Biggest Decorating Mistakes according to House Beautiful

I, along with probably millions of others, saw this headline on MSN yesterday.
MSN is my homepage.  Why?  It always was back when I used hotmail email... but it has remained because shamefully some days that it my only source of "news"
I like getting the headlines when I first get online.  My husband has tried to get me to switch to google's homepage (you can customize it blah blah blah) but I have remained faithful to MSN.
And yesterday I got decorating tips! awesome

I don't particularly agree with this list... I do agree that they are mistakes, but the biggest? nah?

1.  Overzealous decorative painting.
I remember in high school/early in college wanting to paint EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.  Anything wood in my room was painted... and not like solid colors...  flowers and stripes and polka dots. and. I'll admit it. pastels. yea...
I like painted furniture, in moderation, mostly because all my furniture is OLD (not vintagey cool old either) or thrift store bought. therefore.. it needs a nice paint job. 

2. Overhead lighting.
 yes.  I agree, unless it is on a dimmer or a super cool light fixture, in which case it is usually accompanied by a lamp or something, balancing out the lighting.

3. Candles Clustered Together.

 hmm biggest decorating mistake? nol. there is far worse... and who cares about the candles??

4. Furniture Pushed Up Against the Walls.
yes!  they got this one right! 


5. Out-of-Proportion Lamps.
another hm in my book.  I think scale is very important... but unless this is a showroom or the white house... give people a break on their lamps.

6. Karate-Chopped Pillows.
meaning - way over though pillow arrangement and you hit it on the top making a dent in the middle.  unnecessary and one of the least of my concerns in home decorating.

7. A Single Light Source.


couldn't this have been covered in the over head lighting category? 



So there you have it.  A decorating mistake list from House Beautiful via MSN.
Do you agree with this list?  Are most of these things even on your radar of concern? 

Over / Not Over

Are you sitting down??

I have a confession.

I. Kelsey Coghill. am feeling OVER. pinterest.

ugh. I'm sorry.  I just feel so over-exposed to so many trends/themes/ideas that I begin to hate them.
and I feel as if none of us are ever going to have an original thought ever again. myself included.

don't get me wrong. it is most definitely an open tab right now on my browser.  I go there probably twice daily.

But it got me thinking about what things I am over and what I"m not over yet.
and where will these images come from?? pinterest duh. built in source citing.

OVER:

1. Keep calm & whatever

Source: etsy.com via Katherine on Pinterest

I never liked  this actually.  I think it was the crown.  I've never been a princess-y girl.  But this has been done so so many times and so many different ways with so many ridiculous phrases.

2. owls

Source: piccsy.com via Fay on Pinterest

I never liked the owl craze, I do think these owls are cute, but when they are every where... it ruins it for me.

3.  mustaches
 

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Ryan on Pinterest

I just plain never understood this. and don't like it.


OVER : but wish that I wasn't but someone else ruined it for me.

1. Chevron Stripes

Source: labellabungalowblog.com via JoJo on Pinterest

and the faux animal heads (or real) thanks Candice Olson for that one. I normally would really like chevron stripes, but like everyone in the world has them in their home and it cheapens it for me.

2.  Sunburst mirrors

Source: hgtv.com via Allison on Pinterest

Isn't this pretty?  I do think it's pretty, but everyone and their brother has one!  I missed out on this one being out of the country.... maybe I'll find one at the goodwill after everyone has gotten rid of theirs and proudly hang it up :)

3. Silhouettes

Source: alifemorefabulous.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

and by silhouettes I mean stuff like this. dogs. I like silhouettes of actual children or what not.


Not Over Yet :

1. Birds

Source: etsy.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I'll probably never be over birds because I liked them way way before it was trendy. honest.  But you probably won't catch me painting them on my wall anytime soon.

2. Maps and globes

Source: tumblr.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: thestir.cafemom.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

this one is lasting for me. I love maps and globes and travel and the world. period.

3. Gallery Walls

Source: tomkatstudio.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

the more the merrier!!

4.  Painted floors

Source: designspongeonline.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

I have always loved and dreamed of having a floor just like this ever since my older sister painted the stairs in our old house. someday...

 5.  Letters and Ampersands

Source: thisnext.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Ali on Pinterest

so maybe I am over all the writing and letters directly on the walls (vinyl letters) but I am in no way over wood or metal letters. especially ampersands. &&&&& love them.


So there you have it.... my personal opinions.
If you have a house full of owls and chevron strips floor to ceiling I will not judge you. promise.  As long as you don't judge me for having every available walls space filled with frames and birds ;)

What do you think?? Anything you can't stand anymore and/or would never put in your house??

linking up with: Crafty Confesions , take a look Tuesday at Sugar Bee, Running with Glitter, New Nostalgia,
and Home Stories A-Z.  

Thursday's Tip

one of the biggest decorating mistakes is that people don't know where to hang art work.
the majority of the time it is hung way too high.

a good rule that I heard once is to hold the picture, mirror, clock, whatever, at eye level and then move down 3-4 inches from what you think is eye level.

some people will try to put an exact measurement on it, but that doesn't make much sense to me because people's heights vary and ceilings heights can be very different.

In galleries and museums they usually aim for around 58-60 inches (from the floor) to the center of the picture. 
But what if you're 5ft tall and live in a basement apartment with 7ft ceilings?? yea, go lower.

What is important is that it relates well to the room and furniture surrounding it.

You don't want to have your art hung way above your couch, bed, or sideboard, and yet you don't really want it touching.... well maybe a sideboard or table.  I do love leaning art. but never mind that for now.
A good rule of thumb is to hang things 3-4 inches above the sofa or bed, so they relate to each other and look cohesive.

A few examples:

obviously this isn't a great room.. but the picture over the couch is way too high and too small

 almost there, but still too high, and possibly not centered. which is fine if  that's what you're going for... but if it's just slightly off, it becomes a distraction.

 this could be really nice, but again toooooo high, and too small for the scale of this buffet.

these may look obvious, but I know so many people with what could be great spaces, but have pictures just floating around on the walls.

here are a few that got it right, in more ways than one

 you know I love a good map. not so much cats. well not the cat, the fur.

Source: thedecorista.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: alifemorefabulous.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

but like everything else in life and the English language
there is always, always an exception to the rule!!
maybe I'll do post soon about breaking the rules with your wall art :)