August 17th, 2007
Going wall to wall on decorating mistakes
Home & Garden Television designer Karl Lohnes and custom window fashions manufacturer Hunter Douglas have put together a list of the most common decorating mistakes. You’ve heard from me on two of them — having more than one focal point in a room and rushing your decorating to get it done in a day — but they offer more caveats that bear repeating.
For example, most people plan the furnishings and wall coverings first, then leave the window treatments for last. Wrong! Window coverings should be considered from the beginning. Not only can window fashions create pleasing illusions of depth or height in a room, scientific studies have proven the quality of natural light in a space actually affects our moods and health. So, with that in mind, consider the ambience you want to create, and choose your window fashions early on in the decorating process. That will go a long way toward making the final result comfortable for you.
Another common mistake is choosing wall colors that are too pale or washed out. As a general rule, the larger the room, the more depth a wall color needs. The colors do not have to be bold, but they should be strong. For example, if bold and bright colors aren’t in your palette preference, opt for a dark tan or dusty chocolate.
What about those skinny, wimpy trims and moldings? Best thing to do is try to make them disappear. Painting insignificant trims white is a common mistake in home decorating. If you have trims of 3 1/2 inches or smaller, paint them the same color as the wall to make them blend in and to add a feeling of height to a room. You can even cover them by selecting a window treatment mounted outside the window frame from ceiling to floor, thereby covering (hiding) the trim completely.
Everyone knows that a room’s focal point is important and should be highlighted. Let’s say the focal point is the window. Under this circumstance, many people have to be careful not to over-do the window treatment. If the view is spectacular, frame the window boldly as if framing a picture. After all, the picture is the view and the window is the frame.
If you must cover that window, consider a window treatment that has a top-down/bottom-up option, which allows you to raise the window shades from the bottom, lower them from the top or do both at once to create distinct, appealing visual patterns.
Artwork that is hung too high is all too common in many homes. Simple rules: The bottom of the artwork should be 8 to 10 inches above the top of a piece of furniture such as a headboard, sofa or credenza. If the artwork is large, then start at 4 to 6 inches above the top of a piece of furniture. Artwork hung in a hallway or in a stairwell should be hung so the middle of the art is 66 inches off the floor.
Don’t clutter your house with too many accessories. Hold off on buying any accessories until you find just the right ones. It is better to have one or just a few perfect pieces of art, including wall hangings or table art, rather than many insignificant filler pieces.
What if you already have many accessories but they are all special to you? By keeping your collection of figurines, samplers or family photos grouped together, you can create a big impact with many small things. Dotting them all around the house only adds a cluttered look.