Top Ten Decorating Mistakes
Over and over again, I walk into clients homes and see the same decorating mistakes. Although these things may seem very minor they are often just enough to prevent that "pulled togther" look that results in an uncomfortable or uninviting room. If you pay attention to the following areas, I guarantee your room will immediately feel better. 1) Don't ignore the bones of the rooom. Make sure your focal points such as a fireplace or beautiful view are engaged by the furniture placement. If at all possible, you don't want to have your back to these. 2.) Don't hang artwork too high. Artwork should be hung 6-9" above a piece of furniture. In a hallway it should be hung so that the center of the picture is 60" above the floor which is the average persons eye level. 3.) Don't forget to add color to your room. WHITE WALLS ARE BORING!! Paint is the most inexpensive way to bring warmth and life to a room. 4.) Make sure your area rug is big enough for the space-otherwise it looks like you've put a placemat on the floor. 5.) Make sure you have accent lighting in your room. There should be 3 sources of light forming a triangle in your space. 6.) Don't keep floral arrangements too long. To avoid a dated look dried arrangements should be replaced after 3 years and silk arrrangements after 5 years. 7.) Even though you see it all the time, don't hang a mirror over a fireplace. Think about it-all it is reflecting is the bottom of the ceiling fan or light fixture. 8.) If you have collections make sure you display them together. They have more impact when grouped together than if they are scattered around the room. 9.) When diplaying items on a horizontal space such as bookshelves or kitchen cabinets, make sure you vary the height of the objects to create visual interest. 10.) Don't go shopping until you've considered a room redesign. As featured on HGTV, Redesign is also known as "one day" or "no cost" decorating. Using the furniture, artwork and accessories you already own, a redesigner can transform your home in a few short hours. For more information about decorating and redesign, visit http://www.lastingimpressionsbymissy.com or call Missy at 904-710-6510
Submitted by Marsha on Mon, 09/10/2007 - 3:15pm.
Missy, Just had to write to tell you my home would probably drive you crazy. It's a very large home but with lots of windows, very few interior walls, and nearly no large wall space at all. The house has alot of sconces so that takes up alot of what room there is, and there is also 180ft of railing that leaves no place for furniture or anything else except at Christmas. I have a mirror hanging over one side of a doublesided fireplace, but it works here because it is a sunken den and the mirror actually reflects a center dormer with stained glass, and a large flower arrangement on the second story loft. Since all of the walls are either log, or wood framing there is no drywall and I would rather die then paint the beautiful wood. I really don't want my house to look like it belongs in a magazine so I really like the concept of working with what you have and boy do I have a mixture of stuff. I shall look forward to future postings to see if you can give me some new ideas on using what already exists.
Submitted by lilyslore on Mon, 09/10/2007 - 3:33pm.
Missy, I would love to do a complete makeover on my home. Unfortunately, I have zero talent. At least it's consistent with my gardening. After watching everything I plant die, I now have very attractive silk flowers in front of my home. Wanting to grow my own tomatoes, I watched my lovely little plants become nothing more than squirrel food. Thank Zeus for Publix. :>) My "great room" is very strange. The fireplace is catty corner to the back yard wall next to sliding glass doors. It makes it impossible to accomodate either a nice living room or a large dining area. Frankly, the only solution I can come up with involves a blow torch and an ironclad alibi. Are you offering suggestions? Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman
Submitted by MissyScherzer on Tue, 09/11/2007 - 7:43am.
Missy Scherzer, IRIS,SDP Lasting Impressions Redesign and Decorating 904-710-6510 http://www.lastingimpressionsbymissy.com/ Marsha, you are so lucky! You obviosly don't have the typical "Florida" house-a sunken den, log framing,stained glass- sounds beautiful!
Submitted by MissyScherzer on Tue, 09/11/2007 - 7:47am.
Missy Scherzer, IRIS,SDP Lasting Impressions Redesign and Decorating 904-710-6510 http://www.lastingimpressionsbymissy.com/ Too funny! I also am a member of the "black thumb" club! Anytime I bring a live plant home my husband suggests that I save time and energy and just put it right into the trash can! If you email me a picture of your space I'd be happy to make suggestions. Submitted by gordman on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 7:03am.
Thanks, these tips sure help, they are very functional and I have to trust your guts, you are the expert. I recently bought new livingroom furniture and I am searching for a way to fit it perfectly in my house, somehow the colors and lights didn't match, reading your blog is a real help for me. Submitted by Angela on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 7:34am.
This is a very creative way to subvert the process and attempt to get free advertisement. Where is the morality in our country? Submitted by johannabartley on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 5:28pm.
My boss is a bachelor so he got me, his assistant, to do his decorating as if I know anything about that. Well, I suspect he thought a woman would and that if he decorated himself it would look like a bachelor's apartment. I found him the perfect home office furniture because he insisted I start there. He was satisfied and told me to go wild and do the rest of the place. I have no idea how to decorate a bedroom so your tips really help. I don't want to buy tacky things and have him change them immediately. That will change his opinion of me. Perhaps I should have told him no when he asked me but maybe something good will come out of it. I'm your number one fan right now and your advices made me a "connaiseur" concerning decorations.
Submitted by tharmon on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 12:13pm.
Hi Missy! haha, what a great article! Your tips are very helpful ;) I'm a bit of an amateur home-interior designer myself, and I have to say I am totally guilty of item 7. I put a mirror over my fireplace, and I think that was more out of "habit" or "tradition" than anything else. But you are absolutely right: all it does is reflect the things I don't want to reflect in my living room! I think I'm going to take the mirror down and replace it with a nice replica painting or maybe a small wall-mounted water fountain. The fireplace mantel itself is very beautiful, though; I recently found it online and installed it over the course of a few hours one lazy Sunday. I think that getting an attractive fireplace mantel is a fantastic way to instantly (and quickly) improve the look of a living room! Of course, you have to be careful... not all of them work with just "any" living room. I also like to use potted plants and flowers in my decor, as they really bring a subtle natural feel to a home. Again, thank you very much for the great article! It was a pleasure reading it!
-Todd Online expert in bathroom remodeling specializing in vanities. Submitted by harroth on Sat, 08/22/2009 - 9:10am.
Without such prolific ideas I could not ever think of making renovations to the home I preferred. In most cases we are misguided and we can hardly do a thing. For some people prudent advices are hard to be found but the information to which I have come here is simply outstanding and would aid me a lot. The Detroit general contractors from http://www.detroitgeneralcontractors.org have been contacted I hope the choice is a wise one. Submitted by saada on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 6:39am.
this idealistic ideas provided by you works for me...the tips are awesome and i utilized most of the tips....thanks for sharing your views.... Submitted by robin120 on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 3:01am.
Here are some useful inofrmation
**Don't choose paint colors before choosing rugs or fabrics; you'll make yourself crazy running around town with a paint chip measuring 1/2" x 1/2" in search of fabric that "matches". Do select one or more of the room's most expensive items first - usually the sofa, draperies or carpet. Then choose a paint color that enhances the look of these items and contributes to the mood you desire to create. Remember, the goal of paint is to make everything else in the room look good. Even you! **Don't hang the dining room chandelier more than 36" to 42" above the dining room table - unless your goal is to show off the ceiling. Do choose a chandelier that is approximately 9"-12" smaller than the width or diameter of the table and hang the fixture 3' above the table, where the soft lighting is more flattering to diners. **Don't hang artwork so high that eyes and necks are strained in the process of getting a glimpse. Do place artwork at eye level. The exception: a double height space may require a piece of artwork (e.g. a painted canvas, photograph or tapestry) to hang above 6'. In such case, choose a very large image or something abstract, so its presence isn't lost at the distance. For more details visit Office cleaners. Submitted by PhilTucker on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 4:35am.
Keep your carpets clean. To clean your carpets, vacuuming them throroughly may not be enough. Take time as welll to shampoo and use spray foam. Using a steamer which you can rent from hardware stores will help facilitate a more thorough Persian Rug Cleaning. Phil Submitted by Craig on Thu, 01/07/2010 - 8:28am.
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The 2 things I really liked about your tips and ideas is, first white walls are boring and second do not hang a mirror over a fireplace. Reason being that I really would get bored of white painted walls myself. My room is a blue color painted room with 3 walls colored in light blue and one with a darker shade just to have something different. There are many such small little ways in which we can make our home and rooms look more appealing. Surely not everyone can really arrive at a decision about the correct room appearance. At the School of Interior Design we have a complete section dedicated to interior design ideas. Probably you can use some of them to enhance the beauty of your room as well. We also offer different interior design courses and interior decorating courses as well. If you would be interested in learning the same then you can find more about the courses on offer at http://www.schoolofinteriordesign.org Phil Submitted by Miax919 on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 2:17am.
Thank you Missy, those are great ideas. Mom loves everything white and neutral, but as she was getting older, we insist repainting the walls to yellow (it represents happiness, right?
Submitted by kevin0000001 on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 5:23am.
A good read, definitely worth a cut and paste. Thanks! People are talking about ...Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments. |
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) to bring in warmth and place looks always lively. No dark colors in the walls for her. The floor, we can't place carpets or rags, we opted for an
Missy,
Thanks for the advise. Some common sense, some beyond. It shows the touch of a professional.
RichK