Decorators 101 FAQs

Basic Decorationg Guidelines:

The fun thing about decorating a room is that there are no hard and fast rules. The most successful décor project reflects the style and attitude of the homeowner. That said, if you are having some trouble getting started, below are some guidelines for décor basics.

1. Where do I start?

• If you’re lucky enough to have a clean slate to work with, start by choosing your colour palate.
• From here, the best way to start choosing furnishings for a new room is to start with the item that there are the fewest choices for in the marketplace. 
  • For example, if you want a patterned area rug with colours from your chosen palate, this will be harder to find than a sofa or drapery.  Once the exact tones of the rug are known, there are endless possibilities for fabrics to customize the sofa and drapery. 
• Wall colours can be chosen last since paint can be colour matched to any swatch.

2. Choosing a Sofa

• The best way to avoid the shock of “but it didn’t look this big at the furniture showroom” when a new sofa is delivered to your home is to start your shopping task before leaving home.
• Since a sofa is often the biggest piece of furniture in a family room, the best way to determine the size of sofa that your room can hold is to map out the size directly where you want it on the floor by using masking tape or newspaper.  This will give you an idea of how much space will remain for a coffee table, occasional chairs or lamp tables.
• A length of 65” to 72” is a good for a small room while a larger room can accommodate an 81” to 96” sofa.
• Decide if legs or a skirt are better for your space.  Legs tend to have a more contemporary look and will help to provide a more airy look in a small space.
• When choosing fabric for the biggest upholstered piece in a room, a solid colour will have more longevity style-wise and will be less fatiguing.  It can be easily enlivened via cushions and throws in the latest colours and prints for the season.  The solid coloured sofa also leaves more opportunities for experimentation with prints for occasional chairs or an ottoman.

3. Hanging Pictures

• The centre of interest in any picture (or the centre of a mirror) should be 60” to 66” above the floor.  Do not hang artwork higher because the ceilings are higher.
• When hanging a grouping or collage of pictures, try to find a commonality to draw the grouping together such as the size of the images, the type of frame or the colour of the frame or matte.
• When choosing a piece of artwork for a space such as over a fireplace or behind a sofa, the size of the piece should be at least 2/3 the width of the sofa or mantel.
• Remember that artwork can be changed with the seasons.  This is an inexpensive way to freshen your environment.

4. Dining Room Chandeliers

• In a room with 8 foot ceilings, A chandelier should hang 30 inches above the dining table.  For each foot higher than 8 feet, raise the chandelier an additional 3 inches.
• To guage the optimal diameter for a chandelier, measure the width of the room in feet, double the number and call it inches.  This number in inches is the recommended size.  S at H June 2007
• For example, a 14 foot wide room with 10 foot ceilings will look best with a 28 inch diameter chandelier hung 36 inches from the top of the dining table.