When it comes to decorating your home it is hard to make a real mistake. If it works for you and your family then how can it be a mistake? While there are some guidelines for choosing the colors or products, the final determination of right and wrong is how you and your family feel about the space. However, there are three areas of interior design that should be adhered to in order to avoid creating a space that just doesn’t look or feel right no matter how much money you spent.
- Function first: If a piece of furniture or fabric does not meet the needs of your family then, no matter how much you love it, it is not going to work in the long run. You may love those gold silk draperies until Fluffy the cat decides to use them as a tree. That expensive Oriental rug may look beautiful in your dining room until Uncle Harry spills gravy on it at your annual Thanksgiving gathering. Keep these things in mind when making your purchasing decisions.
- Proportion and scale: We have all been in a room where the furniture was so large and over-stuffed you couldn’t move around comfortably. While that large recliner with the cup holder may be what your husband dreams about, if it uses up all the floor space in the room, it is not the right choice. Conversely, a tiny delicate chair placed in a large entryway just makes the space feel cavernous rather than warm and welcoming; which is what an entryway is meant to be.
- Placement: Just because a room has walls does not mean that furniture needs to be shoved up against those walls. Create intimate conversation or task areas in your rooms to make them function better and certainly, look better. A sofa and two chairs placed around the fireplace makes it possible for you to enjoy the fire up close rather than from across the room. Add a game table, a reading chair or a child’s play area in other parts of the room.
Keep these three “rules” in mind when decorating your home and you will be happy with the results.