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Entire
books have been written on the subject of design principles,
but knowing just a few will make you feel more comfortable
when making decisions for your home.
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If
you are decorating a small room, keep in mind that light
colors on walls and ceilings, as well as wallcoverings
featuring small patterns on light colors set against light-colored
backgrounds, will make a room appear larger than it really
is. A light-colored carpet or bleached wood floor, and
pale-colored lightweight window coverings further enhance
the sense of spaciousness. Reflective surfaces, such as
lacquered furniture and mirrors also expand the apparent
size of a small room. Paring down to a minimum of furniture
and accessory pieces opens up a room, while low small-scale
furniture creates a light open effect. |
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Large
rooms, on the contrary, can be cozied up and reduced in
perceived size if they are decorated in rich intense colors,
using wallcoverings and window treatments with large patterns
featuring warm colors. Rough textures on carpets and upholstery
and large-scale furniture items in darker colors will
fill empty cold spaces. |
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If
ceilings are too high or too low, they can easily be brought
into line: dark colors, such as deep blue or brown, used
on a high ceiling will "lower" it. Similarly, light colors
(or white) will "raise" a low ceiling. |
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Color
is the key to "squaring up" long narrow rooms: Simply decorate
the short end walls in a dark warm color to bring them forward
visually and decorate the long side walls in a light color,
so that they will recede and seem farther apart.
When
arranging furniture in any sized room, be sure to take traffic-flow
patterns into account. You don't want to be bumping into a
chair every time you pass through a room to get to the next
one. Anchor the furniture arrangement with one large-scale
piece, such as a sofa or armoire and, for balance, add other
pieces with less weight and size. Be sure that the eye has
interesting things to focus on, both high and low in the room:
you need a variety of heights. Choose a focal point around
which the furniture will be grouped, e.g., a fireplace, attractive
built-ins for a television or sound system, or a view out
a window.
Finally,
be sure to provide appropriate lighting. Rooms benefit from
three types of lighting: general (overall ambient lighting);
task (light directed onto small areas for such activities
as reading or writing); and accent (to highlight desirable
areas or create a mood) from wall-mounted sconces; for instance.
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