do’s and don’ts of decorating

This weekend, I got the itch to rearrange my living room furniture. (I think it has something to do with the changing of the season.) I promised my hubby that I would only need his help for 30 minutes. Two hours later, he and I were still shuffling couches, chairs, tables and lamps like we were running some shell game street hustle.

If only I would have had the advice of home stager and interior designer Kate Hart. Kate has helped hundreds of families and realtors prepare homes for sale through her Philadelphia-area company, Hart & Associates Staging & Design. “There are basic guidelines you can follow to ensure you’re not only on the right track, but on-trend in your décor,” says Kate.  “Best of all, you don’t have to pay designer prices to get a designer look.”   
Here’s are a few of Kate’s “do’s and don’ts of decorating.”

1. When arranging living room furniture, keep plenty of space for traffic to flow. Walkways should be 27 to 36 inches wide to allow people to pass through a space.  Coffee tables and ottomans should be no more than 18 inches from a sofa or chair so people have enough room to sit but do not have to reach far for their beverage or personal items. Or to plop their tired feet on them…

photo credit: Dominique Vorillon

2. When selecting an area rug, remember “you are either on or off”.  In a seating area, all furniture legs must be on the carpet if you are using a larger rug or off the carpet and focused around a smaller area rug. If you are adding a rug to anchor a dining space make sure all the chairs will still be on the carpet if they’re pulled out and the table leaves are added. That must be why this looks so good…

photo credit: Dominique Vorillon

3. Add no more than three accessories—or grouping of accessories— to each horizontal surface to avoid clutter. Place taller items on the left and lower items on the right so the space flows from left to right just as your eye naturally reads a book! Obviously, this example shows more than three items on the dresser, but you get the gist…

photo credit: Ore Studios

4. Use your hand as a guide when hanging artwork.  If you are hanging something over a bed, a sofa or a server, the bottom of the artwork should be about one hand width high (or about 6 to 10 inches). Not sure what height to hang a piece on a bare wall? The center of the piece should be about eye height of a 5-foot-and-7-inch person. When hanging items in a grouping keep them 2 to 4 fingers apart (or 3 to 6 inches) so they form a cohesive grouping.  Like this…

photo credit: istockphoto

5. Don’t break the bank with costly custom window treatments that will feel dated in a few years.  Opt for simple panels that highlight your windows and frame your view. Make your windows appear taller by hanging the panels as close to the ceiling as possible and letting them just touch the ground for a tailored look.  Give ready-made treatments a more custom look by adding your own trim. Here’s a picture-perfect example…

photo credit: Amanda Marsalis

I’m curious…have any of your own decorating do’s or don’ts that you follow?