Ten Common Decorating Mistakes to Avoid
Are you guilty of any of these decorating blunders? HGTV designer Karl Lohnes and leading custom window fashions manufacturer Hunter Douglas have put together a top-ten list of the all-time most often made decorating mistakes.
1) Leaving windows for last. Not only can window fashions create pleasing illusions of depth or height in a room, scientific studies have proven the quality of natural light in a space actually affects our moods
and health. Still many people do not research window fashions thoroughly enough to know what options exist, much less which will best suit their individual needs.
One popular option, Silhouette ® window shadings, which feature soft fabric vanes suspended between sheer panels, diffuse and soften the light and allow you to gently direct it up or down by tilting the vanes. The Cadence®
Motif Soft Vertical Blinds are ideal for large slider windows. This product features the industry’s first and only curved, soft fabric louver. It’s offered in fashion-forward colors and neutrals to blend with a variety
of decors.
2) Purchasing new furniture before measuring the room. Many new home owners start purchasing new furnishings prior to taking possession of their homes. When the furniture finally arrives, it often doesn’t
even fit through the door, not to mention it being too long or too deep for the room. Remember to dress your windows early in the process, then wait and live in your space with your old furniture before ordering new pieces.
You’ll make better choices after spending time in the physical room, instead of judging the room from a pre-sale floor plan or picture. And, having the window treatments in place early ensures that your furnishings –
old and new – are protected from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
3) Buying area rugs too small. Area rugs should be large enough to leave only a 12- to 16-inch border of flooring around the room’s perimeter. Anything smaller will look insignificant. Remember that your
furniture is supposed to sit on the area rug and ground it; the rug should not “float” in the middle of the room on its own.
4) Choosing wall colors that are too pale. The larger the room, the more depth a color needs. When choosing a main color to go throughout an open-style home, choose a slightly darker one than you would for a
small room. To enhance the effect, use a matching or complementary window fashion. Silhouette window shadings in fabric from the Matisse Collection ™ – the first ever fabric with colored sheer facings as well as
colored vanes – enrich the shadings’ color impact. Window fashions in deep tones paired with darker paint will bring boldness and purposeful style to a large room.
5) Hanging artwork too high. Simple rules: the bottom of the artwork should be 8 to 10 inches above the top of a piece of furniture such as a headboard, sofa or credenza. Artwork hung in a hallway or in a stairwell
should be hung so the middle of the art is 66 inches off the floor or step.
6) Highlighting wimpy trims and mouldings. Everyone thinks they have to highlight their baseboards and trims by painting them white. If you have trims that are 3½ inches or smaller, paint them the same color
as the wall to blend them away. Otherwise, you will end up with a ‘racing stripe effect’ around the room. Painting your baseboards, walls and crown moldings a uniform color can also make the walls feel taller.
7) Buying too many small accessories. Holding off on buying trendy accessories for a year or two could save you enough money to purchase a substantial piece of furniture you will have forever. Buying an expensive piece
might feel like a splurge, but it’s a wiser investment in the long run.
8) Scattering your collectibles all over the house. By keeping your collection of figurines, samplers or family photos grouped together, you can create a big impact with many small things. Dotting them all around the
house only adds a cluttered look to your décor.
9) Having more than one focal point in a room. Every room needs a focal point, but most people never figure out what it actually is. As a rule, remember that in the bedroom, it is the headboard, in the bathroom, it is the
vanity area. The living room’s focal point can be the television, the fireplace or the window. If the room’s focal point is the window, be especially mindful of mistake number one – leaving windows for last.
Duette® honeycomb shades with the top-down/bottom-up feature allow you to raise the window shades from the bottom, lower them from the top or do both at once to create distinct, appealing visual patterns.
10) Getting it all done in a day. When you shop for your entire room’s décor in a day, it looks like you did it all in a day. The result is usually a ‘matchy’ appearance that implies you purchased a
display right out of a storefront window. Take your time and let your vision, goals, budget and timelines provide you with a layered décor process.
Hunter Douglas, Inc., is a national sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, covering windows in every Habitat home built in the U.S. and Canada and is a leading manufacturer of custom window coverings in North America. For more information, visit
www.HunterDouglas.com.
Cadence® Motif Soft Vertical Blinds from Hunter Douglas
Silhouette® window shadings in fabric from the Matisse Collection™
Alustra® Collection Duette® honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas