Four important interior styling numbers you need to know for your home. No math required with these tips!
Numbers have never been my passion. However, there are some crucial numbers when it comes to styling your home.
I’m not talking about calculating how many joists you will need or how deep your foundation needs to be. I’m talking about a few simple rules to help with the flow of your space.
While I don’t like to say there are hard rules when it comes to interior decorating, I stand firmly behind this math. These interior styling tips add up to a cohesive and functional home.
Little changes to how you hang your curtains or arrange your furniture can have big effects on your space.
The Math of Interior Styling:
1. Don’t hang your curtains immediately over the window
High and wide is the rule of thumb. Yes, I have seen Tan France and Amber Lewis do some spicy things with curtains, but 90% of the time you want your curtains to be high and wide.
You will often hear designers talking in terms of how far above the window your curtain should be; when I hang curtains I like to drop them 3 or 4 inches below the ceiling.
I keep this consistent rule throughout the entire home.
You can choose between a hover, break puddle, or a full French style pool, but your curtains need to at the very least kiss the floor.
I came across the most thorough How To Hang Curtains guide and video if you want a step-by-step guide over at Post Pennies.
2. Don’t put your art too high
The generate rule is around 60 inches from the ground to the midpoint of your art. There is some discretion here depending on ceiling heights or if you are creating a gallery wall, but you want art to sit around eye level for an average height person.
If the art is displayed above a furniture piece, you want to use the furniture as a guide and bring the art to sit about 8 inches above the furniture.
I’m flexible when it comes to seating because I don’t want there to be any scenarios where my taller guests are bumping their heads on paintings.
3. Don’t push your furniture up against the walls
I know this is tempting, especially in small spaces, but floating your furniture off the walls actually gives an illusion of depth.
Keep that couch at least one foot away from the wall.
Pieces like console tables and chairs can be closer, but should still have a few inches of breathing room.
There needs to be at minimum three feet of space for people to move around furniture. You could have the nicest furniture in the entire world, but cramming too much of it into a small space is going to make your home feel like you’re living in a fully loaded moving truck.
Anchoring furniture for safety reasons should always be a priority of course and there is no reason why large items like china cabinets can’t be snug against a wall and bolted down.
4. Get those legs on a rug
Two is the minimum number of couch legs that should be on your area rug. Better yet, get all four on there.
It will always be worth it to invest into an area rug that is large enough for your space. A small area rug is going to drift in the middle of your space and make the scale feel awkward.
A large rug ties together the living area and creates separation in open concept homes.
Sum It Up
Small changes in how you hang your curtains and artwork, or position your furniture and rugs can make a big impact on the cohesiveness of your house.
I love this photo from Alice Lane Interiors. Can you spot all four of the interior styling tips in this design?
Did any of these interior styling tips come as a surprise to you? What little tweaks did you make after reading this article? Let us know in the comments below!
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