Interior Design Advice: Beware of one size fits all suggestions

Interior design (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not all interior design advice is good advice. We as homeowners
sometimes are taken through a lot of hoops with regards to trends and
what is the latest design rage. Often though we find out through
considerable cost and trial and error that all those wonderful ideas
don't always work for the average home or homeowner. While it is the
responsibility of Interior decorators and designers to help expand and
educate homeowners in the world of interior design and décor, many in
the media seem to be eager to showcase their vision, with no side notes
to the viewer/homeowner that their ideas may not work for every space.
Here are a few examples of not-so-great advice from Interior designers.


On the Diagonal Furniture Placement- For a long long time designers
were advising homeowners to rearrange their space. Placing furniture and
area rugs on the diagonal was supposed to open up spaces, and redirect
focal points. Interior Designers were seen doing this in countless
magazines and home improvement shows.

What most designers failed to mention that this is not always a good idea and that homeowners would
have to indeed have more than enough space in the room to accommodate
such an arrangement.
Furniture placed on the diagonal can only be
effective when there is more than enough open floor space to make it
easy for those entering the room to navigate around large pieces of
furniture. If your home is not already open concept, or is a traditional
rectangular shape this design will come off looking haphazard and
impractical.
Better Advice: Balance is far more important than trendy
furniture placement. If the diagonal seems to throw your room off
balance it will be due to the fact the room naturally isn't large enough
or laid out in the best way. A room that is properly balanced with a
smooth flow for traffic and visual impression is a room successfully
designed.



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