Feature: The dos and don’ts of décor
When it comes to placing furnishing, soft furnishings and accessories in a nicely decorated room, there are a few design industry dos and don’ts to follow. These help to get a room in good proportion and style.
Don’t force too much furniture into a small room or space: Do be realistic about the room size and furniture needed. Consider moving some of the furniture off the walls and into the room space. This will create interesting seating arrangements and maximise the available space in many rooms.
Don’t ignore the special architectural features in your home: Do enhance your home decor by emphasising the character and special features of your home. These may be an angled wall, skylights, bay windows, beautiful fireplaces, gorgeous floors or sumptuous wall textures. Place your furniture in arrangements that will complement the room’s space.
Don’t place artwork above eye level for the average person: Do place the centre of artwork approximately 60 inches from the floor, regardless of your ceiling height. This will prevent you from placing pieces too high. If you are creating a grouping, use this rule for the largest key piece and then spread out from there.
Don’t scale down artwork for a large space: It will detract from the artwork and leave your wall looking sparse and undervalued. Do cover two-thirds of the width of the wall to be decorated with art or decorative objects. This applies to wall space over furniture and blank walls. If you do not have a single piece of art that is large enough, then try grouping several items and pictures together to fill the appropriate space. Grouped frames look best in threes.
Don’t line up accessories of equal size and proportion: Lining up matching items neatly like toy soldiers is visually boring. This applies to shelves, tables and window sills. Do mix sizes, scale and textures: this is the key to good accessorising. Vary the heights of objects to be used together to create a staggered horizon. Odd items work much better than even, expect for side tables. Add interesting plants – greenery helps to break up heights and vary texture.
Don’t use a table lamp that is too small for its stand: This includes bedside tables, side tables and dresser tops. Do use lamps that are approximately 28 to 32 inches tall for side tables and bedside tables. A dresser top lamp in an adult room will require a height of 20 to 24 inches. Smaller lamps can be used on children’s dresser tops and bedside tables, but do try to keep them in scale with the furniture.
Don’t be afraid to decorate your home: Leaving it undecorated because of a lack of confidence in your interior design abilities will not make you feel at home. Do tap into the vast amount of free or inexpensive information and help available today. Search the web, watch home decorating shows like those on UKTV Style, or buy inspirational magazines that suit your tastes.
