I don’t know about you, but I love TV reality shows that deal with decorating and makeovers. They tell you things your friends and family wouldn’t dare say unless you pressed them to give you their opinions, risking hurting your feelings. Frankly, I like to listen to trained experts give us a birds’ eye view of what just doesn’t “fit” when looking at a room.
HGTV aired a show with a panel of experts tasked with naming the 25 most easily remedied decorating mistakes. Numbers 25 down named a lot of things many of us overlook, such as too many photos, ignoring the entry foyer, uncomfortable dining chairs, and furniture pieces that just don’t fit. For the sake of space, however, I’ll concentrate on their top five – all arguably things you may or may not agree with, but worth giving thought to nonetheless:
#5 –
Ignoring windows: Window treatments are akin to room jewelry. Aside from paint, they are among the easiest and least expensive ways to change the appearance of an entire room. Many Europeans have two sets of window covering and accessories – one for winter and one for summer, but most Americans can’t be bothered. Hanging curtains well above large, formal windows can draw the eye up to the ceiling’s height, making it look more expansive. Or you could simply hang a Roman shade on a window to keep out the light. Sheets are meant for beds and rugs are meant for floors, and never the twain should meet.
#4 --
Fear of color: A lot of people love color but have fear zones when considering using it in a decorating scheme. True, bold colors can limit your decorating possibilities, but can also serve as a great “punctuation mark” and doesn’t have to be heavy or overbearing. It’s wise to paint a color on a trial basis first to make sure you like it there a different times of day. Accent walls (using only one or two walls in a room for your color statement) have been popular for some time now and can easily be changed when you tire of them.
#3 –
Chotchkie overload: Knickknacks, accessories – whatever you want to call them – are usually in plentiful supply in most homes. The experts’ advice is to either rotate what you have or to put some away and reprise their presence from time to time. Having them all out at once and covering every surface with them may make you happy, but tend to serve as a dizzying visual overload to others entering your home. “Edit” your collections regularly by donating or Craigslisting them.
#2 –
Pillow frenzy: If you’ve got so many pillows on a sofa that one wonders how much room there is to actually sit on it, you’re a pillow junkie. If there are too many on a bed, then one of yours or your guests’ exercises will be to take precious time to find some place to put them when they are their most fatigued. Just a few well-placed accent pillows are the ticket.
#1 – This may be the most controversial, but its fake flowers and plants. Aside from being dust-gatherers, they don’t bring real life into your home the way real flora and fauna do. Besides, the real ones smell better. True, there is an expense in perennially keeping fresh flowers in your home, but you can opt for other accents, such as fresh lemons (useful as well!) or use dried natural materials such as curly willows or bamboo stalks instead.
Dena Kouremetis is a veteran freelance real estate consumer journalist and California real estate broker. She may be reached by email at REritr@aol.com.
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