5 Common Design Mistakes
5 Common Design Mistakes (you might be making).
Let me first say I’ve made ALL of these same mistakes at one point or other in decorating our homes so I’m not trying to be judgmental at all.
I just figured since we’re all spending so much time currently in our homes, I’d give you some quick and easy solutions for making your home feel more cozy and relaxed. Let me know if you guys find this post helpful and I can try and come up with more design solutions and tips for you guys!
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Hanging Curtains too Low
Hanging curtains too low can make your room feel smaller. When hanging curtains you want to hang them higher and wider than you might think. This enables more light to come into the room giving the illusion that you have bigger windows, higher ceilings, and a larger, airier space.
You can see in our dining room and living room, I’ve hung the curtains high and also let the long curtain pool on the floor. By ending the curtain length before the floor it visually cuts the room height.
The Need to Paint Every Room A Different Color
Painting rooms a similar or varying shade or tone to the enjoining room will actually make your home feel more spacious. I wrote a whole post on my favorite coastal wall colors you may want to check out. When I go into clients homes we usually look at lightening and brightening.
As a rule of thumb light colors will expand a space and make it feel light filled while darker colors will contract a space and make it feel more cozy. We just painted our son’s bedroom Hidden Sapphire and it’s so cozy in there:
Most of our rooms are varying shades of whites, grays and tans as I love the coastal look but I do have wallpaper and this deep blue in Conor’s room.
My two favorite “go to colors” for clients are: Gray Owl and Simply White. They are timeless and work in old homes, modern homes, and contemporary homes.
We’ve used Simply White in not one, but three of our rooms:
Hanging Lights Too High
One of my favorite lights in our home is our vintage brass and crystal chandelier. This was from a tablescape last Christmas. When Luke originally hung this chandelier he hung it too high. I wanted it framed in the windows so we added links to make the chandelier dangle lower.
Some measurements to keep in mind:
- In hallways leave 7′ from the floor to the bottom of the fixture (you don’t want people banging their heads).
- Over a round table leave 30″-36″ between bottom of the fixture and surface of the table. Fixture width should measure between 1/2 – 3/4 the diameter of the table.
- Linear fixtures over a table or an island should be no more than 2/3rd the length of the table or island.
- Over a long dining table leave 30″-36″ between bottom of fixture and surface of the table. Width of fixture should be 6″ narrower than the width of the table.
- Pendants over an island should be spaced a minimum of 30″ apart and a height of 30″-36″ above the counter.
- For high ceilings over 10′ or great rooms, double height chandeliers look beautiful. Always check the overall height before ordering
** Always know the minimum height of any light fixture before ordering. Sometimes lights can appear smaller in catalogs and online.
Here’s a handy dandy chart for you to save for later:
Decorating with Even Numbers
The human eye loves symmetry but it also loves odd numbers. So always go in groupings of 3s, 5s, and 7s. I know it can be tempting to buy pairs and you should definitely do that with candlesticks but know mantels, shelves, and tables will all look better with an odd number. Notice the three bottles displayed in the She Shed.
Buying Rugs That Are Too Small
I know. I know. It can be so tempting to go for the smaller rug because it’s A LOT cheaper but going with a rug that’s too small will make your room appear smaller.
There’s several ways you can lay out your room – having all the furniture on the rug is one way or only having the front legs on. I personally, like when all the furniture is on the rug because the rug helps to shape the space.
For dining rooms, you’ll want to go with a rug that mirrors the shape of the table – round for a round table, rectangular for a long table. Here is a great guide for selecting the proper size rug for you room.
Rug pads are essential and I love the padded ones with rubber underneath like these ones. They make your rug feel softer underfoot and also prolong the life of an oriental rug as it doesn’t rub underneath. Just be careful when selecting a thick pad with doorways.
I hope this post was helpful. I love chatting about design. Let me know if you’d like to read more posts like this! If you’d like more hands on help, I offer one on one design services – both e-design and in home (local to the South Shore).
Love the ideas
Good stuff🤗
Hi Ellen, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post and that it was helpful! Danielle x
Hi! Super great info! I totally agree especially with room colors to make your rooms feel larger and more cohesive and better flow. I chose soft muted blues for the bedrooms that were from the same hue as the soft gray in the rest of the house. You are so right about the height of the curtains it made a huge difference and brings your eye up. I have purchased rugs that are to small and it’s a distraction! I get into trouble with hanging pictures and artwork at the wrong height? Would love to see a post on that… Read more »
Hi Debbie, Your soft muted blue bedrooms sound lovely! Glad you found this helpful and I’ll definitely write a post about wall art and gallery walls. Let me know if you have any other specific questions about that. xx
Good tips. Thx Danielle.
Aw, so glad it was helpful, Elaine!
Thanks for the design tips!! I was wondering about how to pick the proper sized rug for a room. I never know what sizes to look at for the rug to look right in the space. Also, you mentioned how to hang curtains. Do you have anymore tips for that? Thanks!! 🙂
Hi Samantha, I’m glad the rug link helped. It really helps ground a space and delineate the room if you choose the right size rug. In terms of curtain height it depends how high your ceilings are. I would recommend not hanging them on the trim or right above because it’s just too low for most spaces. I’ll try to write a more specific post on window treatment types and affordable options for the home and include more measurements and “rules”. Glad this post was helpful. xx
I loved this post because it gave such helpful info most people like me would never think about. I would like more posts like this. Thanks.
I’m so glad it was helpful. Let me know if there are any other areas in design you’d like me to cover. xx
What do you do when there is a heater beneath the large livingroom window that needs drapes?
So we have an old fashioned radiator under the window that has a radiator cover in our dining room and still have long blinds, but I realize window treatments can tricky with electric radiators. I would either do roman shades or do curtains that hang above the radiator.
Danielle, Can I ask where you sourced your blinds? I’m moving into a home with two small windows that won’t carry curtains. Thanks!
Hi Diane, These blinds are Levelor from the Home Depot, in the playroom I used some from Walmart, our old bedroom we used Smith & Noble and Conor’s Bedroom I found some at Christmas Tree Shoppes. Hope that helps!
Love ,love !