I am assuming my readers have good taste - no hay on the walls 
(what WAS she thinking!), cardboard lined bedrooms, or plastic 
egg covered bathrooms. And after all, you DO read my advice! 
Yet, even so, you may be making little mistakes that change 
your home décor from amazing to awkward!


Here are some design mistakes you may be making!

1. Decorating your room based on a whim or the current fad 
   instead of thinking how the room will be used. White sofas 
   in a play room? Hay on the wall of a family room! (she will 
   never live that down!) Frilly ruffles in a bedroom shared 
   with your very macho husband.  Think about the room's uses 
   and users before you decorate.

2. Using incorrect lighting for the room's use. Sure, those 
   little lamps are cute! But will they provide enough reading 
   light in your family room? Will that chandelier cast shadows 
   that will make the room occupants look like bad Picasso 
   knockoffs? Make sure to buy lamps and light bulbs which 
   ease the strain on readers. And as for the shadows, why not 
   try frosted bulbs to soften those harsh angles?

3. Arranging furniture in awkward patterns. If you had to make 
   your way from one side of the room to the other in the dark, 
   could you do it without knocking your shins on a table? Can 
   you do it in the daylight? While winding paths across a room 
   might earn you extra exercise, they can be hazardous to our 
   shins (and a couple of toes!) Arrange easy paths from one 
   room to the next.

4. Putting all the furniture against the wall. Unless you have 
   a paranoia about having someone behind your back, move your 
   furniture further into the room. It adds more interest and 
   looks less like a police line-up!

5. Awkward conversation areas. If your visitors have to twist 
   their bodies, look under lamps and over tables to have a 
   conversation, your furniture is placed incorrectly. Group 
   furniture into small intimate areas where people can talk 
   face to face.

6. Hanging artwork too high. Try placing your artwork at or 
   below eye level (and not eye level for the Jolly Green 
   Giant!) Unless it is over a fireplace mantel, try not to 
   make your visitors look up to view your prints or paintings.

7. Scattering the accessories. If you have a collection, group 
   it together. (Makes it easier to see what you have so you 
   don't buy duplicates!) When individual pieces are scattered 
   throughout the house, the collection loses its impact. 

8. Including just one of everything in the room. Just one of 
   everything makes people think that your kids broke the mate 
   to the piece. Bring balance and unity to the room by 
   choosing pairs of lamps, chairs, pillows or tables.

9. Having a lop-sided room. Don't put all the big, heavy 
   furniture or dark colors on one side of the room. It will 
   feel like you are on the deck of the Titanic. Distribute 
   the pieces evenly to bring balance to the room.


Are you making design mistakes? They are easy to remedy! A 
little furniture moving here, a little shuffling there and your 
home will be ready for Architectural Digest (or Field and Stream 
- depending on your décor!)