Perhaps it’s this foul weather that’s making me think negatively but I’ve been thinking a lot about bad decor choices. In my years working in design TV I have seen a lot of horrendous “before” shots. Ditto on what my client’s spaces usually look like before we are done with them. Interestingly, I find a few common patterns prevail- thus the basis of today’s Friday Five.

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FAUX PAS ONE: Drapes that are too short. Drapes should always just skim the floor, or for a more romantic look puddle with about 2″ – 4″ of excess fabric. I personally don’t like puddled drapes in most cases but what irks me even more is drapery that is even 2″ too short- they look like flood pants- like you ran out of fabric- and it should be avoided! Skim the floor or puddle.

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FAUX PAS TWO: Rugs that are too small. A rug should not look like a postage stamp in comparison to the size of the room. Rugs are meant to warm up a room, be played on, be walked on- so let’s make them large enough to do their function. Rugs should extend past the legs of most of the furniture in a grouping. If you’ve purchased a rug that is to small consider placing an identical one beside it to create the illusion of a larger surface.

FAUX PAS THREE: Light fixtures that are too short or two low. This could be it’s own dedicated blog post but the main offenders I see are in regards to dining table fixture heights. We recently had as a client the CEO of major lighting company and he gave me a great rule to follow (thanks Robert!)- the bottom of the fixture should be double the height of the table from the floor. No lower, no higher. Bonus points if the width of your fixture is about half the width of your table.

FAUX PAS FOUR: Accent walls. I am not against these in principle, but I find that when they are done without the help of a professional they can look like you ran out of paint. Instead of paint, I like to use wallpaper as an accent wall and pull the paint colour from one of the tones in the pattern.

FAUX PAS FIVE: Matching, overstuffed, brown or beige leather like couch sets. They are wrong. A sofa is such a main piece in a living room so let it have good shape, be pretty, and look the opposite of a lumpy sac of potatoes!

That’s my small rant for today, please feel free to add to this list in the comments below Happy weekend everyone!