"I'm so glad you like my vignette!"

This past weekend I heard the expression "Oh yay! I'm so glad you like my vignette!" said with such excitement that I couldn't help but laugh. I found it funny because that is something you would only ever hear with fellow members of the design community. In fact, before last June (aka before starting LCY), I didn't know what 'vignette' meant in terms of design. Well, I would have been certain it was a literary term, but that's as far as I would have got in defining it. So I looked to my best friend for help, and while there are five definitions, here is what we design fanatics are referring to when we shout out with glee, "I'm so glad you like my vignette!":

Vignette [vin-yet] noun, verb:

1. any small, pleasing pleasure or view

The vignette above exemplifies three key ingredients to a successful vignette:

1. Mix height and scale - there should be tall and

short, large and tiny objects combined

2. Add a lamp, a mirror, or both for better lighting

3. Bring nature into the group. You normally see flowers,

but in this case, the coral offers a great balance.

Vignette Case Study 2:

Height - check

Lighting - check

Nature - check

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Vignette Case Study 3:

Height - check

Lighting - check

Nature - check

That's not to say you must follow these rules in creating vignettes around your home. They are just good guidelines to follow if you're new to the idea.

Here are a few other photos to inspire:

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You can have a lot of small, pretty objects...

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...or just a few for a cleaner, more subtle look.

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Vignettes can be done on a small scale...

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...or on a large scale, like in this case, where the vignette is the entire entryway.

And here's a small vignette in my own home. As you can see there is a pathetic representation of nature (I swear that flower was not dead, it was actually fresh from the market!), height added by the lamp and the art hanging on the wall, and lighting provided by both the candle and the lamp.

So, all of you design junkies out there, help me out.

Are these three good guidelines to follow?

Do you play with certain rules when organizing small objects in small spaces?