As an interior designer, I regularly get asked the following questions so thought I’d take a moment to answer these questions to hopefully assist you with decorating your home. Please read on to learn about my Interior Design formulas for your home.
What height should I have my electrician hang my pendant light(s) in my Kitchen?
You want your pendant height to be a part of the overall kitchen design not isolated and up high close to the ceiling.
We recommend that the measurement from the bottom of your pendant light to the top of the bench be 750mm to 800mm this allows for it to still be part of your design but also allows visual clearance so that the pendant isn’t hitting the top of your head whilst you are cooking.
What height should I hang my art?
The best height to hang your art is at eye level for when you are both seated and standing as it’s in both these positions that we view art. We find centering the art at 1450mm from the floor to the middle of the art works best. This is also the height that art galleries use (or so I’m told). We’d also recommend always having your art hung by a professional art installer.
Where do I hang my curtains?
We suggest that you hang your curtains as close up to the ceiling as possible and also extend them a good 300-500mm past your window this will allow for the curtains to stack off the window opening when you open the curtains allowing plenty of light into your room and having the curtains hanging up near the ceiling will draw the eye up and make the ceilings appear higher then they are. This is also subjective of course to the window but is a good starting guide.
What lighting do I choose, cool or warm?
Always choose warm lighting for your home. Cool-toned lighting is used in commercial settings, we want to relax at home so warm lighting is best for achieving this.
What colour do I paint my trim?
You can paint your trims either the same colour as your walls in a gloss which will make them appear slightly darker or you can paint them in a white if you were wanting them to feature.
What size rug do I order?
We recommend that you always go with a generous size rug. For a sitting area choose a rug size that allows the front legs of your lounge suites and chairs to sit on the rug. For a dining room, choose a rug that allows for the dining chairs to sit completely on the rug when the chairs are out from the table. This means that when the users sit down and then pull themselves closer into the table while they are seated the chair legs won’t catch on the rug.
What size dining table do I buy?
The main consideration is to allow plenty of space for access. As long as you do this, usually around 500mm min from the table you will be fine.
Should I buy matching furniture?
It depends. Generally, we’d recommend buying different pieces that all coordinate together nicely. You don’t want your home to look like it’s come straight out of a store catalogue instead take the time to collate a look that is unique to you and your family and has meaning too.
Why do I need lamps?
Lamps add mood lighting. They play with shadow and light different parts of your room, creating a lovely relaxed ambience at night meaning you can turn off overhead harsh lighting.
Should I paint a feature wall?
Depends. Feature walls come and go from a fashion point of view. If you do decide to do a feature wall we’d recommend that it be a tint or shade of your other walls. Two-toned wallpaper is a nice way to do a feature wall because you can choose a wallpaper that picks up your existing wall colour and introduces a new colour with the second tone.
We hope these Interior Design formulas for your home, help with your decorating. Obviously, these are generic answers and sometimes won’t suit your specific room’s needs. If you would like to book an interior consult to get specific answers for your design questions please contact us. We’d love to assist you.
Happy Decorating,
Prue
P.S. Have you accessed our Style Guide yet? It’s free. It’s a PDF that will help you learn more about how we can ease the overwhelm with your home interior designing. Get it here: http://eepurl.com/cEqrHL