The best-laid plans sometimes miss the mark, which is often the case when it comes to design. Purchasing rugs or furniture without properly measuring a room, using too much of your favorite color in a single space, or buying a lot of furniture from the same shop may not seem like a big deal, but your space will probably not end up looking like you had imagined. Scale and texture is key to a well designed room.
Here are a few decorating faux pas I often see, and asked “what were they thinking!?”
1. In my opinion, homeowners tend to take color too literally. By that, I mean that if they love the color yellow, they make too big a statement with it—like painting their walls yellow or a accent wall. It’s much more sophisticated to do something more subtle and less expected with color: have a yellow pillow made or drop a yellow painted coffee table into a neutral room or a beautiful yellow sideboard.
Velvet Willoughby Sofa, courtesy of Anthropologie
Palmer yellow stool, Z Gallerie, $149.95
2. The biggest faux pas and pet peeve of mine is seeing a area rug the size of a postage stamp in a room. So many people underscale a rug, which makes a room feel smaller and unbalanced. They float the sofa’s around the rug instead of having some of the sofas on the rug. Otherewise your rug looks like a island floating in the room. Dining chairs should never fall off a rug when pulled out.
Medallion Rug, Z Gallerie, Z Gallerie, $299.95 – $599.95
3. A common design mistakes that I see is designing around a massive television! Where all you see is the Television!! In order to work around the eyesore, I use mirrors or decorative shelves and accessories to hang over and around the television, so that your eyes are drawn to the beauty of the room instead of the eyesore in the room.
Modern Media set, West Elm, $2,297
4. Another pet peeve are rooms that are too ‘matchy-matchy’ ! The days of matching sofas and chairs and occasional tables are long gone! The best part of design is mixing different styles and objects. Blend different fabric patterns of varying scales and textures; mix wood finishes with a lacquered painted finish and contrasting metals. Try to think outside the box—the unexpected is what makes a room interesting! Also, don’t be afraid of color and scale. Both are key to creating beauty in a room.
I am loving these Washed Velvet Pillow Covers, $39.50, from Pottery Barn!
5. I’m obsessed with light, don’t compromise it. Things that eat up natural light are overstuffed furnishings, thick drapes and using too many heavy fabrics like mohair and wool. I love to give space for a room to breathe, and use light fabrics and accessories that allow the light to play off them in a variety of ways. Using reflective surfaces like brass, bronze, ceramic, or mirror, and fabrics with texture and varied weights add dimension to a room.
Leona Cube Table, Pottery Barn, $299
Final thoughts…take time to measure, research and be bold by coloring outside the lines Set your inner designer free!
