On decorating - some handy numbers

In this month's issue of House Beautiful, they featured a column of the top 10 tips of key numbers in decorating. Each one was contributed by some of the premier interior designers.  Since I knew I would be clipping this article and storing it in my notebook, I thought I would share it in my blog for all of you to have as well.

Here they go:

1. A 36 inch-wide rectangular table is perfect for conversation.  A round table with a diameter of 48 inches seats six; a 60-inch round will handle eight standard dining chairs or 10 ballroom chairs.  - Charlotte Moss

Our top is a 58-inch round and works perfectly for 6 (and we've squeezed in 9, yes our close friends, with more narrow chairs.)  I also built a-72 inch topper that folds up for storage to accommodate 10 (and up to 13!)

2. How big should an overhead light fixture be? Just add the length and width of the room in feet, and whatever number you come up with is, in inches, your guide for the fixture's diameter.  So a 15 by 20 foot room would need a 35-inch wide chandelier. - Bunny Williams

We just replaced a chandelier in my parent's house and these measurements were right on.  One exception I have seen is when an oversized chandelier is deliberately used as impact or wow factor.  Never, ever go smaller - think of a large body and a small head.



3. One gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet of wall.  - Alexa Hampton


4. Mount curtains as high as possible to give the room more height, and let them break 1.5 inches on the floor.  - Miles Redd

I did this in our bedroom.  Initially, we used the hardware location that was left by the previous owners.  While it may seem odd to move the hardware "off the window frame", it gave the room a more spacious and balanced feel.










5. A kitchen island should be about 38-inches high - a little taller than the countertops - to be comfortable for prep. - Thomas O'Brien


6. Curtains should be 2.5 to 3 times the width of the window.  If you are doing 2 panels, each should be 1.25 to 1.5 times the window width.  Buy a rod that's 20 inches wider than your window so it extends 10 inches on either side.  Your window will seem much wider than it really is. - Libby Langdon

I think this trick works if you have a window size disproportional (small) to the size of the room/wall.  In our bedroom space above, we had dormers and sconces so there was no need to add "heft" to the windows. 




7. The bottom of the dining room chandelier should hang 38 inches above the table. - Thom Filicia

This is an "ideal".  In my parent's house, we had to cheat this measurement down a little since we had a somewhat low ceiling.  38 inches up from table would have crowded this fixture up into the ceiling.  Maybe this means a different fixture might have worked better?  Perhaps. But, we loved it too much!!









8. Install light switches 36 inches above the floor and 1.5 to 2 inches to the side of the door trim. - Gil Schafer

In our Chicago place, we broke this rule too.  We had thick door frames/trim in between the formal living/dining/study areas.  We chose to locate the switches inside one of the frames.  They basically became invisible (white switches on white trim, just behind the floor lamp in photo).  It also cleaned up the inside wall so that nothing competed with the featured artwork.






9. For a standard 84-inch sofa with exposed legs and a tight back, you'll need 14 yards of plain 54-inch wide fabric.  Add 2 yards for a skirt. - Madeline Stuart


10. From classical times to today, the golden ratio has always been the perfect proportion: 1 to 1.62.
- Eric Cohler


Hope these help you out someday.  I know I'll keep them handy.

Till the next time...