Home / Decorating
Decorating is my favourite part of a house, mostly because it is the part you can change on a Saturday without calling anyone in. In this section I write about the decisions that make a room feel finished: where the curtains should actually hang, which rug size stops a sofa looking like it is floating, how to arrange a small living room six different ways, and how to mix patterns without the whole thing turning busy. Nothing here needs a designer or a big budget. Most of these posts came out of my own rooms, measured with a tape, photographed as they are, and written up with the numbers included, so you can copy what works and skip what does not. If you are starting from an empty room, begin with the layouts post. Furniture placement first, pretty things second. It saves so much money.
One small room, six different ways to arrange it. I measured everything: sofa sizes, the walkway space you actually need, and where the rug should stop.
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Most curtains hang too low and too narrow, and the window pays for it. The exact heights, widths and rod positions I use, with the maths done for you.
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A rug that is one size too small makes the whole room look apologetic. Room by room layouts showing which legs go on, which stay off, and why.
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Foam, fabric and a staple gun. This headboard goes together in an afternoon, hangs on two hooks, and makes a plain bed look like you meant it.
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Open shelves collect clutter by nature. The grouping, spacing and empty space rules that keep mine looking styled instead of like storage with good PR.
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Stripes with florals, checks with both. Pattern mixing works when the scale changes and the colours repeat, and this post shows the formula on real cushions.
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