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1. Avoiding Color and Light
Many people shy
away from painting their walls because they’re afraid of making a
mistake or negatively affecting their home’s resale value. Or, they use
only light colors to “make the room look bigger.” The truth is, your
home should be a place you love, a place that reflects you and the
colors you love. And you’re not adding any square footage by keeping
those walls beige!
Let your personality shine through
with some color. If a bold color is too scary for you, try painting
accent walls (only one or two walls in a room) for your color statement.
Similarly, pay attention to the lighting in your room.
Lighting
in a room setting is critical not only for mood but for function. Pools
of light in triangles throughout the setting will create interest and
make the wall colors come alive.
Consider the different
activities (reading, watching television, playing games, doing homework,
paying bills, etc.) that occur in each area of the room. Try adding
floor lamps, table lamps, and dimmers on overhead lights to help
brighten the room and change the mood of the room for different
activities.
2. Weak Windows
When they are
done right, window treatments are an easy and inexpensive way to really
polish a room. However, a common mistake is to hang the curtain hardware
too low or to buy the wrong size curtain. This makes the ceiling appear
lower and makes your curtains look cheap.
Windows are
generally focal points in a room. Using the correct treatment can create
height and balance for your room setting, and drama and color are
created with side panels and swags in coordinating fabrics.
Mounting
your curtain rod six inches to one foot above the window molding will
make your ceilings appear taller and will let more light into the room.
Curtains should hang from the height of the curtain rod to the floor; an
extra ½-inch or inch of extra material is also an option that creates a
graceful puddle on the floor.
3. Floating Rugs
Area
rugs help set the space and create color and pattern for any room
setting, but placing a rug that is too small in the center of the room
ruins that effect and ends up looking extremely out of place.
Rugs
should be large enough that all of the furniture sits on top of the
rug, or all of the furniture frames the rug and sits just off of it.
Rugs that are too small for a space appear to float (like an island) in
the middle of your space—which breaks up your décor instead of tying it
together.
The size of the rug can either be room- or
accent-size dimensions, such as under a cocktail table, giving
continuity to the furnishings used in a setting over and then find
pieces that are just right for your space.
