Decorating Mistakes
Heavy-Handed Paint
“The misuse or heavy-handed application of decorative painting. I saw a show house last weekend and it reminded me that you have to know when to stop. Brilliant painting is elegant and polished, but go too far and you end up with vulgarity when quality was the goal.”
Bright Overhead Lights
“There’s nothing worse than bright overhead lights that make you feel like you’re onstage. Lighting shouldn’t wash down on you: It’s harsh and unflattering. I use dimmers in every part of a house, including bathrooms. And soft white bulbs in lamps. The best light comes at you from shaded lamps.” -
Candlestick Mistake
“Candlesticks side by side. Candlelight, like open fires, has a certain allure — one of warmth and romance. To me, it’s most alluring when the light is spread around the room. In other words, separate the candlesticks! It’s also a more balanced aesthetic.”
Furniture Pushed Up Against the Walls
“I’m often dumbstruck by the way people arrange their living room furniture. So much wide-open space, pieces plastered against walls, chairs too far apart. It’s simple, really: The guiding principle should be to create intimacy. How can you have a good conversation when you have to shout across the room? I imagine the sofa talking to the chairs, the chairs talking to one another.”
Disproportionate-Sized Lamps
“Lamps that are completely disproportionate sizes on either ends of a sofa — that makes me crazy. Also when people hang a collection of pictures in these sort of idiosyncratic ways and it’s just a mess. Don’t try to get too creative. Keep it simple.”
Glaring or Gloomy Lighting
“Regardless of how beautiful a room is, it’s compromised by glaring or gloomy lighting. Don’t rely on only one kind of light source. Mix a variety of overhead and floor or table lamps. And keep in mind that you’re not obliged to illuminate every corner evenly. Warm ‘pools’ of light draw people in and create intimacy.”
From msn lifestyle
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