5 Common Decorating Do Over

It happens to all of us.  Empty house, blank walls, barren floors.  Where do you start?  It can seem overwhelming.  I get it.  It's a lot.  And sometimes when we are daunted by the task of decorating a house, we make some mistakes.  Or, as I like to call them, decorating do overs.

Shortly after we moved into 5th and James I bought a rug for my living room that I was so excited for.   It was lovely subtle buttercream color background with a beautiful but not too feminine floral foreground.  But after it was delivered to my front door and rolled out in the space, it was all wrong.  I asked myself aloud, "Was it this YELLOW in the store?" The answer of course is,  "Duh.  Obvi.", and is an example of an opportunity for a decorating do over.

Putting a room together can be hard.  So I came up with a list of what I think are 5 common decoration do overs.  My point is not to be negative, but to hopefully help you avoid possibly making one of these.  And I will tell you this, I have definitely been guilty of each of these in my lifetime.

1. Rug is Too Small

Since I used a rug in my example, above I'll start here.  And this one is a biggie.  I know that rugs are a big financial investment and this is perhaps where we are led astray.   However, if your rug is too small, everything else will look off.  (I feel like I really could repeat myself there, but I'll spare you.) You could have the most gorgeous furniture on the planet in that room and if the rug is too small, it all looks wrong.  In general, for most living rooms, a rug should be at least 8X10.  So you can just rule anything smaller out in this room.  The rug should ground the space.  It should pull it all together.  A rug should set the stage for how the room is going to be used.  If you have a smaller rug that you love (maybe from a previous home or an antique) layer it on top of larger natural jute or sisal rug.

A rug does not need to fill an entire room, either.  It doesn't need to go all the way to the wall.  In general, allow at least a foot between the edge of the rug and the wall.  And up to even double that in larger rooms.  A rug should ground the conversation/sitting area by being amply large enough to fill the space.

Let me break that down for you.  All chairs and couches/ seating situations should have at least two legs on the rug.  You could do all four, as well.  But at least two should be on the rug.  So, don't put the couch down and then the chairs and then fill the space in-between with a rug.  That's a decorating do over.

2. Wall Color

A big bold color in a dining room or a small den or an office or powder room is awesome.  Add a little high gloss and it could literally bring me to my knees.  However, red on the walls in 8 rooms, room after room, is really not appealing.  But let's say that red is your favorite color.  What then?  I'd suggest a beautiful neutral color on the walls that bounces light around the room and then I'd add in lots of fun red in the accessories.  The red will still be the take away from the room.  It will just be less in your face and more pleasing to your eye.  And that way, when your favorite color becomes yellow, next year, all you have to do is switch out a few accessories.    

(wall color: barren plain by benjamin moore)

I really love color.  And my home is filled with lots of it.  But if you took everything out, all of the main spaces are neutral in color.  Our dining room is darker and there are several accent walls.  We were willing to take these color risks in the right proportions and in the right placement in the house.  If you are feeling nervous, you can not go wrong with neutral.  Better to have a beautiful light gray on the walls and lots of pops of color in art and accessories than to have a room that is screaming purple in your face.  

(wall color: calm by benjamin moore)

Additionally,  room color (including that in accessories and furnishings and art) should flow from one room to the next.   Especially if the rooms are visible from one to the next.  So when I walk in the front door and am greeted by a cool navy wall and pops of orange, as I walk into the next room and the next those same themes should come up.  That is how you make your home feel cohesive. You don't need to be too matchy.  Your home also shouldn't feel like it all was purchased from page 6 of the catalog.  But each room should feel like it belongs to the one before it.  Like they are partners.  They should compliment one another.  And PSA here- save the baby blue for the nursery.  I beg of you.  That's a decorating do over.   

3. Furniture in a Small Room is Too Small

My house is 100 years old and most of the original rooms are small.  So I understand that it can sometimes be challenging when designing a small room.  Just as it can sometimes be hard to fill a really large room.  Think about how you are going to use the room.  If it's a study, you'll want comfy chairs and easily accessible reading lights.  If it's an office you'll need a desk of ample size and somewhere for at least one other person to sit.  If it's a TV room you'll need seating accessible to the TV.  

If you have a small family room, it isn't the best room for a double wide sectional, but it also doesn't mean that you have to have a futon loveseat.  Maximize the furniture size in a small space to scale.  Make sure that you leave room for traffic flow and multiple seating options as well as a side table or two for drinks and magazines.  If everything is in scale with each other, your small room will not only function better but it will also feel bigger.

In a larger room, the key is to create zones.  Think about what each space will be used as?  Perhaps a conversation area over here.  A place to sit and watch the game over there.  Perhaps a reading nook.  Define these areas with rugs and furniture appropriate to those spaces.  And remember, with the furniture all grounded by that rug, it will feel pulled together and polished no matter the room size.  So leave the dorm furniture in your dorm.  That's definitely a decorating do over.  

4. Placing Everything Against the Wall

I can't tell you how often I see this. I think that it might be because people assume that it will make the room appear bigger.  People think that they will highlight all of their space by placing their furniture at the rooms perimeter.   In actuality, it does the opposite.  With everything against the wall, the conversation flow and intimacy of the room is totally lost.  To me, it almost feel like you are strangling the room.  But pushing everything right up against the walls you are depriving the room of its purpose.  Pulling the furniture away from the walls (even just a little bit) breaths life into a room.  It tells the eye that the furniture belongs there.  It invites you in.  It shows you that each piece has a purpose in this room.  It lets you know that this room has ample space for the furnishings you have placed in it.  And that they all belong together in this setting because they are all sharing this space easily.  

In general you want about 18 inches between the couch and the coffee table, and no less than 4 feet or no more than 10 feet between seating options for optimal conversation flow.  And remember, at least two furniture seat legs should be on the rug.  Have I mentioned that yet? That's how you avoid a decorating do over.  

5. Stopping After the Furniture is Placed

So you finally did it.  You got the perfect rug and the couch and the chairs and it's all sitting slightly away from the walls in a happy cozy way that invites and encourages conversation.  You found the perfect coffee table that hits right at the arm of the couch and you even have a lamp on that table.  Congratulations!  But don't. stop. there.   

So many people stop after they fill a room with the majors.  But what really makes a room, and eventually your home, are the little things.  The accessories, the personal touches.  These are the things that make a house a home, and more importantly they are the things that make your house feel like YOUR home.  So bring them in, layer them up and make it personal.  

Start with a cozy throw on the couch as well as throw pillows. Throw pillows should be fluffy and full and comfortable to lean against.  They should be layered on the couch.  You know sometimes when a couch comes with two sad looking pillows.  Please recover those poor guys and give them some friends.  Remember that pillows and throws can easily be changed out with the season or your tastes, so go for rich colors and beautiful textures.  

Add trinkets and books to the coffee table.  They are conversation starters.  Add light, and art and style to the mantle or bookshelves.  Every room should tell your story.  Leaving it empty, is a decorating do over.

That's all for my tips today, friends!  Thanks for reading!  I so appreciate that you do!  And remember, there's no such thing as a mistake.  Just an opportunity for a do over!