports for the home and garden, he is available for in-home decorating advice for an agreed-upon fee.

Azulejo is located at 1450 S. 4th Ave., and the number is 920-1809.