8 Decorating Do’s and Don’ts

Every home design task is laden with challenges. There are some that would require the help of a trained interior designer. There are some moments also when homeowners take on the task but they fail to deliver the look that they are trying to achieve. The sad news is that they don’t even know why they have failed. You don’t have to go through the same mistakes that they made. What you need now is to learn some decorating do’s and don’ts to create a home that looks like it was professionally-styled.

Design No-No #1: Don’t Push the Furniture Against Walls

Instead of driving that sofa against the wall, try creating a flow all around it. This breathing space around pieces will make it seem like the furniture is floating in the room. This will create an interesting conversation grouping.

Remember that the distance for effective conversational seating is at 4 to 8 feet.

Design No-No #2: Do Not Buy Cheap Throw Pillows

Pillows must be generous, formable and overstuffed at best. Use down-filled, plush and soft pillows. If you are allergic to any of the natural materials, find those that have synthetic filling. To check the blockiness of a pillow, make a karate chop at the top edge. This should tell you if the pillow will shape up.

Don’t keep pillows that sit like lumps. Say goodbye to matched pillows also, instead, find overstuffed pieces that have 18-inch pillow covers and 20-inch inserts for a more professional look.

Design No-No #3: Using Good Enough Paint

The paint will make or break the look of your home. Poorly-matched pieces will look weak, even lifeless. Be sure to read the correct undertones. It is best to consult a pro If you are uncertain about matching paint colors with your furniture and accessories.

Design No-No #4: Sacrificing Light Quality

Another common mistake that homeowners do is to trim their budget by sacrificing the quality of the lighting fixture. Check the scale of your lighting fixture. This is a styling element and a major statement piece so be sure to inject some personality to it.

Design No-No #5: Room Isolation

Be sure to create a flow from one room then onto the next by having a visual link. Repeat the pattern throughout the rooms or have an accent color carried over to the adjacent room.

Design No-No #6: Don’t Skimp on Draperies and Area Rugs

Professionals use a lot of fabric yards so go ahead and do the same. Your standard should be 2 ½ to thrice the width of the window for every drape. Having fixed side panels, you could easily get away with fabric that’s twice the window width.

As for the area rug, remember that this should define furniture grouping. Buy one that is big enough to contain all the four legs of every piece of furniture in the grouping.

Design No-No #7: Avoid Matching Pieces

Do not match furniture with the textiles – this is a wrong notion. Be sure to relate them, though. The task of an interior designer is to create a more cohesive look. Find a collection of pieces that have common colors, style, history, material, mood or motif.

Design No-No #8: Forgetting Special Details

The tiny details that are often unnoticeable are the very elements that make furniture and accessories special. Custom pillows, nail heads, millwork trim as well as inlaid floors could make a huge difference in interior design.

Train you eye to look at the tiny details. You will soon see a huge difference between a mass-produced chair and one that was skillfully crafted by an artisan. The special details are evident in works done by professionals.

Tags: decorating guidelines, decorating tips, designing guidelines, designing tips, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings

This entry was posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2016 at 9:16 am and is filed under Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.