I hope you have all had a great weekend! This weekend I was catching up on some design magazine reading that has been piling up. I came across a great little tear out “tip” sheet in the July/August issue of House Beautiful (one of my favorite design magazines. I love how they interview the designer for each article; It feels like you’re sitting down with a cup of coffee, just listening in on an interview of some pretty talented designers!) As a designer, I get asked about design “rules” all the time. From my experience, I personally feel that the only real “rules” in design are scale, proportion and balance. If that is working in a space, you can have more fun bending some of the other “rules.” But that being said, it’s always nice to have some guidelines to follow to know where to digress if needed!
So, according to House Beautiful…(I’m paraphrasing a bit here :) )
1. 36″ wide rectangular table is perfect for conversation…48″ round tables seat 6 and a 60″ seats 8.
2. Overhead lighting fixtures… {One of the most popular “rule” question I have received!} Add the length and width of the room in feet and that number in inches is the approximate size, say, a chandelier should be.
3. One gallon of paint will cover approximately 400 square feet of wall. {Good info to know.}
4. Mount curtains as high as possible to give the room more height and let them break 1 1/2″ on the floor. {I totally agree with mounting them as high as possible. The higher the better. I don’t, however, always agree about letting a drape “puddle” on the floor, even if it’s just 1 1/2″. I think having a bit of curtain on the floor, in a lot of cases, can prove to be more hassle than it’s worth…One example: Think of your lovable Fido that sheds constantly. Then think of all that fur gathered at the bottom of your drapes. Not so chic, right? In cases like that, having a curtain hit right at the floor is the best solution. However, one of my biggest pet-peeves is a curtain that is about 2″ or so too short!!!! If you happen to have this issue hanging in your living room as you read this and can’t lower your curtain any more, think about adding a contrast band of fabric to the bottom, adding a custom detail and making it the appropriate length!}
5. A kitchen island should be about 38″ high-a little taller than the counter tops to be comfortable for prep.
6. Curtains should be 2 1/2 to 3 times the width of the window. Buy a rod that’s 20″ wider than your window so it extends 10″ beyond your window on either side.
7. The bottom of a dining room chandelier should hang 36″ above the table. { Another very popular question. I personally think approximately 30″-36″ is acceptable.}
8. Install light switches 36″ above the floor and 1 1/2″-2″ to the side of the door trim.
9. For a standard 84″ sofa with exposed legs and a tight back, you’ll need 14 yards of plain 54″ wide fabric. Add 2 yards for a skirt.
10. From classical times to today, the golden ratio has always been the perfect proportion: 1 to 1.62 {pretty specific!}
So there you have it! A few good tips! Hopefully this list may come in handy for you at some point! And if this list just made you more anxious and confused to tackle things on your own, give us a call! We can make and break some design “rules” together!
And one more tip that I thought of today as I was putting my freshly laundered duvet on the bed. I love a duvet, but I HATE how the down moves and adjusts and your cozy, comfy comforter ends up all full and fluffy at the bottom and leaves nothing to cuddle up to. Inside my ready-made duvets I take a little corner of the comforter and the duvet and tie them together with a little clear hair elastic (you can get about 50 in a pack in the hair-style aisle). Three of four times around on each corner, and that minimizes the shifting issues that come with a down comforter and a duvet. In my custom duvet, I had ties put in the corners that help. Having little snaps sewn on the inside of the long sides of the duvet, as well as on your comforter, can help reduce this problem even more!
Happy rule following (and breaking!)
~ Gina
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