20commandecoratingmistakes.pdf 

The full article is so long but it does add so much more information, but here’s a simple list of the 20 common decorating mistakes we mentioned on the show.

1. Cut down on your faux greenery – only use new styles of faux greens.

2. Eliminate visible clutter in your rooms, it just takes away from the decorating you have done.

3. Don’t over pillow! Ladies, put your pillows out and then remove a couple and you’ll have just the right amount!

4. Choose the right rug size for the room and furniture arrangement, keeping the edges out of traffic patterns. 

5. When combining art in one room, make sure that the pieces are similar in style so they co-ordinate – not match! 

6. Avoid themed chairs or upholstery pieces.  They are too costly to change when your mood changes.  Express your theme in accessories and artwork that can be changed easily. 

7. Upgrade your old appliances.  Old TV’s and refrigerators really outdate a home.

8. Stop having a fear of color.  Start with a bold color in a hallway or entry where you don’t spend that much time, and then bring color into the busier areas of your home. 

9. Learn to mix patterns properly.  Usually three patterns together work well.  One is large, one medium and one small.  Make sure they share similar colors and have similar backgrounds and you’ll be set.

10. Eliminate those messy dust ruffles that are dragging on the floor. 

11. Keep the scale of your lamps in line with the scale of the table or chest they will be on. Small lamps look wimpy and large ones are overpowering. 

12. Don’t go cheap on your nightstand.  You can create one of a kind tables out of garage sale finds that are better than a round particle board table and a cloth.

13. Stay away from totally mismatched furniture.  Being eclectic is fine and so is variety, but some things need to co-ordinate to pull a room together.

14. Incorporate balance with your furniture arrangement.  Don’t put all the heavy stuff to one side of the room; spread the weight around evenly for a better look.

15. Never, never, never leave the plastic cover around a lamp shade.

16. Be careful about hanging artwork way too high, or putting tiny pieces alone on a big wall space.  Think about scale and height when hanging. 

17. Height is important when hanging up a shower curtain.  A curtain is meant to hide something, so make sure it really does hide the plumbing! 

18. No more fuzzy toilet seat covers!!   And no squishy toilet seats either!

19. Hide your electrical cords.

20. Thin out your family photos.

And a couple extras!

21. Don’t buy meaningless accessories.

22. We’re putting the kibosh on dried floral arrangements. OLD ones, that is. 

Well, that should give you a pretty good start when you are attempting your next decorating project.  Once you know the don’ts, the rest must be dos!

Shari

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