Decorate Your Home or Room

Back to first Five Things

Thing No 6  

Color, Texture, Pattern. 

Successfully designed rooms have some of each.  Go easy on the pattern (limit to accents) and medium on the texture (smaller upholstered furniture or a slight texture in carpeting)

Thing No 7  

Hang artwork lower than your mother did.

This is one of our personal pet peeves.  80 percent of the world’s population hangs artwork too high.  This is the sign of a rank amateur.  We don’t care if you are 6’4”.  There is something in architecture and design called “human scale.” Observe how it is done in galleries and museums and follow suit.

Thing No 8  

Don’t skate furniture around the perimeter.

Another pet peeve, another sign of an amateur.  Consider “floating” furniture away from the wall and create “zones” with furniture placement and rugs.  This will make the room much more intimate and inviting.  Employ the use of “vignettes.”  These are little areas that conjure up a story or a moment.  An upholstered chair, ottoman, throw, reading lamp and a bookshelf creates a cozy corner and is an example of a vignette.  All the while, each room should have a “focal point.”  This is where the drama is – where the room is defined.  Don’t be afraid to use the “volume” of the room by going all the way to the ceiling with shelving.  This can be very inviting in a small space and create warmth in a cavernous one.

Thing No 9  

Save the earth and yourself. 

Because we’re good, tree-hugging San Franciscans, it’s worth mentioning that Environmentally Safe paints have come a long way and all our groovy designer friends in Los Angeles are using them.  If you don’t want to end up like Julianne Moore in “Safe:,  or especially, if you’re doing a baby’s room, check out ecospaints.com or safepaint.net. Some of them claim they are “safe enough to eat!”  That’s great because there’s nothing worse than waiting for the pizza delivery guy when you’re standing on a ladder, dizzy from paint fumes.