With the holiday season upon us many of us are trying to get our homes into tip top shape for family and friends. Contrary to what all of the design magazines and shows tell you you do not need thousands of dollars to make your home feel more chic and cozy. The difference between an okay room and a fantastic room lies in the details. I've put together a short list of inexpensive ways to take your rooms from drab to fab without breaking the bank.
Choosing a Too-Small Rug For Your Space
A rug that is on the small side will make a room look fragmented and choppy.
Solution:
Make sure you get a rug that goes beyond the edges of your largest piece of furniture by at least a foot. In a dining room make sure your rug extends beyond all sides of the table by at least three feet so that when chairs are pushed away from the table all of the legs remain on the rug. Love the rug you have now but it is the wrong size? Layer it on top of an appropriately sized natural jute or sisal rug.
Blocking All Of The Natural Light
Drapery can be a beautiful way to add softness and texture to a room, but if it's keeping all of your natural light out your rooms will feel small and uninviting.
Solution:
To block out the sun when needed but allow the natural light in to keep your room from becoming the batcave use a combination of thick drapery panes and neutral colored sheers. If you have very few windows in your room make sure you avoid putting furniture in front of them unless the furniture sits lower than the sill.
Hanging Curtains Too Low
It use to be the norm to hang curtains just below the window's trim or halfway between the ceiling line and the window trim. The pros have come to know that doing this shortens the overall height of your room.
Solution:
Hang your curtains as close to the ceiling line as you can. When doing this make sure your curtains touch or puddle on the floor. This will make your windows and your room height feel huge. Width-wise, extend the curtains five to twelve inches past the window trim. This way you can see most of your window when the curtains are open. Make sure your curtains are about twice the size of your window so they are full and drape well giving it a very lux look.
Blocking The Flow Of A Room With Seating
It's so tempting to put a sofa facing a fireplace or a window, but it that means you are seeing the back of it when you walk into the room you are creating a very unwelcoming feel.Â
Solution:
Use large walls to anchor your sofa as it is less jarring to look at the backs of accent chairs because they are less bulky. You've tried and tried but your room doesn't let you not expose the back of your sofa? No worries, soften it by using a console table against it styled with low decorative objects.
Overloading Your Sofa With Pillows
It's easy to think that you need to fill your whole sofa with throw pillows to make it feel cozy. In reality a big mix of pillows just ends up making your sofa look messy and cluttered.Â
Solution:
Stick to a more streamlined look. Two pillows on each end of your sofa is really all you need. You can either do two of the same size or one big and one small pillow at each end.
Decorating A Large Wall With A Single Piece Of Small Art
When you choose artwork that is too small it looks like it is lost on the wall just floating in vast emptiness. Artwork should anchor the space.
Solution:
Art hung above a bed or sofa should fill at least  two-thirds of the wall space above the piece of furniture. Don't feel like you have to use one large piece; you can achieve the same feel by hanging multiple pieces salon-style or in a grid. If the pieces are uniform in size, leave an equal amount of space between them. If they vary in size you can mix up how much space is between each piece.
Follow these simple rules and you can easily and affordably upgrade your space!
Still need help getting your rooms in shape? Contact us today for an interior design consult!
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