Have you ever looked at a room that was all one color, one texture, or one pattern? Did it leave you feeling a little off balance? You aren’t alone. When a room is designed using the same color, texture, or pattern there is nothing interesting for the eye to rest on. If you fill a room with the same color, texture, or pattern of decorative glass, the beauty of the glass would be lost. Using a small amount of decorative glass in a room can actually draw attention to it.

Interior design uses the 60-30-10 rule to bring balance and interest to a space. What does that mean? Let’s use choosing color as an example. Here is how it works:

60 percent dominant color. Example: the room’s wall color

30 percent secondary color. For example: window treatments, upholstery and rugs

10 percent accent color. For example: pillows, art and decorative accessories

This simple formula brings a pleasing balance and interest in the the room. This same formula is also used when choosing pattern and texture for a room. So, what does the 60-30-10 rule have to do with decorative glass? If you can’t spend a lot of money on decorative glass, use a small piece in the best way possible. Just because you can’t afford to fill 60% or even 30% of a room with decorative glass, doesn’t mean that you can’t include one decorative glass pieces that falls in the 10% accent area. You would be surprised what that small piece of decorative glass can do in a room.

To show you how this principle works, I used a paint selector program to show an example of 60-30-10 using paint.

Top Photo: shows a kitchen with white walls, trim, and counters that make up the predominant color of this kitchen. The secondary color is the light wood color of the cabinets and floor. The most prominent accent color is black. The kitchen is bland and does not have a lot of character.

Middle Photo: shows the same kitchen with the walls painted grey. The kitchen begins to feel warmer and have more depth.

Bottom Photo: shows the backsplash changed from stainless steel to red back painted glass to match the pantry door. A very small piece of back painted decorative glass was used but is now an attention-getting accent in the room. You could even paint the pantry door the trim or wall color and that red backsplash would really draw attention.

OK, I cheated a little bit on the third photo because the paint selector program would not let me change the backsplash from stainless steel to a color. I was forced to use my amateur photo editing skills to make that backsplash appear. You get the point, right?

You can see that you don’t need a large amount of decorative glass or spend a lot of money to make a big impact. By understanding and experimenting with the 60-30-10 rule you will maximize your investment in decorative glass.