Imagine an empty surface such as a mantelpiece, shelf or table top. Then think about how many things you could arrange upon it before it stopped feeling empty and started feeling ‘full’. Then think about what object you might put on it and how you might arrange those object. Unless you are striving for a particular look, how you go about this task is usually unconscious. Whatever you choose to display just one object, or a profusion, says something about how dramatic, or impressive or even sentimental you like to be.

Understanding Arrangement

Until relatively recently, respectable taste demanded that object be displayed properly, in other words, all lined up symmetrically, each one in its own pool of space, in diminishing order of size or height. So the clock goes in the middle, with a candlestick on either side. The fashion for all things Eastern made sparser, more asymmetrically arrangements popular. But the urge to place something ‘off-centre’, to break up uniformity, is quite instinctive in some people. Others feel that the simplest possible display enhances rather than detracts from the impact of the object.

Finding Arrangements That You Like

Look at how arrange flowers in a vase, or place cushions on a sofa, or set a table. Do you choose a range of shape and sizes, clustered at random? Do you ensure that two carefully matched and proportioned items are aligned to balance? Simple elegance, unexpected juxtaposition, cosy profusion, drama?
Now, looking at the picture say which of these six mantelpiece arrangements you prefer. Which grouping most resembles how you would like to arrange the object in your home? Write down your choice and describe what you like abut the effect it achieves using up to three key words.