Several people have asked me where the name of the firm comes from – and how to say it properly. First of all – the name is derived from the golden ratio – or what was known in the Renaissance period as the Divine Proportion. Thus, it is said as a ratio – simply saying the numbers “three five” Interior Design.
What is the golden ratio? The golden ratio or mean is a natural number like e or pi that seem to arise out of basic structure. Unlike abstract numbers, however, the golden ratio appears clearly and regularly in the realm of things that grow and unfold in steps, and that includes living things. The golden ratio is derived from the Fibonacci series of numbers, in which if you start with the numbers 0 and 1, and make a list in which each new number is the sum of the previous two, you end up with a list like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144. If you then take the ratio of any two sequential numbers in this series, you’ll find that it falls into an increasingly narrow range.
So, how does this apply to nature you may be asking? Here is one astounding example – the sunflower has 55 (see number list) clockwise spirals overlaid on either 34 or 89 (see number list) counterclockwise spirals, a golden ratio proportion! Adolf Zeising, whose main interests were mathematics and philosophy, found the golden ratio expressed in the arrangement of branches along the stems of plants and of veins in leaves. He extended his research to the skeletons of animals and the branching of their veins and nerves to the use of proportion in artistic endeavors. The golden ratio can be found in the spirals of pine cones, the number of petals on most flowers, snail shells, honey bees, most plant and tree life, and of course the human form.
From this beginning, the golden ratio has been an important factor in which almost all art, design, and architecture is based. The Parthenon is one of our earliest examples of architecture based on the golden ratio. As the golden ratio is found in the design and beauty of nature, it can also be used to achieve beauty and balance in the design of art. Even the proportions of the ancient Egyptian pyramids are based on the golden mean. It was used in the design of the Notre Dame in Paris, and in the development of the Mona Lisa. As form, balance, and proportion are some of the most important aspects of my work, I thought this a suitable name as it represents one of the core values of my work. Math geeks and artists alike – anyone can see the significance of the golden ratio!
(1) Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio