Designers see many of the
same decorating “don’ts” over and over in people’s homes. The mistakes
often stem from a fear of making a design mistake in the first place.
Here are some common mistakes, and their tips for how to avoid making them:
Painting the walls before choosing furnishings: People tend to fall in love with a paint color they want to design a room around But, while you can mix infinite paint colors, you can’t mix a fabric color. It can be more difficult to find upholstery, fabrics and accessories in a very specific shade than to have a paint color customized to what you’ve purchased.
Buying pieces out of proportion: The size of furniture should be in scale in comparison with the rest of the room, Furniture in retail stores, with very high ceilings and wide open spaces, looks very different in a home. Buyers can end up with an oversized or overstuffed sofa that looked good in the store.
It requires a little bit of planning, but map out the size of the room and existing furniture you have. Write down the height, width and depth, along with the room dimensions. It can prevent a costly mistake.
Choosing a rug that is too small for a room: This an another common error in scale and proportion that can be avoided by taking measurements into a store with you. You need to know the room dimensions and the size of the largest pieces in it that the rug will lie in relation to.
Inadequately lighting a room: Many rooms and entire houses are poorly lighted.
There’s a difference between overhead lighting and accent lighting. The light in a room should be layered and from different sources.
Hanging window treatments too low: This makes the room look short and stubby, People think they should use brackets on the top trim or just above it. In reality, it looks better to hang window treatments up to a foot above the trim. It makes the window look taller and gives the illusion of height to a room. A valance above the window exposes more of the glass to allow more light.
Scattering collections all over the house: Grouping similar items together gives them more impact and allows them to complement one another.
Decorating each room in a bubble: A home that feels comfortable flows from room to room with some continuity. This is especially important for rooms that are open to one areas such as the entertaining areas — living, dining, kitchen and hearth.
If the colors are completely different or the tones are completely different, such as having one room done in pastels and another in bold colors, it is disharmonious to the eye. The same goes for having different flooring in every room, such as a different colored carpet, or different types flooring. It chops up the space.
Not using family photos in the living spaces: People think they are not supposed to do that,
“Isn’t there someone who’s face makes you smile to look at it?” A few well-placed pieces are much more appreciated than a score of photos on every surface. “My boss always said she didn’t trust people who didn’t have photos in their home. You live in your home. Don’t you want to look around and see things that make you smile?”
Thinking every wall needs a piece of art: Your eye needs a place to rest. Visual stimulation everywhere you look feels like clutter. It’s difficult to relax in a space like that.
Hanging art too high: An average eye level is 5 foot, 6 inches. The eye should rest in the center of the piece of art. If it is hung over a piece of furniture, it is best hung closer to the piece of furniture, so it reads as a cohesive vignette, rather than having the art float above it.
Using all matching furniture: Often people can’t visualize what a room might look like, and so they play it safe,The same sofa is purchased as a love seat, as well as a club chair. Sometimes she sees the same fabric used on all three pieces, with a second fabric used for the throw pillows. It is better to mix styles and fabrics. It adds interest to a room, so long as the fabrics all work together. Use each one in different amounts, thereby varying their importance. A room should look like it evolved over time. All the furniture in the room should coordinate but not match exactly. Even the end tables and coffee table don’t need to match.
Keeping too much clutter on furniture, such as too many pillows on couches and too many picture frames on shelves: Overdoing anything is not a plus. There are times there are so many pillows that people can’t sit comfortably on a sofa, Overdoing something really destroys the design.
Being swayed solely by looks without giving as much consideration to how a piece of furniture will function or feel: It’s a mistake to purchase an item without knowing if it’s comfortable or functional or if it fits.
You can look at something, but it doesn’t mean you can live with it
Pushing the furniture against the walls: People do this because they don’t know any different options. It makes the room look more like a hallway instead of a congenial conversation area. It’s better to float furniture in the right space.
Discarding existing pieces too quickly: Some people have trouble imagining the ways in which a piece they’ve owned for a long time can be reused. Not appreciating some of the treasures you already have is a mistake. An older piece can be turned into something fresh.
Here are some common mistakes, and their tips for how to avoid making them:
Painting the walls before choosing furnishings: People tend to fall in love with a paint color they want to design a room around But, while you can mix infinite paint colors, you can’t mix a fabric color. It can be more difficult to find upholstery, fabrics and accessories in a very specific shade than to have a paint color customized to what you’ve purchased.
Buying pieces out of proportion: The size of furniture should be in scale in comparison with the rest of the room, Furniture in retail stores, with very high ceilings and wide open spaces, looks very different in a home. Buyers can end up with an oversized or overstuffed sofa that looked good in the store.
It requires a little bit of planning, but map out the size of the room and existing furniture you have. Write down the height, width and depth, along with the room dimensions. It can prevent a costly mistake.
Choosing a rug that is too small for a room: This an another common error in scale and proportion that can be avoided by taking measurements into a store with you. You need to know the room dimensions and the size of the largest pieces in it that the rug will lie in relation to.
Inadequately lighting a room: Many rooms and entire houses are poorly lighted.
There’s a difference between overhead lighting and accent lighting. The light in a room should be layered and from different sources.
Hanging window treatments too low: This makes the room look short and stubby, People think they should use brackets on the top trim or just above it. In reality, it looks better to hang window treatments up to a foot above the trim. It makes the window look taller and gives the illusion of height to a room. A valance above the window exposes more of the glass to allow more light.
Scattering collections all over the house: Grouping similar items together gives them more impact and allows them to complement one another.
Decorating each room in a bubble: A home that feels comfortable flows from room to room with some continuity. This is especially important for rooms that are open to one areas such as the entertaining areas — living, dining, kitchen and hearth.
If the colors are completely different or the tones are completely different, such as having one room done in pastels and another in bold colors, it is disharmonious to the eye. The same goes for having different flooring in every room, such as a different colored carpet, or different types flooring. It chops up the space.
Not using family photos in the living spaces: People think they are not supposed to do that,
“Isn’t there someone who’s face makes you smile to look at it?” A few well-placed pieces are much more appreciated than a score of photos on every surface. “My boss always said she didn’t trust people who didn’t have photos in their home. You live in your home. Don’t you want to look around and see things that make you smile?”
Thinking every wall needs a piece of art: Your eye needs a place to rest. Visual stimulation everywhere you look feels like clutter. It’s difficult to relax in a space like that.
Hanging art too high: An average eye level is 5 foot, 6 inches. The eye should rest in the center of the piece of art. If it is hung over a piece of furniture, it is best hung closer to the piece of furniture, so it reads as a cohesive vignette, rather than having the art float above it.
Using all matching furniture: Often people can’t visualize what a room might look like, and so they play it safe,The same sofa is purchased as a love seat, as well as a club chair. Sometimes she sees the same fabric used on all three pieces, with a second fabric used for the throw pillows. It is better to mix styles and fabrics. It adds interest to a room, so long as the fabrics all work together. Use each one in different amounts, thereby varying their importance. A room should look like it evolved over time. All the furniture in the room should coordinate but not match exactly. Even the end tables and coffee table don’t need to match.
Keeping too much clutter on furniture, such as too many pillows on couches and too many picture frames on shelves: Overdoing anything is not a plus. There are times there are so many pillows that people can’t sit comfortably on a sofa, Overdoing something really destroys the design.
Being swayed solely by looks without giving as much consideration to how a piece of furniture will function or feel: It’s a mistake to purchase an item without knowing if it’s comfortable or functional or if it fits.
You can look at something, but it doesn’t mean you can live with it
Pushing the furniture against the walls: People do this because they don’t know any different options. It makes the room look more like a hallway instead of a congenial conversation area. It’s better to float furniture in the right space.
Discarding existing pieces too quickly: Some people have trouble imagining the ways in which a piece they’ve owned for a long time can be reused. Not appreciating some of the treasures you already have is a mistake. An older piece can be turned into something fresh.
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