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5 Decorating Tips for a More Beautiful Room

March 11, 2009 By Rhoda 75 Comments

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I’ve noticed over the years when I was doing consultations and visiting homes, that there are a few things that jump out at me when I look at a space and these 5 tips will make your space even better. Things that could be improved upon with just a little work and effort will bring your room to life. These are ways to enhance your room and make it better. So, let’s get started with the first one. 

Southern Accents Photo Antoine bootz Designer Bobbi Smith

(Southern Accents: Photo: Antoine Bootz, Designer: Bobbi Smith)

Here’s a shot of our master bedroom with the drapes hung almost to the crown molding. 

1. Hang your drapes as high as you can.

One thing I learned a few years ago when I started having drapes made and hanging them up was this, hang them as high as you can and wider than the window. All the way to the crown molding. Picture #1 is a good example of how it looks to hang your drapes all the way up to the crown. Also notice that the window panel skims the outside of the window frame and doesn’t block the window itself. If you hang ‘em high and take them out wider than the windows, it really gives the illusion of much bigger windows and lets in a lot of light. You don’t want to block that beautiful light. I’ve done this in my house on all the windows and it really works! Gives those windows much more presence and importance.

Here’s my old house for example. See how narrow the windows are?

Same windows! I just took the drapes all the way to the ceiling and hung them wider than the windows for a much better look. It completely fools the eye into thinking the windows are bigger than they really are.

Coastal Living Photo Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

(Coastal Living: Photo Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn)

2. Hang your artwork lower than you might think.

There’s nothing worse than walking in a home and seeing art hung WAY up high, so you’re looking up to see it. Artwork should be hung at eye level and I know that everyone’s eye level is different, but I usually err on the low side instead of the high side when it comes to placing artwork on a wall. The above pic shows how bringing the art down with the seating group really works well. It feels like part of the grouping and not like it’s floating above. When hanging art over something like a console table or sofa, I think the rule of thumb is about 5-6” above the item that it’s hanging over. This seems to work well and keeps the grouping cohesive.

Cottage Living Photo Tria Giovan

(Cottage Living: Photo Tria Giovan)

3. Mix the room with textures.

What makes a beautiful room? Mixing up the texture is a great way to add lots of interest to your room. If you have a room that’s all soft fabrics, then everything will look and feel the same and you won’t have that energy of different textures around the room that makes a beautiful room work. There are all sorts of ways to add texture. See the above pic, with the soft fabric on the sofa, lots of colorful pillows, and a seagrass rug and bamboo blinds? Mixing up that texture really makes the room pretty and inviting. This is one of my favorite inspiration pics. I just love the feel of this room. Notice how the drapery panels are hung almost all the way to the ceiling in this room too. Think about mixing up furniture pieces too: glass, iron, wood, there’s room for all of these things in the same room. In my living room, I added a glass and iron coffee table in with the 3 wood side tables to mix it up. You can have too much of a good thing sometimes, so get out of the matchy-matchy mentality.

The pic below is also a great example of mixing up textures, with the soft fabric on the sofa, pillows that bring in other texture and pattern, the leather ottoman, and rattan chairs. The striped rug feels casual with a cotton look to it and mixes well with all the other elements in the room. Even the large urns with plants add some extra texture to the room. So, don’t forget to mix up the textures in your room to make it more exciting!

Coastal Living Harry Taylor

(Coastal Living: Harry Taylor)

Coastal Living Photo Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn Stylist Tracey Rapisardi Designer Lisa Knowlton

(Coastal Living: Photo: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, Stylist: Tracey Rapisardi, Designer: Lisa Knowlton)

4. Group your accessories in 3’s or 5’s.

This has been the advice from designers for many years and it just seems to work. Something about those groupings just are visually more appealing and it makes for a nice feel and look to a room. So,think about that when you are putting together a vignette on a table, sideboard, or bookcase. I don’t always follow this rule, but it does work. Notice above on top of the bookcase, the designer has grouped 3 pottery pieces. This would not have worked as well with 2 or 4, but 3 is the magic number. You can see that for the most part, the other groupings are also in 3’s or 5’s (some with 2 like items acting as one). Also, vary the heights of your items so they are not all lined up in a row. You want the eye to travel up and down the grouping and side to side. 

Also, one thing I’ve been working on in my own home is using larger accessories instead of many smaller ones. That is a much better look too and things don’t look as cluttered. I’m not a minimalist, as I’ve often said, but those bigger pieces are much more visually appealing.

 

As you can see in our family room, the front feet of the furniture sits on the rug to anchor the rug. 

5. Get the right size rug. Make sure your rugs big enough for the front feet of furniture to sit on. 

I’ve seen this one a lot, as many people just don’t know how to choose a rug size to work in their room. I most always will choose a rug to fit a furniture grouping and have that grouping around the rug (as shown above). You can see the chair and sofa are on the edge of the rug, as is the ottoman in front of the fireplace, so the rug grounds the furniture seating area. A too small rug will just look lost and one that is floating way out in the middle of the room just looks out of place. The rule of thumb that I’ve found works is to have the front feet or legs of your furniture sit on top of the rug and it’s fine for the back legs to be off the rug. It’s just visually a good look.

I hope these 5 little tips help you to make your room better. These are just a few observations that I’ve had over the years in my own home and I think by paying attention to the details, your room can look so much better. It’s not any harder or more expensive to change these small things, but they can have a tremendous impact to the final look of your space.

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Filed Under: Decorating Ideas 75 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Room Service ~ Decorating 101 says

    March 11, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Great post! So true!

    Reply
  2. momof3girls says

    March 11, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    What great tips (as well as beautiful pictures) I always have to remind myself about texture – it does not come to me natural. I always think matchy, matchy.

    Reply
  3. Sofia Striffler says

    March 11, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    Rhoda great post. I do all the tips and they work really well. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.
    I to talk to you again soon

    Reply
  4. Helen says

    March 11, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    It’s always good to get a refresher course in decorating do’s. Yours are the best!

    Reply
  5. HeathahLee says

    March 11, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    I always want to hang art too high on the wall…I have to make a conscious effort to bring it down! Thanks for these tips, Rhoda!

    Reply
  6. Allidink says

    March 11, 2009 at 3:45 pm

    Wow thanks for the tips! I love the look of those drapes.

    All the best,
    Allison

    Reply
  7. An Accomplished Woman says

    March 11, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    What a beautiful post!!!

    Thanks for the inspiration.

    Cynthia

    Reply
  8. Carolyn says

    March 11, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    Great tips and I loved all the photos too!
    Carolyn

    Reply
  9. Christi says

    March 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm

    Thanks for the tips. I had to laugh when I read about where to hand the artwork. This is always a bone of contention in my house. I am 5’6″ and my husband is 6’6″. I’m always telling him that my eye level is more normal than his – ha, ha! Luckily, he gives up before me on this one.

    Reply
  10. Linda says

    March 11, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    Thanks for all the idea Rhoda. Hope you are doing well.
    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  11. Rue says

    March 11, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    Hi Rhoda 🙂

    Wonderful suggestions! I really need to work on texture.

    A small rug always drives me crazy when I see it in people’s homes, like it’s an island LOL

    Oh and I normally hang my drapes that way, but just like niartist I have large moldings in this old house, so it doesn’t work, but I do love the look 🙂

    I’ll see if I can get my act together for the Spring party. So far all I have out are two bunnies 🙂

    hugs,
    rue

    Reply
  12. Cottage Rose says

    March 11, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    Hi Rhoda; Thank you for all the great decorating ideas. I will be going though my house room by room tomorrow, and put some of your ideas to work….

    Hugs;
    Alaura

    Reply
  13. KMfamily ;-) says

    March 12, 2009 at 2:09 am

    Wonderful & very informational post.
    I will certainly keep this in mind.
    Great post!
    cant wait to see all the srping fluffing too

    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    March 12, 2009 at 7:40 am

    Great information and beautiful photos. Thank you Rhoda!

    I’ll have to be sure and thank my mother. She’s not a designer, but always taught me to group things in 3’s and 5’s AND to hang my artwork lower than I would think. Good job mom!

    Reply
  15. Cathy says

    March 12, 2009 at 9:48 am

    I love them all!! Thank you for sharing all of these beautiful rooms.

    {{Hugs}}

    Cathy

    Reply
  16. Lizzie says

    March 12, 2009 at 10:28 am

    Such lovely pictures- I loved the coastal rooms the best. So serene!

    Reply
  17. The Nester says

    March 12, 2009 at 10:39 am

    Fantastic post, Rhoda!

    Reply
  18. Laura Ingalls Gunn says

    March 12, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Yes, YES! Times 5.

    Reply
  19. Tommie Jo~TJs Sweet Home says

    March 12, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    We are on the lookout for a great drapery person at this very moment! Great tips!

    Reply
  20. Desiree says

    March 12, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Great post Rhoda, I’m still on the lookout for a sea grass/sisal rug with a black border to change the texture of my LR for the spring/summer. Loved the photos you shared.
    Desiree

    Reply
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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