12/07/2015
I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for our top 5 decorating mistakes. How many of you were guilty of some of the mistakes included in our last post? Our top five are the most common mistakes we see from day to day and identifying the problem is the first step to fixing it!
5. Bad Lighting – Did you know that lighting is one of the most important aspects of every design? Each room should have different types of lighting based on the needs of the room. Task lighting is important in offices at your desk, bathrooms around the mirror, and kitchens under cabinets or over islands. Better task lighting also helps reduce accidents in the kitchen and headaches. Every room should have strong overhead lights for general use, and ambient lighting to use when you want your rooms to feel cozy.
4. Wrong furniture arrangement – Do you have a hard time getting around all the furniture in your home? Does your room seem uninviting, or seem not to make sense? You may be the victim of a bad layout. It’s very easy to fall into the habit of placing furniture without planning. Often, you just sort of put things places by habit. The easiest and fastest way to change the position of your large sofas, chairs and chests is to buy furniture movers. They are flat, round pieces of plastic that fit perfectly under furniture to help slide furniture across carpet and there are some for wood flooring. Try layouts that “float” all of your furniture in the middle of the room, then try pushing everything out to the walls. Experiment with different groupings.
3. Window treatments that don’t fit – All window treatments are tricky but there are some good rules when purchasing them on your own. First off, if you are just buying blinds and you are mounting them inside your trim, be sure you have enough room inside there so the brackets can be installed. Ask if you can take a bracket home and check for fit. Second, the size of your window is not the size of your draperies. Measure from one side to the other side of the window frame if you have one, then add at least 3 inches out on the wall on each side and 3 inches above; that is your drapery size. Rod pocket and tab curtains are flat but are supposed to have fullness. That is you want them gathered on the rod, to make them not lay flat. Generally for simple draperies you should have 2 times fullness, for custom draperies 2 ½ times and for sheers 3 times.
2. Choosing the wrong paint color – Generally, people have the right idea when choosing paint colors, but they are just a little off. It’s common to choose the right color, but the wrong intensity or hue, usually much too bright. You can really paint any room almost any color as long as you choose the right hue. A neutral version of every color is usually the best for any wall. In other words, a browner or greyer version of red, green, or purple is easier on the eye than the bright clear version. White is actually an accent color, picking an off- white or version of tan or beige will create a backdrop for any fabric choice. If you like white, use it in your accessories or bedding, or have white trim. Whites work on a wall only if you are careful. Many magazines and design articles pick favorites that work well.
1. Not calling someone when you need help. This rule really does apply to everything in your house, or your car, your love life. If you don’t know the answer, ask someone! If you don’t know what color to paint, call someone who does. If you have never laid out a kitchen, don’t try to do it alone. People in stores and interior designers are paid to help you choose the right product, the right color, and the right application.. Look online at every product you are purchasing for your redesign if you don’t know that much about it. I know it seems like the easiest rule on our list, but it the one most often broken. Remember, it costs just as much to do a project wrong as it does to do it right!
