If you are in the process of decorating, re-decorate your existing Salt Lake City luxury home, Sandy 2story, Draper rambler, Holladay estate, South Jordan horse property home, Park City ski home or Herriman ranch house, here are three common design mistakes that involve scale, balance and proportion that should be avoided.
1. DRAPERIES HUNG TOO LOW
It might seem logical to hang draperies flush with the top of the window, but the negative effect gives the appearance of shortening the window and lowering the ceiling. Just as a well-fitted pair of jeans can give your legs a longer, leaner look, draperies hung closer to the ceiling can add height to your room.
Just like those well-fitted jeans, draperies should be long enough to brush the floor. Maybe even an inch longer if you prefer a slightly more relaxed look.
Be careful not to hang draperies flush with the sides of the windows, as this will be similarly limiting. Instead, extend the rod past the window. This allows the drapery panel to cover more wall than window, creating a widening effect to the room while allowing for more natural light.
Most sellers rarely, if ever, close the draperies, however, it's important to purchase enough fabric to make the panels at least appear to be full enough. Make certain that the side panels are in proportion to the width of the window.
2. FLOATING ARTWORK
Although it seems to make sense to center artwork on the wall, pieces hung too high are difficult to view and make a room look off balance. Artwork placed at eye level (generally 50 to 58 inches above the floor) creates a more pleasing balance. It serves as a visual anchor for other objects along the same wall, giving the whole area a cohesive look.
Unless it's a commanding piece that deserves exclusive wall space, Artwork looks best with a foundation beneath it. The foundation can be a sofa, sideboard, chair or mantel. In general, 6 inches from the top of a surface is a good place to start.
If your room offers vaulted ceilings, artwork may need to be up to one foot above the back of a sofa to maintain proper balance in the room.In a special reading corner, for example, a piece can be tucked into a spot much lower than you would consider your eye level. Remember to consider whether you’re walking through the room or sitting in the room when determining eye level.
The scale of the artwork should also be considered. For example, a postage stamp in the middle of a large wall creates visual disharmony. It is better to incorporate smaller pieces into a grouping, and treat the grouping as a single piece of art.
3. THAT RUG IS TOO SMALL!
Never underestimate the power of a rug, SIZE DOES MATTER! A rug offers practical, as well as decorative, possibilities. Your rug creates the footprint and defines the living space for an entire room, so avoid the common mistake of choosing an undersized one.
A room-size rug should allow for a maximum of 10 to 18 inches of floor space from the edge of the rug to each wall or to the end of the room’s area. Smaller rugs placed beneath furniture, such as coffee tables, should be large enough to allow gracious space extending out beneath at least the front legs of all furniture in the grouping. For a rug beneath a dining table, make sure it is large enough to extend at least two feet past the table on all sides so that the chairs stay on the rug when diners pull away from the table.
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