Jerome’s Blog

Whether homeowners are staging their home to sell it or just redecorating for their own enjoyment, homeowners frequently make decorating mistakes. Making mistakes can be very costly, waste a lot of time, and be disappointing. To help with your decorating project, let’s take a look at 10 common decorating mistakes homeowners make.

1. Poor Furniture Arrangement – People tend to use the lines of walls to arrange their furniture, but this practice can be very unappealing and makes rooms look smaller. To avoid this, simply avoid placing too many upholstered items against walls. Another rule of thumb for furniture arrangement is the two-thirds/one-third rule – make two-thirds of your room the main seating area, and leave one-third of the space open or for one grand furniture piece, for example a piano, a beautiful piece of artwork, a simple chair, etc.
2. Clutter – One of the worst mistakes people make is adding too many accessories to their home. One suggestion is to create a theme and stick to it. Use only accessories that match the chosen theme and plan out the placement of items before purchasing them. Additionally, you can buy a few bigger pieces as opposed to many smaller pieces and your home won’t look as cluttered.
3. Having a Lifeless Interior – Homes should have life in them. Fresh plants or flowers are the ideal way to accomplish this, but even fake plants and flowers can do the trick. One suggestion is to keep rotating your greenery to keep it seasonal. And, if you opt for the fake plants, be sure to keep them dusted.
4. Hanging Artwork Too High – The rule of thumb for art placement is that the bottom of a piece should be eight to ten inches above the top of a piece of furniture (sofa, chair, headboard, etc.). Or, if hanging art on a wall without furniture (hallway or stairwell), hang the artwork so that the middle of the work is 66 inches from the ground.
5. Only Decorating Inside – Homeowners must remember that the front yard (if applicable), the front entrance, and the back yard are part of a home’s appeal. To create the ultimate welcoming, positive, impressive, and overall wonderful décor, be sure to continue your decorating project all the way from the front curb, through the house, to the back fence.
6. Mixing Too Many Wood Tones – Wood is a popular decorating material. Homeowners can use wood for floors, cabinetry, walls, furniture pieces, etc. Often times, howeverm people go haywire with wood. To keep your wood décor looking fabulous, stick to this rule: introduce no more than three different wood stains in one room. If you have a furniture piece you love and can’t part with, simply re-stain it so it fits with the rest of the room.
7. Using the Wrong Colors on Walls – It can be difficult to decide which colors to use when decorating, particularly because there are so many colors and hues to choose from. Be sure to plan out your color usage before purchasing paint and/or wallpaper. Use swatches to help you. Keep wall colors in sync with furniture and artwork. In regards to hues, a good rule of thumb is to keep the lighter hue on top and the darker hue on the bottom.
8. Wrong Size Chandeliers – People often purchase chandeliers that are either too small or too large for a room. But, this is an easy fix: determine the width of the room in feet and multiply that number. The result is the diameter (in inches) of the chandelier you should purchase. Here’s an example: the width of a room is 10 feet (10 x 2 = 20) – your chandelier should have a 20” diameter.
9. Wrong Size Area Rugs – The area rug rule is simple. An area rug should have a 12 to 16 inch border of flooring, so break out your measuring tape and determine what size rug you need before buying the rug.
10. Completing Your Décor in One Day – Frankly, if you think you are done with your decorating project after just one day, you are probably wrong. You should always take your time planning, shopping, and organizing your items.

Along with so many other things in life, interior decorating styles change year by year. In 2008, trendy styles embraced colorful combinations and stylish modern or contemporary furniture designs. For 2009, some of the same trends from 2008 are holding strong; however, there are also several new interior design and furniture trends. Read on to discover the hot interior design and furniture trends for 2009.

• Uniqueness – This interior design trend can be very broad, but essentially it encompasses having items such as unique furniture, one-of-a-kind artistic creations, and distinctive patterns throughout a person’s home.
• Eco-Awareness – From cars to household products and now furniture, everyone is jumping on the “green” bandwagon. More and more people are recognizing that it is very important to accept societal responsibility and show a commitment to our environment. You can become environmentally friendly by simply using “green” interior decorating products and furniture such as organic linens, pillows, rugs, couch covers, and much, much more. In fact, some have even gone far enough as decorating with homemade items. In addition to using environmentally friendly items, it is common to use brown, beige, and green hues to create an environmental feel inside your home.
• Fun Flair – While this style may overlap a little with uniqueness, it focuses more on having fun, colorful, over-dramatic items in your interior decorating plan. In regards to color, the brighter and bolder the better.

  

• Culture Shock – Taking decorating influences from other cultures and ethnicities is very popular. You can add certain cultural pieces to your décor or even make entire rooms dedicated to one or many cultures. Popular examples include oriental themed interior designs and designs from African culture. Traditional Chinese paper lamps are also a trendy choice. Using African drums as side tables and as decoration is popular. Another trend is to place exotic artwork such as photos, paintings, and sculptures throughout one’s home. You can mix and match cultural designs to create the ultimate global adventure right in your home.

• Simple – This style is ever-lasting. It adds elegance to any room. Keeping interior designs and furniture simple will leave your home looking un-cluttered, larger, and more open.
• Classic – It seems like this interior design will never go out of style. Similar to a simple design, classic designs are elegant and leave any home looking un-cluttered and classy.
• High Dining Tables – Since the dining room tends to be a place for family and friends to gather and enjoy each other’s company and scrumptious meals, investing in a beautiful dining table is a wise decision. A dining room should be a formal style, yet have comfortable and cozy atmosphere. High dining tables are the table trend for 2009. And, to go with your high table you will need table-high chairs, similar to the type you see in restaurant bars. Wood is a classy and popular choice.
• Bar stools – A must-have piece of furniture for 2009. Bar stools are popular not only for actual bar areas, but also for kitchens, breakfast nooks, and other places of a home. They are fun and useful additions to any home and there are numerous bar stool designs to choose from.