When you’re putting together a vignette as part of your interior styling, remembering that “Odd is Good!” is an important part of the process.
You can take that to mean that unusual or interesting items are great in vignettes, and that’s quite often true. But here we’re talking about how many items you’ve incorporated into your vignette.
It’s long been known that odd numbered groups are more interesting to look at, perhaps because they introduce an element of randomness to the vignette. This encourages the eye to explore.
Groupings of 3, 5, 7 or more items are generally best to give a modern, eclectic vibe to your home. Even within the parameters of an odd number of items you can range from much more formal (ie set of 3 matching vases in different heights) through to completely random. Use mixtures in terms of texture, colour and materials to add extra interest to your grouping.
Generally speaking, unless you have a very large space to fill, stick with 3 or 5 vignette items. Sometimes it’s possible to get the illusion of more items by putting flowers in a vase, or using a background item, such as a mirror on the wall, to complete the odd-numbered grouping.
However if you have a very formal or traditional interior, you may prefer to stick with even numbers in your vignette, and preferably keep it symmetrical. The classic candlesticks on either end of the mantelpiece come to mind.
So if you want your vignette to grab attention and hold it, odd is good!