Following a few guidelines can give you more freedom to explore other aspects of your creativity. So here’s to measuring twice, cutting once, and doing you with confidence! Here are five interior design rules to consider if you want to do things right the first time around.
Avoid Awkward Curtain Length
There are two simple rules regarding curtain length that almost always work on any window:
- Hang your rod level, at least half way between your ceiling and the top of your window.
- Measure (twice!), cut and hem your panels so they just graze the floor when hung.
Choose Properly-Scaled Rugs
A good rule of thumb is to choose a rug that is the proper scale for your space that all of your existing furniture fits on. For your living room, don’t pick a rug that is only under your coffee table, let all your furniture fit into the rug.
Picking a Cohesive Color Palette
Choosing a design scheme for a space should be based on making it feel cohesive. To make sure a room feels put-together, choose a color palette and use it throughout. Once you’ve nailed down your color palette, shopping for your space will become much easier.
Hanging Art Work at Eye Level
If you’ve got a blank wall and a stack of art that are begging to meet, resist the urge to pick up your hammer without a little prep work. A good rule of thumb is that most artwork looks best hung where the center of the art is between 57″-60″ (around eye level for most people). While eye level placement is key, space between pieces and how they relate to each other can be tricky too.
Varying Your Light Sources When all of your lighting comes from one bright source in one location (i.e. overhead recessed lighting), it falls flat. Placing multiple soft lights in a variety of locations enhances the ambiance and creates depth and warmth.