Have you ever entered a room and thought that something seemed a bit off? We pinpointed a few design mistakes that you might be making, and how to fix them.
1. Too much!
When does curated become clutter? It’s when you have too much stuff! Perhaps the most common design mistake is when you try to cram a room full of furniture and décor. This applies not only to rooms, but with gallery walls and throw pillows on beds and sofas. While variety is nice, determine what items you actually enjoy and use and keep those, while weeding out the clutter. (image via Better Homes & Gardens)
2. Not enough!
On the contrary, for the apprehensive decorator, a sparse room is another decorating mistake. When minimalistic to a fault, a room can look uninviting and bland. To fix this, pick a few statement pieces and plan your room around it. Don't buy all your furniture from the same store! Your room will seem boring and uninspired. (via flickr)
3. Short (and narrow) window treatments
When you enter a room, the eye is drawn directly to the windows. So when your draperies are too short, it’s painfully obvious! Draperies should typically be one of four lengths: it should touch the window sill, break right at the floor, float slightly above the ground, or pool slightly on the ground. When draperies are too short, it gives the impression that the window is smaller than is it, and the ceiling shorter.
Melaine from My Sweet Savannah shared her bedroom before & after with us. Before, her bedroom draperies were way too short, and were at least a foot from the floor. After replacing her draperies with ours in Optic White, she now has draperies that break right at the floor, giving the room a tailored and intentional look.
By the way - Emily Henderson has great blog post about hanging curtains!
When draperies aren’t wide enough and don’t cover the window (or just barely cover it when its closed), it appears skimpy and accidental. We typically recommend that customers purchase draperies that are 1.5 times fullness, to ensure that their draperies don’t hang taut or look too thin when closed.
4. Drapery rod too low
It’s hard to decide where to hang your drapery rod. Drapery rods should never be hung exactly at the height of the window frame. This makes the window seem cramped, the ceiling appear shorter, and the window darker. At Barn & Willow, we typically recommend that you hang it 4 inches above your window frame. To make a smaller room seem taller, divide the space from the ceiling to the window into thirds, and place the rod a third of the way from the top. (via Houzz)
5. Size and scale of furniture
When buying furniture, it's incredibly imporant to keep in mind the size of the room. When pieces are too large, it's overwhelming and makes the room seem smaller. That's why it's important to draw a mock-up with correct measurements to ensure that no piece overwhelms the others. On the other hand, if your furniture is too small for your room, then just rotate it diagonally! This elongates the furniture, giving it a wider and longer look. (via Stephanie Hilton Design)
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