As a kid, I heard the refrain “you’d make a great lawyer” more times than I could count. At 11, I internalized it as a compliment. At 33, I realize that “lawyer” may have been a stand-in for “annoying” or “exacting” or “pedantic.” (To be clear, it was absolutely a stand-in for those terms.) NO MATTER. Today, I am finally taking my rightful place – well-earned through years of curiosity and debate – as the prosecuting attorney in our inaugural session of DESIGN COURT. The defendant? Curved sofas. The charge? Entrapment! Court is now in session – let’s proceed to opening arguments.

Opening Arguments

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Hello. My name is Caitlin, I have been writing about design for nearly 6 years (!!!), and I was still tricked by a curved sofa. My vintage leather Kagan lured me in with beautiful lines, its sensual shape, and its freshly reupholstered cognac leather. It whispered vows of simultaneous formality and ease, of design meeting function, and of chic cocktail lounging. And then, it left me stranded in an ergonomic purgatory.

Curved sofas make false promises of elegance and comfort. Sure, they look luxurious, but they underperform on all core functions: seating capacity, lounging, flexibility, and day-to-day livability.

Now normally, this is where the defense would make their opening arguments. But this is my post and not an actual court of law (it turns out that Design Court doesn’t, in fact, stand up to “real” legal scrutiny), so I’m making the rules here. We need to regulate this rapidly growing trend before it infiltrates the comfortable living rooms, family rooms, dens, basements, and homes en masse.

The Prosecution

Is it “fair” or “legal” that in this case, the prosecution (me) will also be serving as judge, jury, and executioner? By traditional American standards, no. (By recent American standards…maybe?) But again – this is Design Court. Let me break down my entrapment case…

Deception in the First Degree: Curved sofas misrepresent their comfort, functionality, and usability through professionally-styled magazine shots, Instagram videos, and showroom vignettes. The reality? A curved sofa is just a sitting sofa – if you enjoy traditional activities like “stretching out” or “not becoming intimately acquainted with your friend’s knees,” the curved sofa will cause you to develop some sort of stress-induced eye-twitch.

Conspiracy to Reduce Seating Capacity: My sofa was, theoretically, long enough to fit 4 people. But comfortably? It sat 2. I could push it with 3 or 4 under certain circumstances – I don’t mind rubbing legs with my friends, albeit not being my preference – but what if you just got a sofa that didn’t require you to sit squished against your loved one’s thigh meat?

Accessory to Inefficiency: My curved sofa – while beautiful and show-stopping – took up an inordinate amount of space. (So much space, in fact, that I’ve since swapped it with this massive sectional.) I’ll concede that I loved how it looked floating in the living room, but I’ll also concede that I could never quite crack making the most of the space behind it. (I mean – there aren’t a ton of curved sofa tables out there, you know?)

Obstruction of Napping: With no corners and no portion long enough for a biiiiiig stretch (you know the kind – that about-to-wake-up, arms overhead, full body reach), the curved sofa can actively prevent casual rest. Are there workarounds? Sure – and we’ll get to a few of them when the defense makes their case. (I will also be filling the defense role, because Design Court has gone the way of the court in Air Bud. There are no rules anymore.) ANYWAY, you shouldn’t have to hack your own furniture to take a nap.

Domestic Endangerment: Let this be my lesson to you: a curved sofa in leather is to be avoided at ALL COSTS. I don’t care how pretty it looks; I don’t care how much you paid for it; I don’t care if it’s the finishing piece for your dream home. An armless curved sofa – in leather, no less – is the kiss of death for any belongings. Say goodbye to your throw pillows, your remotes, or even your pets – they’ll be sliding right off your sofa, thanks to poor angling and awkward geometry. Are there more workarounds here? Yeah (and I found them, for what it’s worth), but again: why go through the hassle when you can invest in a sofa that won’t trick you?

The Defense

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Alright, alright – let’s be fair. (I mean, I am a Libra, which does uniquely qualify me to make some counter arguments here.) The curved sofa isn’t guilty of malicious design – it’s guilty of needing the right environment to thrive, just like fancy olive oil or a rescued greyhound. It requires thoughtful placement, not punishment.

Aesthetic Supremacy: A curved sofa will instantly elevate a space. It brings an architectural presence without the need for actual architectural changes. It comes off as bespoke, high-end, and editorial in a way that most linear sofas just…don’t. (Prosecution note: this is what hooked me, for the record. I didn’t even think about the function – I just thought it was beautiful.) It breaks up the boxiness of living rooms, most of which are a grid of rectangles. Curves bring both softness and tension – they’re a great (and deliberate) visual foil to angular floors, walls, and art.

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Great…in the Right Room: Curved sofas aren’t for every room, and that’s okay. Not all sofas are meant to hug walls or to binge watch Severance. In large rooms, open floor plans, or statement sitting rooms, they work beautifully. And they create a sense of intimacy by encouraging a rounder conversation arc – it’s an easy way to create a zone in a larger living room.

Styling Advantages: Let’s be real: there is no bad angle. You can photograph a curved sofa from any direction; it’s beautiful anytime you catch a glance. And as rounded forms, arches, and biomorphic shapes continue to seep into contemporary design, curved sofas are a natural extension – they’re part of a larger design language that’s coming into fashion.

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When Done Right, They Work: Designers do use these for a reason. Nate Berkus, Jake Arnold, Athena Calderone – all have used curved sofas in spaces that both function and photograph beautifully. Are they styling unicorns? No – they’re proof that in the right home, curves make sense. (Prosecution note: They also are kind of unicorns, if we’re being honest.)

It’s Not for Regular Life: The curved sofa was never trying to be your weeknight crash pad. It wasn’t designed to fit four people and a pet. It’s a statement piece; a mood setter; a room-changer. If it’s being misused, that’s not a crime of the sofa – it’s the fault of the buyer. This case should be thrown out of Design Court!!!

Closing Arguments

Look: I knew what I was getting. I wasn’t expecting a La-Z-Boy. But the curve oversold the fantasy and underdelivered on literally everything else. I had to buy special pillows that wouldn’t fall off; I had to create new napping positions; Dennis and I spent night after night, sitting straight up, unable to find an angle apt for lounging. The sofa felt like a Danish fertility clinic – it was beautifully-designed (stunning, even!)…and weirdly hostile. They’re conditional. They’re fussy. They’re unforgiving. They’re layout dependent. That’s not good design – it’s maintenance drama. (This isn’t part of the case, but I’d also like to anecdotally add that every single one of my male friends called this my “hot dog sofa,” which is specific but could happen to you, too. Do you want to be the house with the hot dog sofa?)

But I’ll be fair – every single one of those friends found the sofa itself sublimely comfortable as a seating option. And in a lot of ways, it helped me build better habits – it made it easier to not waste a day rotting on the couch; it made me engaged with whatever I’m watching; it fostered some wonderful and close conversations. (Even 6′ tall Dennis found a way to nap comfortably on it and was disappointed to see it go! But even he’ll admit that he far prefers our sectional to our curved sofa.)

The Verdict & Sentencing

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The curved sofa promises sinuous lines, ease of use, and comfortable seating. It fails at 2 out of 3 in 90% of real homes. This isn’t a misunderstood object – it’s a marketing lie. (Albeit a beautiful one. Hats off, marketers.) But if a sofa only works in perfect situations, it’s not a piece of furniture – it’s just a prop. You deserve pieces you can live on, not just sit on! Most of us have to contend with outlets and weird doors and radiators and general home quirk – we don’t need to add another factor into the mix.

And now: the moment you’ve been waiting for. In the case of the curved sofa, we find the defendant guilty on one count of entrapment. The sentence? House arrest. (It’ll end up in a New York brownstone. That’s how these things go, isn’t it? Don’t feel too bad for the curves. They’ll be fine.)

The prosecution, defense, judge, jury will now rest. I don’t even know what is happening at this point – this metaphor has really gotten away from me. All of this to say: DON’T BUY A CURVED SOFA. Don’t fall for the trend hype. Let me de-influence you! You will fall so in love and you will have your heart so broken. I wish I had enough room to keep mine – it’s still the most beautiful piece of furniture I’ve ever owned, and if it’d fit in my dining room, I’d have used it as a banquette in a heartbeat – but man, nothing beats a sectional with enough room for two sprawled, grown adults.

5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians built elevated platforms and wove the world’s first daybeds and couches from wood and reeds. Since that time, we have amassed 5 solid millennia of evidence to prove that the straight-line sofa is, in fact, the superior shape for livability. And I had the audacity to think I knew better! Never again. CASE CLOSED.

Opening Image Credits: Design by Caitlin Higgins | Styled by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp |From: Caitlin’s Living Room Reveal

When you are designing a home or heck, even just a single room, there are so many things to think about at once. You’ve got materials, pattern mixing, scale, function, cohesiveness, budget, etc all coming at you. And look, it’s not a bad problem to have but that doesn’t mean it can’t be overwhelming. So after Emily sent me her answers to an interview a magazine requested about headboards, it got me thinking about those little design things we forget to consider. I’ll tell you what it specifically was in a second. After that, I decided to ask the team what some other common things people don’t know or forget to think about when designing a space, or even just buying a new piece of furniture. These were five of our favorites…

1. Beware Of Light Fabric Headboards

This was the one from the interview. The editor asked Em if there were any things to think about when purchasing a bed with an upholstered headboard. The one that stood out to me the most was to potentially avoid choosing light fabric, especially in linens and cotton. Why? Well, the oils from our heads over time can get on the headboard and it can look pretty gross. I guess I had never thought of this for two reasons. A. I’ve never owned an upholstered headboard (something I hadn’t realized until writing this post) and B. My head almost never has spent time touching my previous headboards (to be fair I’m fairly short and sleep on the bottom 3″ of my floppy down pillow like a little weirdo). Emily (and Arlyn about their old bed) both said that their husband’s sides were way worse than theirs… Emily was referencing the mountain house bed. Something to think about!

This is also pretty funny timing because I am in the process of choosing a light fabric headboard but I’m not worried since my head will rarely be touching it as previously stated. But if you are looking for an upholstered headboard and know that you and/or your partner’s head will be making a fair amount of headboard contact, maybe consider a darker-toned fabric.

2. Got Dogs? Don’t Get A Loose Back Cushion Sofa

Em’s pups are maybe the cutest and sweetest dogs in all the land but boy do they just love to perch ON TOP of the back pillow cushions of their living room sofas like they are watching over everyone. As cute as it is, it does really mess up the shape of those cushions. And sure, Emily and Brian could have, and potentially still could, train them not to go up on the sofa cushions but of course that is going to take a good amount of training and is currently not a priority for them. But if you want to get AHEAD of this, consider a tight-back sofa with some cozy throw pillows. Problem avoided:)

3. Dark Flooring And Dark Rugs Don’t Hide Dirt Better

When I asked this question, Em quickly stated that dark floors and dark rugs DO NOT hide dust and dirt better than lighter floors and rugs. For some, this might be a “yes, we know that” but for others, this might be more of a head-scratcher. Again, when you’re making a ton of design decisions all at once, you might just think something like dark floors hide the diry better, DONE! Check it off of the list. Well, sadly that’s not the case. We recommend going light to medium with flooring and making sure your rugs have a lot of color variation in the threading. Even if it’s a solid color! Also, if you have pets you should also consider their hair color. Outside of the dark blue family room, the Henderson pups are good to go in most of the farmhouse with their white/blonde locks and do not leave too much visible evidence. I myself have dark wood floors and am constantly vacuuming because you can see everything (and I don’t have pets or kids!). Any future home of mine will have lighter floors despite how pretty the ones I have now are.

4. Deep Sofas Should Require An Extra Piece Of Furniture

There’s nothing like cozying up on a big comfy sofa with a hot tea or a glass of wine. Heaven, right?! But then when you want to set your drink down, the coffee table is a million miles away! And thus the battle of deciding to move from your comfy location to set your drink down (to then have to move to pick it up again) or hold it until you are all done begins. What is the solution? Sorry, it’s another piece of furniture. But boy will it be worth it. But say your deep sofa or sectional is up against a wall, no problem. Just scooch it a little forward and slide a slender sofa table behind it. Honestly, your sofa will look better if it isn’t flush against the wall so it’s a win-win! Emily chose those awesome bookcases that fit perfectly but you could also fairly easily with some standard power tools build a DIY simple skinny wood console (especially if it’s between your wall and sofa where most people won’t even see it:))

5. Triple Check Your Dining Chairs With Arms Will Fit Under Your Dining Table

This was another one from Emily because she has made this mistake more than once. Oops! Make sure that if you have dining chairs with arms they will fit under your dining table. I can almost hear the symphony of “Duuuuuuhs” as I type this but you’d be surprised how often the dimensions on a site do not include the tabletop width, just the overall height. That means you may think, given the height, that your armed dining chairs will easily slide under your table but then it arrives, and no such luck. Measure twice, confirm with the retailer, and buy once:)

Short and sweet! Hope these are helpful and as always if you have any cautionary reno or decorating tips drop them in the comments.

Love you, mean it.

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House Primary Dedroom

Art hung the wrong way on a wall is like a character in a movie wearing a really bad wig. It’s just kinda hard NOT to see it, and you wish so bad you could just rip it off, knowing that everything would be so much better without it. It doesn’t ruin your experience, but it’s just terribly distracting.

Whenever I walk into a persons home, whom I don’t know too well, they always ask me, nervously, “Do you instantly start analyzing the design and pick it apart?” I typically say some sort of generic, “Oh no! I just shut it off – when I’m not at work I’m not at work!” The truth is, yeah, I totally do. It’s like a chef noticing how food tastes at a neighborhood bbq, or a fashion designer noticing a good dress on a stranger. You just do it whether you want to or not. Do I stare and judge and care? Not at all. But I am aware and often I see the same easy mistakes over and over and over again. So often that I’m just dying to give unsolicited advise to fix them – which is why we started this series.

Besides, The Generic Sofa Roundup | Rugs That Are Too Small | Painting A Small, Dark Room White | Bad Wood Finishes | How To Hang Curtains | Generic Art | Not Having A Plan | Who Pays For Design Mistakes | My Biggest Design Mistakes -And What You Can Learn From Them | When to Hire vs. DIY, I Too Much Furniture In One Room | Different Walls, Same Art Configurations I constantly notice art hung all wrong – mostly too high and too small.

Growing up our art was always crazy high – it always took up the top 1/4 of the wall and you practically had to crane your neck to see it. This trend is still happening. Here are some general tips:

1. Yes, it should be “eye level”, but not if your ceilings are really low (typical is 8 – 9 feet) and not if you are really tall. If the wall were cut up vertically into four sections (going from bottom to top) then think of the art being in the third quadrant (counting from the floor).

2. If it’s a collection of art then you need to treat the whole collection as one piece, and start and stop it where it makes the most sense, as if it were one.

3. Engage as much of the wall as possible and orient the collection in the shape of the wall. The last thing you want is your art to look itty bitty on a big wall. It doesn’t look intentional and isn’t making your art look its best.

It hurts my soul to see these things. I mean, the room on the right doesn’t really have a chance, but the room on the left (above) could be fine/cute if they just moved that whole collection down 6″. Although they are suffering from the “rug too small” disease as well. If you need a formula for hanging a great gallery wall head here.

Speaking of too small, the second thing that I notice constantly is art that is just too small for the space.

Both of these are cute photos with good art and sometimes intentionally choosing a small piece of art can look dope. However, the rule of thumb is that the space that the art is trying to fill is just way bigger than the pieces can handle. Generally the piece of art or the collection should be in the same shape and orientation of the wall that it is trying to fill. I get it, big art can be expensive, but you have more options these days – check out my epic online art roundup post here.

You know these people. Now let’s save them from themselves.

While the situation is rather nuanced we tried to come up with some general rules for how high or how big the art should be. Remember, if your walls are really tall then you can go higher and if your piece of furniture is really low then consider going lower to help engage that whole space. But generally try to fill as much space on the wall as you can, allowing for a space around the pieces so they aren’t crammed towards the furniture, wall, or moulding. 

I like art to be around 8″ above a piece of furniture, give or take. I’ve done it closer (like in Orlando’s place below/right), and that one did always look a bit crammed to me. You don’t want it to hit your head if you’re sitting in front of it so typically 6″ – 10″ gives you enough clearance to do that.

Everyone’s “eye level” is different because we are all different heights, so that rule doesn’t really apply too much anymore. I’m sure that galleries have a rule about the middle of the piece being at eye level or something and often that does work, but if there is no piece of furniture below it then it might need to come down. Don’t be afraid of going lower. Consider the space you need to fill (from above a credenza to the ceiling) then place it 6″ – 8″ above the piece of furniture (if it’s big enough) and see how it looks. The artwork and the piece of furniture should relate to each other and live near enough to each other that they collectively engage the whole wall together as a unit. Often, if there is a huge gap in between it will look disjointed.

I think these two photos above (mine on the left with it prohibited by the sconce and Orlando’s on the right) could have their collection or that piece of art start a bit higher, but scale-wise its awesome.

Slightly “too big” art is always better than too small. So if you have to choose, go bigger. It looks like you made a really cool choice instead of a size accident.

Here are a collection of spaces that I’ve styled with art – showing a variety of what works.

Photos Above: Living Room Update – AGAIN – Our New Sofa, My Dream Floral Chaise And The Pop Of Red I Always Wanted In My Life | Our Master Bedroom – Finally | Mid-Century Credenza | A Modern and Organic Dining Room Makeover | Cup of Joe’s Bedroom | Cup of Jo’s Living Room

To see some of my favorite projects where we incorporated art, check out these different spaces: Oh Joy’s Studio, Mid-Century Eclectic Artist, LA Bungalow Makeover, Oprah Weekend Makeover, and My Best Friend’s Basement to name a few. And if you are looking for good/affordable art check out my roundup of Best Online Art Resources.

I know it’s kind of a complicated situation (for instance, I put the big photo of the face at least 12″ above the piece, breaking my own rule). Here’s a good trick I do ALL THE TIME: Put up the piece of art then stand back and take a photo of it. Pretend it’s not your house and that you have no emotional connection to it. Look at that photo and ask yourself, “if I passed this picture in a magazine would I think that art is too low or high?”

This is a tricky one, so any questions?

Again, in case you want to know what else we think everyone is doing wrong check out these design mistakes: The Generic Sofa Roundup | Rugs That Are Too Small | Painting A Small, Dark Room White | Bad Wood Finishes | How To Hang Curtains | Generic Art | Not Having A Plan | Who Pays For Design Mistakes | My Biggest Design Mistakes -And What You Can Learn From Them | When to Hire vs. DIY | DESIGN MISTAKE: Too Much Furniture In One Room | DESIGN MISTAKE: Different Walls, Same Art Configurations

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Zeke Ruelas | From: Oh Joy’s Studio

This is a fun piece I wrote for Cup of Jo to promote my book before it came out. Naturally (and to no one’s surprise), I overwrote it. Ha. So this is the extended version with a bunch of beautiful photos from the book. Enjoy!

After years of documenting my design projects on the internet for the world to watch, criticize, and hopefully enjoy, in 2018 I found myself once again crying in the shower (as working moms do), extremely frustrated with the home renovation/remodeling process. I wished so badly that there was a book full of beautiful rooms and real life anecdotes to help educate and support me through this inevitably very stressful process. I was so sick of feeling dumb, being mansplained by my contractor, and doubting my every decision. I had so much of the information and had been writing about it for years on the blog, but I wanted it all (plus more) to be in ONE BOOK. I pitched the book the next day and four short (!!) years later it’s here now, in the world. While the world changed dramatically since that tearful shower day (2020 was like, “HA I’ll give you something to cry about”) the information in this book has become even more and more relevant as so many people, trapped indoors, wanted to make their homes a little bit better. The New Design Rules, is a guidebook through the renovation and decoration process, from my perspective, with my personal mistakes and anecdotes and filled with 330 pages of gorgeous photos from 28 different creative homes in every style. It’s full of everything from “kitchen design rules”, “bathroom makes to avoid”, “how high should you really hang art” to “how do you make a builder grade home have charm?” My goal was to help people learn the rules of design so they can creatively break them, thus making a choice, not a mistake. So that’s my pitch for the book and it’s not just for those of us privileged enough to be able to remodel – it’s for those who love to decorate, style, or DIY (or just stare at pretty photos like what you’ll see in this post). I hope you enjoy and more importantly learn something to help you in your next design project and shed less shower tears 🙂

Avoid “Builder Grade” Everything (Here’s How To Add Some Charm)

You are NOT alone if you live in a builder-grade house. Have hope that there are ways to add the charm that might be missing. This kitchen by Corre Marie (which I don’t think was builder-grade), shows great examples of what you could to do add charm with simple materials and some high-impact choices. The lines of it are simple – U-shaped shaker cabinetry with butcher block top, painted in a bold color that packs a huge punch (and is totally doable to do in an affordable way). The subway tile is affordable and classic but adds so much old-world character. The shelf brackets, pendants, and rug are design elements that are easy ways to swap out for more one-of-a-kind antique pieces like these. Heck, how she hung a painting and leaned that mirror on the tile creates so much interest. And interest = charm, even if it is added after the house is built.

Avoid The “Too Small Rug”

The “too small rug” is such a common mistake to make – you aren’t alone. But it’s very noticeable and can throw off the whole room. In this living room, Dee Murphy not only followed the rules (by having at least the front two legs of all the furniture on the rug) but she layered the vintage rug OVER a simpler sisal rug to ground the conversation area even more. Good move. We wrote more about living room rules here and I also did a super dated but still fun video about rug size here.

Don’t Chase Every Trend When It Comes To Permanent Finishes

You can absolutely still follow new stylish design ideas and bring them into your home, but it’s safest to do what Ben Mendansky did with the light fixtures here. Y’all, he ombre’d the yellow from light to dark. Yes, take risks! Just be really, really careful leaning hard into trends in your permanent finishes like tile, flooring, windows, or architectural details. If you feel nervous as I often do, then think about taking your risks in lighting, furniture, and decor (elements that don’t require demo and hiring out to change).

Don’t Have Too Much Furniture, Even If You Have The Space

It’s easy to clutter up a space (I used to have hoarding tendencies so I get it) but remember that there is something really lovely about negative space and having less. YES, you want enough furniture for a space to function and to seat everyone properly, but a room like Rosa Beltran‘s gorgeous den has enough with the sofa – and having less really showed off the other elements she DID have – i.e. that incredible floral pattern and that herringbone brick floor.

Don’t Strip Out Character In Vintage Homes

For those of us lucky enough to live in older, vintage homes, you might be tempted to start fresh if you are remodeling (and you might not have the gorgeous original paneling that Victoria Sass did – lucky lady). Maybe some elements feel really basic (like a white brick fireplace) or a little awkward (like unnecessary broom closets or niches). But think HARD about removing them. Like people, sometimes those awkward moments, age spots, and quirks are what you’ll come to love about your home because they are unique to YOU. And demo-ing something old and high quality just for the sake of “new” and “better” is hard on the planet, so really think about it before you do 🙂

Know Your Fixtures Before You Chose The Height Placement

Hopefully, you only have to learn this once (or if you read the book – avoid this and other mistakes altogether). If you are doing a larger remodel you might be redoing the electrical and plumbing, and the new plan for what is “inside the walls” happens early on in the process. You might think “two sconces there” and “a wall mount faucet here” is good enough, but the specifics of the fixture often will change the height and location. For instance, if Christa Martin had not wanted a vessel sink in the bathroom above, then her wall mount faucets would have been way too high for an under-mount sink, or if she had wanted sconces where the stems curved up 10 inches then that junction box would have had to move down (or the sconce changed). Even if you don’t have the exact specs, just know the style of the fixture to get as close as possible to avoid breaking through fresh drywall.

Don’t Hang Curtains Too High Off The Floor

High water curtains can make a room look a little silly, but most big box stores only stock certain length readymade curtains (84″ is almost ALWAYS too short, FYI). Always size up (90-96″ usually works for 8-9′ ceilings) so it hangs long enough to touch or almost touch the floor. You can hang the rod near the ceiling (or halfway between window and ceiling like in this case, not at the top of the window), but always try to get as close to the floor as you can. We have a fun graph and more photos in this post. Also, please note THERE IS A BUNNY ON THE BED!!!!!

Don’t Demo Your Room/Home Without A Plan

This is just a general warning that the remodeling process has a lot of moving parts and is full of delays that are out of your control. If you don’t have a team in place, a fairly solid plan, permits, and even materials ordered before you demo you might end up living in construction for much, much longer. Sometimes your contractor will have to do exploratory work to figure out what is load-bearing, etc, but before you make your home or room totally unlivable, have your players in place and a general plan. I’m in the middle of a renovation right now and trust me, your patience will be tried over and over and over 🙂 At the end of it all, you might have a kitchen like this one by Christa Martin, but try to do as much prep work at the beginning as possible.

Vary The Art Configuration On Each Wall

This is a great styling tip/formula that I’ve used in almost every room (including this one that my EHD team did in Atlanta). What you want to avoid is every wall having one similar piece of art, hung at the same height. Instead think about doing what we did here – mixing a gallery wall, mirror, shelves, leaning art, diptychs, or one large-scale piece of art. Even if you like a more minimal simple design (which I do) you want to vary the mediums or scale of the art so it doesn’t feel redundant and to give each piece its own power and moment.

Don’t Overlook What You May Already Have

I think in this world of everything at our fingertips (hello, internet shopping) it’s tempting to get rid of something old and replace it with the newer, younger (and likely cheaper) version. But before you do, look at your previously loved pieces with new eyes. If you love the shape and style but not the color or fabric you could do what Sara Ruffin Costello did and reupholster a vintage wingback in that insane statement patterned fabric. If the above room tempts you a bit, know that the rest of her incredible home in New Orleans is peppered through the book and knocks me down every time I see her creativity. That green paint, the floor tile, the door! She is incredible.

Listen, you will make mistakes in the renovation or decoration process, we all do. It’s part of the creative process. But, I hope this book can help you avoid as many as possible and unleash your creativity. And if you love the type of design info in this post and if the photos of these homes sparked joy in your design gut, then I hope you’ll like the book because It’s full of 330 pages of it 🙂

Opening Image Credits: Design by Corbett Tuck | Styled by Velinda Hellen, Erik Kenneth Staalberg, Emily Edith Bowser, and Julie Rose | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

There’s a trite metaphor in the author community that says “writing a book is like having a baby” (…likely penned by a man), which is true to a point and I’m guilty of saying it many times. Because yes, similar to childbirth, you go through so much hell and pain through the process to only quickly forget it all the second it’s out. Today, as my book The New Design Rules comes out, my spirits are high, my dopamine is pumping and I feel very, very happy because this “book baby” is officially in the world. It’s out of my brain, birthed through my fingers, printed into a solid representation of years of work, and into the hands of all of you who pre-ordered it (thank you!). But here’s how this metaphor is different…what if it comes out and the world doesn’t like my book baby? It doesn’t matter if the world thinks your human baby is ugly and annoying because you have these hormone glasses that will convince you that your human baby looks like Giselle and acts like Meryl Streep, and NO ONE would dare tell you otherwise. But with a book baby…people will definitely tell you otherwise. It’s the internet in 2022 and y’all it’s not the same world it was 6 1/2 years ago when I published my first book baby, which makes me far more nervous than before. Ironically and coincidentally, my first book, Styled, came out the week that I birthed my last human baby, Elliot. They were two days apart, so I honestly didn’t even think about the success of the book too much. I had just birthed a baby! I was feeding her milk straight from my nipples into her sweet mushy tummy. Her pink fingers grew from nothing and became fully formed in my very own stomach. That was the miracle. The sales of the book weren’t really a thought until my publisher emailed frantically to tell me, 3 weeks post publishing, that it was a New York Times Bestseller – something that was very hard to achieve in 2015 and 10 times harder now in 2022.

But here’s the absolute truth, regardless of the book’s success – I love this book. I’m so proud of this book. I find this book incredibly useful and inspiring – even more than Styled. I frequently pour over the photos and information, seeing new things each time. It isn’t a vanity coffee table book that you flip through once and leave on the table to impress your friends (which is a proven benefit of owning this book:)). It’s a book that you will earmark and highlight and take notes in (I have) and keep in your car. It’s not perfect and the writing is only from my perspective so there might be some things that people disagree with and I’m ready/not ready for that. But the 28 different creatives’ homes that we shot in are examples of design brilliance, control, education, rule-breaking, and risk-taking.

If you’ve read this far and still haven’t bought it then you, my holdouts, probably want to know what is so great about this book? Why buy this book over other books? So today, on its birthday, I wanted to show you more of what is inside my book baby.

What’s Inside:

The first half is all about “Learning The Language” where I distill down more of the complex renovation lingo so you have informed vocabulary and know your options (and can communicate well with your contractor). I was so sick of feeling dumb and googling vocabulary. You don’t need to know everything but this section will help you feel so much more empowered. This is also where the rules come into place – and I LOVE a rule, mostly so I can figure out how to break it in a way that subverts the whole system. Do it from the inside, amiright?

The second half of the book is about “Putting It Into Practice”. If you read the words and study the photos you’ll see creativity at work in a way that can help bridge your own to the next level. At least that’s been my experience.

What Would I Change About This Book?

Turns out you can’t fit 900 pages of words and 1000 photos into a 330-page approachable design book. I totally overwrote and overshot this book and the editing process to get it down was not easy, fun, or cute. I wish that some of the beautiful photos were bigger, but in order to give the information that was needed, they had to be smaller to allow for the copy. And that’s ok. I guess if I could go back in time I would pitch a design encyclopedia – a series that allowed for equal text and photography. The publishing world didn’t know what to do with Emily Henderson – a lover of visuals and words equally. Which I think tracks as a stylist design blogger. Luckily for all of us, I have a daily blog (hi!) where we can publish what didn’t make it in – which tends to be the more reno-heavy esoteric stuff (like ‘Drywall 101’ and ‘Easy Plumbing Mistakes to Avoid’). You will also get to see all the extra photos! So y’all who come here every day will get some new eye candy.

If you guys haven’t taken a second to look at the book page I’d love to invite you over there to see all the creatives’ homes that we featured – and feel free to follow them all, they are wonderful. And there you’ll also see the incredibly talented crew who devoted time to this book – namely Sara Ligorria-Tramp, Velinda Hellen, Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson, and my editor Angelin Borics (among others).

So I thought I’d show you some of my favorite spreads that represent what you’ll find in the book:

If you like any of these pages snag the book (there is a high likelihood that the first printing will sell out). If you know anyone who is going through a remodel or thinking about updating their home, I personally think this would make a great gift 🙂

Thank you all who bought this book during the pre-sale, it means so much to me. Once you receive it in the mail and if you like it (crossing fingers you do) feel free to review it on Amazon or spread the word. If you put it on your social media at all use the #showemyourstyled (which was launched with Styled and has a huge following) and tag me so we can reshare. I’d be SO GRATEFUL and will absolutely follow you back!

So that’s it. I’m signing off. I need to prepare for Good Morning America in the morning. I’ll be on in the 8 am hour if you are up and want to see me talk kitchen remodel 🙂 I’m extremely nervous and excited.

Once again, you can order your book here or check your local bookstore this week!

xx Emily

Opener Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

My book comes out tomorrow (EEK Preorder here if you want! EEK! And come to a book signing this Thursday in New York!! I’m very nervous). It was a long process and 2 years ago, mid “fantasy-writing-mode,” when I thought I could somehow fit 900 pages of design information into this book, I reached out to all of my favorite (and famous) designers and surveyed them on their best design advice. My goal was to include their answers in the book, crediting them and even creating cute charts, infographics, and illustrated design data. However, this whole concept got cut due to the eventual lack of space. Thank goodness I have a blog to share it all. We have the information because these great designers took the time to fill out the questionnaire, so today we have a pretty epic post for you – a curated list of their biggest design mistakes to avoid. Be sure to follow them if you don’t, too 🙂

Biggest Mistakes: Lighting

Make sure to have a lighting grid and ensure you have enough lighting sources to illuminate a room during various intervals of the day. – Mikel Welch

Do not decide on exact placement for statement fixtures in great rooms BEFORE furniture is truly placed. Leave the wiring behind the ceiling drywall and then drill and pull it through once furniture is in place. – Brian Patrick Flynn

I think one big mistake when it comes to lighting is doing recessed cans everywhere. It feels builder grade.  – Heidi Caillier

A common hardwired lighting mistake I have seen is fixtures not hung at the right location. i.e. with sconces, you should always consider what’s going around them like mirrors and draperies. – Ginny Macdonald

I literally lose my mind every time I encounter a room with no overhead light. Please please please give us light on the ceiling, every single time. – Megan Hopp

A common lighting mistake I’ve seen is having them too high, or having too many! You don’t want to hit your head on it, but a dining room pendant ought to hang about eye-level. I generally don’t like recessed lighting, unless it’s in new construction. Even then, a central light fixture with lamps around the room is always going to be a nicer ambiance than a bunch of can lights up above. – Daniel Kanter

Lining up the pendants and the can lighting in the kitchen is hard. You usually pick the locations prior to cabinets going in and if you don’t account for where the upper cabinets will be, your lights will all be wrong. Mark the cabinets out on the floor and use a laser to figure out where your lights should be. – Jasmine Roth

Lighting is so worth a splurge to me. It’s painful to see a brand new expensive room with the cheapest, trendiest lights from the hardware store. Always include your lighting in your mood board and never let it be an afterthought. – Elsie Larson

Make sure your kitchen has plenty of lighting! Install ceiling cans if your sconces and pendants don’t provide enough illumination. You’ll be glad you did when you catch the hair hiding in the mousse you made for your mother-in-law, before you serve it to her! – Anne Sage

A common mistake I see is over lighting a room. LED lights are SO MUCH BRIGHTER than incandescent. You do not need as many. – Carly Waters

Make sure you measure your heights/drops very carefully. Make sure the scale is right for the room – it’s common for people to undersize fixtures. Confirm the size of your junction box. Some fixtures require a smaller junction box and you end up with a big hole to cover in the wall. – Victoria Sass

Biggest Mistakes: Laying Out The Kitchen

As annoying as it may be, I like to know what larger appliances I’ll be working with before designing the kitchen. The biggest mistake is thinking all appliance options are “standard” and forgoing measurements. Chances are you will find an appliance that you love, but doesn’t quite fit your “standard” measurements. Measure the appliance first, so you can get what you really want and not be a victim of “basic kitchen syndrome.” – Mikel Welch

Adding too many statement elements into a kitchen results in the look being too busy and so therefore I usually decide on ONE element that should stand out more than the others and let the remaining elements support it visually. – Brian Patrick Flynn

I find a common mistake to be not considering where everything should live and what needs to actually be stored. Kitchens are the most functional room in the home and cabinetry should be laid out for functionality and efficiency. I always recommend taking a lot of time up front to consider all of the details and every item you’ll want to store in your new kitchen.  – Laura Hodges

Really consider your main appliance locations. Functionality is key in a kitchen. You want to make sure the main 3 are in a triangle together (sink, fridge, and range) but also consider how you use the kitchen. Make sure your fridge opens in a direction that you can grab something and then pivot to use it for example. You don’t want to have to squeeze past your fridge door ten times a day. –Melanie Burstin

Never put your kitchen sink in a corner. It is bad for flow and functionality. – Shelly Lynch-Sparks

One of the biggest kitchen design mistakes is worrying too much about resale. Design it for you and your family, period. There’s no sense in guessing what a mystery future owner might want.- Daniel Kanter

I can tell you the mistake I’ve made a few times and really really regretted – forgetting to build in trash pullouts. If you have a brand new kitchen, but then have to find a spot for a trashcan and recycling bin…in my opinion that’s a FAIL. – Jasmine Roth

If possible, don’t put your dishwasher in a corner. It might look good in theory, but once everything is in place, you’ll realize when the dishwasher is open (if the handles don’t hit, which can be a whole additional problem) it will be blocking cabinets that you need to open to put dishes away. – Jasmine Roth

Save yourself so much trouble – don’t install wood flooring in the kitchen. Luxury vinyl plank has come such a long way, as has wood-look tile. With a sink, dishwasher, and fridge, at some point in the life cycle of your kitchen, you will experience a leak. Ripping out flooring from under cabinetry and appliances is a nightmare. – Laurie March

Biggest Mistakes: Cabinetry

One thing I’m not sure is recognized as a mistake but is something that irritates me beyond belief is when cabinetry just stops a few inches from the ceiling leaving a little gap to cast shadows and collect dust. It’s something contractors do all the time and is so easily remedied by a trim piece. It’s common because it’s easier to make your cabinets fully level if you float them off the ceiling but I hate that it leaves a useless, dark space above. – Orlando Soria

Too many cabinets and not enough drawers – Heidi Caillier

Never never leave a gap between your cabinets and your ceiling. Even if you have to fill it with a trim piece, build it out all the way to the ceiling height. – Rosa Beltran

The biggest mistake people make when designing cabinetry is going with anything that is too trendy or popular from a certain time. They’ll become timestamped quickly and feel less special. I’m a firm believer in navy blue cabinetry, walnut cabinetry, or anything painted in a new neutral such as sage green or blue-grey. – Brian Patrick Flynn

I think the most common mistake is scale and balance when it comes to kitchen cabinetry. You must take into consideration the heights of the ceiling, width of the room, etc. to make sure the cabinet depths and heights are proportionate to the rest of the kitchen. Another common mistake is forgetting about small add on’s such as hidden trash/recycle cans, specialty roll-out pot lids cabinets, built-in Lazy Susan’s, electronic ports (location, location, location), etc. These tend to be afterthoughts that can make you have buyer’s remorse in the end when you have to head to The Container Store and make unnecessary purchases. – Mikel Welch

The biggest mistake I’ve seen is not fully contemplating functionality. You want to think in excruciating detail about what you want to store and where. Are you a big baker? A wine connoisseur? Need a large pantry to feed a big family? Those storage decisions will make or break the functionality of your kitchen. – Erin Hiemstra

Many people opt for replacing just the cabinet fronts as opposed to replacing the cabinets entirely. While this will definitely cut down on upfront costs, refaced cabinets don’t last as long. We always advise clients to think about the long term, and whether it’s more important to cut down on immediate costs, or to get the most out of their renovation over time. There isn’t really a right or wrong answer – it’s more about balancing needs and expectations so there aren’t any surprises down the line. – Terri Lee

Think about what will be going into the cabinets as you’re designing them. This will help guide you on the best size for each cabinet. On that note, be sure to make sure you think about “closed” storage space. Open and floating shelves look great but you don’t want to forget that you’ll want to high some cookware items behind cabinets too.- Haley Weidenbaum

Functionally, not enough drawers. Aesthetically, getting too swayed by trends and forgetting what house you’re in! In the last few years, we’ve seen a profusion of beautiful, high-end kitchens that feel very influenced by classic British kitchens exemplified by companies like deVOL. Classic shaker style cabinetry is versatile and works nicely in a lot of spaces, but it has to feel related to its context. That kind of kitchen just doesn’t feel right in a modern house or one with a more distinct style. – Daniel Kanter

People often design cabinets, where the doors open, and you pull out pantry inserts from inside that. Just skip the doors! A modern kitchen should be 80% drawers, 20% cabinets, with dedicated spaces for your small appliances, like air fryers, mixers, and dehydrators – to live. – Laurie March

The corner cabinet with the rotating lazy Susan inside is the biggest mistake ever! People think that they’re maximizing storage space when they install them, but it’s actually a real pain to crouch in the corner and find things in there. It ends up being the cabinet where Tupperware goes to die. – Anne Sage

Forgetting to run the cabinets all the way to the ceiling if your ceilings are taller than 8 feet. People (and designers) can often overlook the small details – like whether a corner cabinet will hit the drawer pull on the adjacent drawer (whoops learned that lesson the hard way). I think people also neglect to think about how cabinets will hold up/how easy they will be to keep clean. – Carly Waters

Biggest Mistakes: Windows And Window Treatments

I think people install windows sometimes without thinking about how they’ll be covered by window treatments. Like a crescent window super high in a bedroom. How do you cover that in a way that isn’t ugly? I haven’t found a solution for that. – Orlando Soria

Do not install vinyl windows in old homes. It breaks my heart. Do quality windows!  – Heidi Caillier

Be aware of the domino effect. If you replace one window, you should replace them all or it’ll look patchy. – Ginny Macdonald

Consider your furniture layout when deciding window locations. You can avoid awkward walls that won’t fit furniture this way. You can see if the window treatment would end up taking over an entire wall and be an impractical use of space. Also, make sure you are matching the exterior of the house. Exterior window symmetry is really important so balancing these two interior and exterior needs will lead to successful placement. – Melanie Burstin

When selecting and placing windows on the side of a home, ensure that you are taking the neighbors into context. Often a high clerestory window is a better option in these locations, which allows light in and maintains privacy. – Jenny Guggenheim

Curved windows are not the easiest to cover so if you have a choice in the matter don’t put curved or rounded windows in rooms that must have window coverings. For example, a great room or living room that is meant to be flooded with light with grand windows but privacy is not of great concern is a perfect opportunity for curved or round windows. – Haley Weidenbaum

When it comes to windows, bigger is better. Everyone likes natural light – there is hardly a negative to more large windows. – Megan Hopp

Fenestration matters! Keep window styles consistent across the house, and sizing that feels intentional. My area is full of side-hall style houses, and the bathroom often ends up in the street-facing room above the front door. The window in this room should be the same size as the adjacent windows on the same level, but SO MANY people reduce the size of this window dramatically when renovating the bathroom. It completely ruins the facade of a house and has negligible functional benefit. – Daniel Kanter

Ohhhh, I’ve been waiting for this question! The biggest mistakes I’ve made with windows are 1) buying wood-clad windows and then painting them white. I should have just bought white extruded windows for a fraction of the price (never mind the time and labor to paint them) and they would have had zero maintenance. We put curtains and shades in front of them anyway, right? 2) using custom windows when I could have used standard. For new construction or for a renovation, if you can use standard window sizes it’s much less. Talk to your contractor about framing “standard size window openings” so you can save some $$$. – Jasmine Roth

When you have wood windows that are stained on the interior, make sure to get an extra container of your stain color so that you can touch up after the paint crew comes through. And make sure the caulking matches the windows! Nothing ruins a trimless, foxy, black window like white caulk. – Laurie March

Installing windows that are too small. I’ve never walked into a room and said- wow, that window is too big. – Carly Waters

Be thinking about window treatments as you are choosing the windows – are you going to have motorized shades? You’ll need to design a cavity to house the mechanism. Do your windows open inward and does that impact your plans for drapery, etc? Do you have the appropriate space above and around the window for the type of window treatment you want? If you want inset window treatments, are your window casings deep enough to accommodate? – Victoria Sass

Biggest Mistakes: Plumbing And Electric

Make sure that what is behind the walls is in good working order, i.e. plumbing, electrical, venting.  Now, of course, fixtures, fittings and finishes can become expensive quickly, but those are choices, the rough-in quality in my world is none negotiable. – Anne De Wolf

The most common plumbing mistake non-designers make when designing a bathroom is not paying attention to where the infrastructure is. One needs to vent a toilet with a 3″ stack and this is often overlooked when placing the toilet. Also paying attention to where the drain is and how that will get from point A to point B – especially when working on second floor bathrooms. This can lead to plumbing runs not having the “grade” in order to drain and/or having issues with clogs and backups. It can also lead to unsightly soffits or work on the floor below. – Josh Salinger

I have two! 1) they rough in the sink too high. Everything looks too low during the rough-in stage and people second-guess themselves. 2) Placement of the shower valve! If it’s possible to plumb away from the showerhead, I love that solution because you can turn the shower on without getting all wet! – Daniel Kanter

A common mistake I see is one that I’ve also made. When renovating a bathroom, just like left and right-handed golf clubs, tubs have to be ordered with the drain on the left or the right. If you order the wrong tub, you’ll have to send it back and wait for the correct one and TRUST ME, that’s not fun! – Jasmine Roth

Everyone wants a rain head shower but NOT every plumbing system can accommodate one! Especially in old homes, the existing pipes are narrow and won’t supply the water pressure necessary for a true rain head experience. – Anne Sage

Biggest Mistakes: Colors And Patterns

A lot of rooms have too much white. Rooms need to have depth and warmth and it’s difficult to achieve that when the walls and ceilings and trim are all stark white. – Corre Marie

The number one color mistake I see is people using colors that are too saturated. I always tell people to think of the color they like then take the saturation down 50% (basically add 50% gray to it). Usually, that ends up getting you a color that feels pretty but not too sickeningly saturated.  – Orlando Soria

Tile design is the biggest selection that can make a bathroom feel dated. Unless you know that you’ll love it for a very long time and are not planning to move anytime soon, I suggest selecting tile colors and patterns that are either based on a timeless and classic style or are easily modified to feel different with an updated paint color.  – Laura Hodges

Doing anything too trendy will date your space. If your furniture is “millennial pink” or whatever the popular new color is it won’t stand the test of time because you can tell immediately by looking at it when the chair was probably purchased. – Emma Beryl Kemper

I think people can feel timid about color and or pattern and as such end up often doing things halfway. A color, but something muted that isn’t really the shade that inspired them in the first place or a pattern, but something on a smaller scale or used in a smaller way. In the end, you get these sort of false starts or half-baked ideas and your design falls flat. The real kicker is that it can then turn people off because of a less than ideal outcome, where had they done what they really wanted in the first place chances are they would have loved it.- Megan Hopp

Scale is important! A large room with a very small scale pattern wallpaper can feel overwhelming.- Molly Torres Portnof

Relying completely on paint. There’s nothing worse than a room with rust orange walls but everything in it is black or gray. It’s so sad. – Daniel Kanter

The biggest color mistake I see is using a gray paint for the walls that has too much blue in it. Nothing can make a house feel cheap and cold faster than a blue-hued gray on the walls. – Jasmine Roth

Mixing patterns of the same scale is a common mistake. Mix patterns to your heart’s content, just make sure they’re contrasting in size so that your eyes can digest them. Otherwise, you’re just creating visual noise. – Anne Sage

Thank you to all the designers who took the time to fill out the survey and dropped us this wisdom. While I wish my book was peppered with this specific information, just know that it’s full of a lot more – and more to come on the blog, too. Follow them! And if you want to buy the book and meet me IRL, come to the book signing this Thursday in New York if you are around. I’d love to say hi and likely tell you inappropriately personal things about my life 🙂

Opener Image Credit: Design by Heidi Caillier | Photo by Haris Kenjar

We have finalized our electrical plan at the farm, and the ‘rough’ placement has been done. Once again I learned so much in the process including the fact that I would make a terrible electrician. And yet this time around I felt far more confident in not only our decisions but also avoiding mistakes. Of course, I had ARCIFORM’s expert help throughout the process. They did the first stab at the plan – and when I say ‘stab’ it’s really an extremely laborious and painstaking process – placing each outlet, each light switch, each sconce, and pendant, and deciding which switches should turn on which lights from which entrances. Should this do a switched outlet? Do you want to turn on the kitchen pendants by the kitchen door or closer to the living room or both? They tried to predict our needs/wants and did an excellent job.

They did the first round based on their expertise with a heavy dose of common sense, and then Brian and I weighed in where lifestyle was in question. How are we going to walk through the house? Do we want switches clustered together or more spread out? What outlets do we want USB ports and what overhead lights do we want dimmable? How high do we want our sconces to be? As we were doing this exercise I was reminded of all of the most common mistakes you can make and avoid, when doing your electrical for the first or third time. There are even MORE of these electrical mistakes in the book if you haven’t pre-ordered it yet (I won’t beg, but pre-orders mean a lot. So if you are going to order it eventually feel free to go for it :)). It’s all about empowering us with knowledge so we can make good choices and avoid expensive or embarrassing mistakes. So here are a few:

Know The Size Of Your Casing/Mouldings BEFORE You Place Light Switches And Outlets

You must know the size of your window and door casing (trim work/molding) AND baseboard before you can place your switches or outlets – or at least have an idea of how wide you want it to be. If you want a more prominent casing or baseboard then give yourself more space and size away from the window and further from the floor. I see this so frequently – a light switch cut into a door casing because they put it too close not knowing that the future casing would be 4-6″. Don’t let your GC or electrician do what is standard if you are going to do something bigger.

Choose Sconce Before Placing The Height

Know your sconce choice/design before you place your J-boxes (or if you don’t, leave enough wire to adjust up and down, which is cheaper to move than right to left if a stud is in the way). The sconce placement comes down to where the actual lightbulb is on the fixture (Same height as J-box? Does it go up above it? Or hang down below?). Is it to light the room or light a piece of art? And if it is one that feels more old world (like Portland) it shouldn’t be higher than one could reach to theoretically turn it off and on. But the point is if you don’t know your height then leave room to adjust. They’ll need to know this before they close up the wall and adjusting it will take time and cost money, but way less than needing rethreading of wire.

Place Outlets To Fit Your Lifestyle (Not Just Code)

Place outlets with your lifestyle and function in mind (not just spaced apart for code). Consider where you are charging your laptop/phones, or how many countertop appliances you might want plugged in at the same time (coffee maker, coffee grinder, electric kettle, toaster, etc). Not crucial but you don’t want to be annoyed with yourself later when it’s such an easy thing to add during construction. Think about USB cords in outlets or where you want to plug in your electric toothbrush (in the medicine cabinet? vanity? or on the countertop?)

Think of outlets in the floor “flanking” the sofa (that’s where your lamp would likely go). You can only do this if you have a crawlspace underneath. Think about hiding outlets under your upper cabinets in your kitchen instead of on backsplash (I’ve never done this but my brother has it and it’s pretty awesome), or extra outlets in the island if multiple people will sit and work there (kids with homework?). I feel like a broken record with the outlets – just now that more people are WFH you might be using your space differently, so just walk through the motions. Adding outlets or making a 2 outlet into a 4 or adding USB to it is pretty easy early on.

Don’t Forget Dimmers In Bathroom

Don’t forget dimmer in bathrooms – crucial for middle-of-the-night trips without getting blasted with light (these can be just the vanity lights, doesn’t have to be all of them). We forgot to do this in our bath in LA and I would have to turn on the BRIGHT light in the middle of the night, which is a real bummer as it would wake me up more, as well as Brian. This is obviously an easy fix, but just think about doing it early on.

Not All Dimmers And Fixtures Work With All LED Bulbs – A Warning

You may have noticed this – your lights flicker or glitch when you try to turn them on using a dimmer, assuming you are using LED bulbs. Now the technology is getting better, it is, but for a while, most LED bulbs simply weren’t compatible with a lot of dimmers or fixtures. They still worked, just glitchy and annoying. I thought that I was just choosing the wrong ones, but then I spoke to ARCIFORM and other designers who said the same thing. At the mountain house with our awesome Forbes and Lomax twist dimmers, the lights go fully on/off/on/off before staying on and being dimmable. We are used to it, but it’s a little annoying.

HOT TIP: Rejuvenation recommends specific dimmable LED lightbulbs from their site for each fixture – it’s awesome.

I’m sure the type of light switch can still make it glitchy, but I feel hopeful that it’s getting better. So I guess this is more of a warning than a mistake.

Predict Your ‘Surprise’ Electrical Needs (Like ‘Smart’ Anything)

Make sure your GC and electrician know about anything ‘smart’ that will need to be hardwired, including security, Nest, wall-mounted TVs, bidets, shower panels, touch faucets, smart tubs, or gas fireplaces with electric ignition. Also if you are going smart, that’s great, but make sure that not all your faucets, showers, or toilets require electricity in case of a power outage. Even think about electrifying your vanities or medicine cabinets – this can be an easy fix, but it also can be impossible if you’ve already tiled.

Nightstand Sconce Switches

By far the most annoying electrical mistake that was made at the mountain house was not having nightstand switches for the sconces flanking the bed in our bedroom. So we have to go all the way to the door. Poor babies, I know, but seriously think about it. You are ALMOST asleep and then one of you has to get out of bed, walk around it (if you are me) and turn off the light then find your way back in the dark. It’s such a stupid overlooked mistake.

So these are just the easy ones that I’ve made or almost made, but I’d love to hear ANY of your mistakes, suggestions, missed opportunities, or warnings in the comments 🙂

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Mountain House “Reveal”: The Dining Room Built-in Dilemma (+ The 3 Mistakes We Made)

A pretty room with poorly hung curtains is like a beautiful, pulled-together lady wearing way ‘too-small pants’. It cheapens everything else, stands out in a jarring way, and just makes everyone feel uncomfortable. A few years back we decided to combat the problem by going through some of the biggest mistakes people make when buying and hanging curtains and with many a homeowner (and disgruntled curtain) in need we figured it was time to update the post with some new tips, as well as pull together some of our ready-made favorites in a massive roundup.

In case you missed the other design mistakes: The Generic Sofa Roundup | Rugs That Are Too Small | Painting A Small, Dark Room White | Bad Wood Finishes | How To Hang Curtains | Generic Art | Not Having A Plan | Who Pays For Design Mistakes | My Biggest Design Mistakes -And What You Can Learn From Them | When to Hire vs. DIY

So, let’s start with the curtains mistakes.

I used to do this, I hung my rod just slightly above my window frame mostly because I would buy the wrong length of curtain then as I was trying to avoid the too-short curtain (see below) I was forced to hang it lower. Now, it doesn’t ALWAYS have to be 20″ above your window, literally just under the ceiling, but go at least 1/2-2/3 the distance towards the top to help your ceilings look as high as possible. It’s not just the better way to hang your curtains but at this point we have a ‘cultural height’ of where your curtain rod line should be, the height where we as a collective people are used to seeing it, and if you get too close to the window sill, and if you have a lot of space to play with, it just stands out in your room. Lift the rod, which lifts the eye which makes your ceilings look higher and your space bigger.

What I do love, however, is how that white pillow is styled on that chair in the above/right shot. It’s all WHUT, I’m not just a pillow, I’m a diamond. And I get ladies. 

Meanwhile, the most common curtain mistake is just painful to look at – the ‘too short’ curtain. The waiting for a flood curtain. It does EXACTLY what pants that are too short do – it cuts off your room (leg) in a really jarring way, making it look feel short/stubby and awkward. You have three other options – all good/legal ones to avoid this look:

1. The slight float – Less than an inch above the floor. If you want to hang your curtains without any break at all, so they hang totally straight then the float is the best option for you. It doesn’t touch the floor, but only just barely.

2. The kiss – It barely touches the floor. This is the hardest one to pull off as you need to measure SUPER accurately from the rod (and making sure to include in your measurements the rings/clips or s hooks). It is my favorite as it looks the most custom and intentional, but it is the hardest to accomplish. There is often a tiny break/bend in the curtain when it’s open that I’m totally ok with.

3. The puddle – Where it does just that, it puddles all over the floor. This is best for you romantics out there, or for those looking for a more feminine, old-world, European feel. Marie Antoinette puddled hard all over that villa, dripping with her cakes and sapphires. We just installed a couple of puddles in a baby girl’s ultra-feminine nursery and it looks BEAUTIFUL. It’s especially a good idea if/when your fabric is really high quality – either washed linen or velvet, because the more it puddles the more you can see the beautiful texture of the fabric that you probably splurged on. It should be thick and grand, not dinky little cotton curtains that will simply look accidental and way too long.

Another common mistake is not having the rod wide enough, on both sides of the window, so that your curtains are forced to be hanging partially in your window, blocking light and making the window look smaller (thus making your room feel smaller). Extend the rod at least 6-10″ on either side of the window frame (if you have the space) so that when the curtains are pushed totally open you can see almost all of the window.

The height above your sill can be similar to the space on either side of the window sill – lift and widen where you put the rod so that the window frame feels as big as possible and allows for as much light in as possible. Remember natural light is your best accessory, so let it…shine…

If you have a big window make sure to have double-wide panels on both sides of the frame. Say your window is 100″ wide and your panels are 54″ wide (standard), then SURE when they are closed they will technically block the light, but they will be taught and won’t have any softness in them. Additionally, when the curtains are open they will look really dinky and disproportionate to your grand window. You may have to buy four panels (2 on each side), we do that often. You can either have your tailor/dry cleaner sew them together OR just hang them as-is and often you can’t see the break because now they are so full and billowy.

Now with all that said, you may be asking your self how do I not be the girl wearing the too-small pants? With the help of illustrator Jonna Isaac, we have created this handy guide to hanging your curtains the very best way possible. You may have to invest in longer curtains or even more panels if you have a larger window, but otherwise hanging a curtain the right way actually costs the same as the wrong way. So please, follow this guide and save everyone the discomfort of the ‘too short’, ‘too low’, ‘too thin’ and ‘too narrow’ curtain.

But where do we buy these?

Well, we’ve pulled together a roundup of our favorite readymade long curtains for you. There are very few houses that only need 84″ high curtains. It’s like the housing and curtain industries had lunch, got drunk and one of them said ‘we’ll make the standard height of newly installed windows around 6′ or 7′ high so you just go ahead and only manufacture curtains around 84″ high and they’ll all buy it and we’ll all become millionaires’. But 84″ is almost always not long enough. Annoyingly 95″ can often be too long if you have 8′ ceilings but it’s better to buy the 95″ and have them hemmed to around 90″ (which is what we usually do in that case) than to go for the 84″. Of course, I’m hoping that the heads of the world’s curtain senate are reading this post and will start implementing change, making a 90″ length as a standard size. And if you still make 72″ long curtains, go ahead and press pause on that mission. It’s a failed one and you are doing more harm to society than good.

On to my favorite long/affordable/readymade curtain options (in a variety of styles to satisfy many of you) that will hopefully solve all your problems.

1. Ivory Embroidered Adara Sleeve Top Curtains Set Of 2 | 2. Natural Tan Basketweave Panel | 3. Priya Tab Top Light Filtering Window Curtain Panel | 4. Pinstripe White/Black Curtain| 5. Suzette Velvet Solid Semi-Sheer Tab Top Single Curtain Panel | 6. Alix Peekaboo Knotted Window Panel | 7. Exclusive Fabrics Heritage Plush Velvet Sing Curtain (1 Panel) | 8. Limu-Limu Leaf Jacquard Light Filtering Curtain Panel Gray | 9. Chambray Stripe Curtain Panel Faded Blue | 10. Kira Herringbone Absolute Zero Blackout Window Panel | 11. Blackout Curtain | 12. Brighton Windowpane Plaid Blackout Window Curtain Panel | 13. Preston Plaid Faux Leather Tab Top Room Darkening Curtain Panel | 14. Crushed Velvet Window Curtain | 15. Belgian Flax Linen Curtain, Ebony 50 x 96″ | 16. Linen Embroidery Tassel Window Curtain Panels | 17. Crushed Texture Anti-Dust Solid Sheer Rod Pocket Single Curtain Panel | 18. WONTEX Blackout Curtains

A lot of those are sold per panel so just make sure that you buy at least two if you need.

For those of you who don’t mind spending more here is a roundup of our favorite ready-made curtains over $50.

1. 2 Pack Velvet Curtain Panels | 2. Thea Print Linen/Cotton Rod Pocket Curtain | 3. 2 Pack Blackout Curtains | 4. 2 Pack Linen Blend Curtains | 5. Velvet Curtain Panel | 6. Seda Chai Team Dupioni Silk Curtain | 7. Velvet Louise Curtain | 8. Organic Cotton Double Weave Quiet Grey Sheer Curtain Panel | 9. Mali Silk Viscose Curtain Panel | 10. Emery Linen Pinched Pleat Curtain | 11. Viscose Dark Grey Panel | 12. Maiko Jacquard-Woven Curtain | 13. Noelle Curtain |14. Textured Upholstery Velvet Curtain, Golden Oak, 48″x84″ | 15. White And Tan Diamond Cotton Sleeve Top Curtains Set Of 2 | 16. Custom Size Solid European Flax Linen Curtain with Blackout Lining | 17. Arches Cotton Sleeve Top Curtains Set Of 2 | 18. Antique Stripe Print Linen/Cotton Rod Pocket Curtain

There needs to be a whole rod/ring conversation but I’ll just say this right now – when in doubt go simple (white, black, brass or silver), stay away from crazy curly wrought iron stuff unless you live in a Scottish Castle (or an old Hollywood home) and fancy finials are only your friend if the style of your house can handle it.

In case you missed any of our posts from our Design Mistakes Series/PSA’s, check them out here: The Generic Sofa Roundup | Rugs That Are Too Small | Painting A Small, Dark Room White | Bad Wood Finishes | How To Hang Curtains | Generic Art | Not Having A Plan | Who Pays For Design Mistakes | My Biggest Design Mistakes -And What You Can Learn From Them | When to Hire vs. DIY

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp |From: Portland Project Primary Bedroom

Hello friends and welcome back to another renovation regrets saga. If you are just catching up, this series started when Emily posed the question “what do you wish someone had told you before renovating?” and the answers we received were pure gold. Thanks to you, our talented readers, we have received hundreds of renovation stories and cautionary tales and we knew we couldn’t keep all that juicy information to ourselves. Last week, we tackled the kitchen and unsurprisingly, you all delivered EVEN MORE tips and tales. Today bathrooms are on the docket and I trust that anyone with a bathroom reno on their radar will want to heed every single word. Let’s get to it, shall we?

On Tile

From Rusty: I tiled on top of the original broken mosaics in the bathroom, to save time and money. The tiler roughed up the old tiles first so they’d grip the adhesive, etc. So, I have a little bit of a raised floor, maybe 1cm? It’s no biggie and I’d definitely do this again.

From Elina: [I wish someone would have told me] Not to buy tile too early. We needed to order more tile when we were finally ready to install and the color didn’t match because it came from different lots.

From Kathleen: Be sure to install porcelain tiles, not ceramic. They chip and look terrible. Also, small tiles in the shower creates lots of grout lines and are a real pain to keep clean. Big tiles in the shower a better way to go. Reduce the grout.

From anon: My current rental bathroom has “orange peel tiles” which means I can’t use anything with suction cups in the shower. (If I owned this place I would rip out these tiles! And raise the showerhead to adult height instead of 52 inches, and install an adult length tub, and rip out the hideous sliding shower doors and put in a curved shower curtain rod.)

On Showers & Bathtubs

From Whitney: Rain shower heads are really lovely in spa theory, but I’m convinced were designed by people who washed their hair daily. As a woman of color, every house I’ve looked at/Airbnb that I’ve stayed in that has a “luxury” master bath has a rain shower head. I wash my hair every 10 days. There is no way to avoid getting your hair wet and even a shower cap can’t save that. I just need them to go away.

Editor’s Note: Emily also dislikes rain showers. Do people really want water constantly in their face??

From Nina: I once stayed in a BnB with a fancy “open” double shower and I can confirm it’s way colder than a regular shower cabin. You know that feeling of dread when you have to walk out of your warm shower into the cold bathroom? Yeah, now you are spending your entire shower in that cold bathroom, brrr!

From Tracy: This is also true with those showers that are “half glass”’ – no door, just glass by the showerhead. I stayed at a place in VT with one of those – rough choice for the climate!

From Ally: [I am] the owner of a very large (5’×10′) multi-headed steam shower that we added on and have regretted for 22 years. To accommodate the steam feature (which we’ve almost never used!) the shower is fully enclosed and tiled floor to ceiling with a gap-less shower door. Talk about a constant horrible mildew mess! By code, the door must open outward so we can’t even leave it open post-shower or it blocks a sink and drips onto the floor. And yes we had an architect on this project that didn’t function well from day one! I’m hoping for a lottery win so I can one day rip it out and start over!

From Virginia: In our old house in a not-warm climate, we had a double master shower that wasn’t *too* cold, but the spray would get split between the showerheads in a way that made both ineffectively weak. I talked to a plumber about it and apparently this was actually just the prior owner having chosen shitty hardware which he had warned her about, as he happened to be the same plumber who had done the renovation (!). You apparently have to get special hardware that properly diverts the full pressure stream to make both showerheads comfortable to use at the same time, and it’s slightly more expensive.

From Misty: We bought a house with a huge shower – way more room than needed for even two people and my 6’5” hubs was ecstatic about having a shower that “fit him”. I hated it. We only used one shower head and the tile was cold. Even with running it with the doors closed to create heat before getting in, was a waste of time and water.

From Maddy: If you’re planning a soaking tub, keep a close eye on the gallons it holds in the tub specs, and another close eye on the size of your water heater, unless you’re going to have an on-demand heater for your bathroom water supply. Deep+wide tubs, like jacuzzis, can hold 80+ gallons and your water supply is going to struggle to give you a nice hot soak that you can really submerge yourself in. Narrower tubs with deep depth-to-overflow (14-15″) and plenty of length to stretch out typically hold around 50 gallons, which is a size at which you can comfortably submerge yourself and have plenty of hot water to bask in even if you have a 50-60-gallon tank. (You’re not going to use every drop in your 50-gallon tank to fill a 50-gallon tub, because you displace a lot of water yourself and you won’t be using straight, unmixed hot water. But you could easily use every drop in your tank filling a bigger tub.)

From Amanda: Our main bathroom is a wet room – meaning all the walls are tiled and it has a bathtub and an open shower with no doors. This was our only way to fit in both a shower and a tub. However, I learned after the fact that the ordinary slope for the drain in the shower tends to leave a lot of water on the floor. If I could do it over again, I would increase the slope to ensure that the water would all go down.

From Kathleen: When we remodeled our master bath we put in an open shower, so no way to access the shower handle without getting sprayed with cold water, not a fun way to start every day. I suppose if you are into Wim Hof this would be no problem. Should have plumbed the handle to be accessible outside of the shower. Ugh.

From Bobbi: We put in a large two-person, two wall-mounted shower heads with no door, and I love it! We live in North Carolina so winters are short, but we have not noticed a difference AT ALL in terms of shower warmth and I tend to run cold. We did put a heated floor in the non-shower portion of the bathroom and it’s lovely. Big disagree on that one, we’ve had this layout for about four years and it makes me happy every day.

From Clare: Never do an open shower if you live in a climate that gets below 50 degrees unless you’re A) a sadist or B) keep the heat in your house on 80 degrees. Pretty rough to shave your legs when they’re goosebumped!

On Toilet Placement

From JJ: We have a large master bathroom but we thought it would be a great idea to place the toilet in a small room in the bathroom so multiple people could be using the bathroom and you would have your privacy while on the toilet. Here’s the kicker; I am an Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner and SO many falls occur in the bathroom. If someone falls in that tiny toilet closet areas, EMS has to drag you out of the area to get you on a stretcher. I wish we were more mindful of this so we can feel good about growing old in this home.

From Katie: Wall-mounted toilets are great solutions for cramped bathrooms. They are pricy but can add so much space.

From Lisa: My friend convinced me to put electrical outlets behind all of the toilets while we’re redoing the bathrooms, even though we don’t want to install bidets right now. And after I mentioned it to my architect, she said that they’re doing more and more bidets in recent projects. It’s so cheap to add an extra outlet while doing major work (especially in our case where the full baths are being built from scratch including drywall), just do it.

On Heated Flooring

From Renee: We put heated floors in our en suite bathroom and LOVE them. We feel that the heated floors were the best part of our new bathroom! Just make sure that you have a good electrician install the wires and then everybody stay out of there until the tile installer can get there. Coordinating the schedule with your electrician and tile setter is a must!

From Jeffree: Some heating flooring pads can be installed via your crawlspace/basement between the joists rather than directly on top of your subflooring and under the tile. This makes repair or replacement far easier.

From Renee: It’s easy to put a heated floor in your bathroom but put it in your shower too! To avoid cold feet!

On Accessibility & Layout

From Virginia: The main issue is that things like hand towel racks, toilet paper holders, and showerheads are placed *just off* from what would actually be the most user-friendly. Like the hand towel hanger makes it so that the edges of a standard size hand towel have to hang kind of tucked between the sink and the wall, so it doesn’t dry well. It’s annoying to make it sit right after every use so it doesn’t hang into the sink basin and get wet/be in the way. The showerhead in one bathroom is perfectly centered in the smallish enclosed shower, which means there’s no way to slightly stick your head or body out of the spray while, say, shaving legs or letting conditioner soak in. In both cases, if these things were shifted by just a couple inches they’d be perfectly placed, but having them slightly off from user-friendly is surprisingly annoying. And there are things like that all over but these two are the most noticeable.

From Leila: Bathroom showpeople will tell you that you have to buy the whole suite from one place or the whites won’t match – this is bollocks. But the Ikea sink you got for £40 will scratch drastically in a way you never realised porcelain was capable of.

From Sheila: Consider accessibility options, even if you don’t need them now. There may be a time when you’d like to host an elderly family member or when you or a family member faces mobility options during an extended recuperation. Having a bathroom, including a walk-in shower with space for a bench and a hand-held shower head that can be reached and controlled by someone seated on that bench, on the main living floor is highly desirable as is a means of entry from the car parking area into the house with a minimum of stairs. Depending on the area, light switch/doorknob heights may be set by code to be at wheelchair-accessible heights. If not, it should be considered anyway.

From Faith: Master bathrooms need a linen closet (either in the bathroom or right outside).

From Kim: Tell your cabinet maker what kind of sink you are putting in your bathrooms. We had a cabinet replaced in our powder room/half bath and didn’t tell him it was a vessel sink. It’s way too high for kids even with a pull-out step built into the toe kick of the cabinet.

From Maddy: Include access panels for bathtub/shower plumbing if at all possible, so if something goes wrong in the wall you can hopefully avoid having to bash through your lovely and expensive tile work to get at the plumbing. If you can plan for your “wet wall” to back onto a closet, hallway, or utility space, you can put an access panel there without it intruding on the design of a main room.

From Amanda: We also did wall-mounted faucets in both of our bathrooms. It seems that some plumbers aren’t used to doing them and both times I noticed that they installed the rough-in plumbing at the wrong height. I think this is just good to know for something to double-check before any walls are closed up.

From Emily B: Consider counter heights in the bathroom for how tall you are. We have a tall family and did a really beautiful custom vanity that is on the short side of standard especially since we are tall people.

From Justin: Don’t expect the plumber to know how far the tub should be from the wall, or how high the slide bar should go. Do your research and be ready for everything so that you’re not making 8 am decisions on the fly.

On Choosing The Right Materials:

From Kate: We moved into a new build in March with flat matte paint, as well as a two and five-year-old… and it’s a DISASTER! The powder room is destroyed by water splashes, soap sprays, and little handprints anywhere they put a dirty hand or a wet clean hand. Also, you can see brown patches in the paint where their little bodies rub next to the sink in the spot by their stool where they typically stand when washing.

From Allison: Pick out all your materials. I mean everything, from the water barrier on the outside, to the windows, cabinets, etc. many contractors will use the cheapest and pocket the difference.

From Andrea: I would go back and tell myself to not put beadboard in my bathroom. It gets grimy and is impossible to clean well. At least wainscoting has less grooves to try to keep clean, but really I would stick with flat panels.

From Emily B: Also, never do barn doors on any room you want to be able to be private (bathrooms or bedrooms). They just don’t seal out sound and light the same way a door jam does. We put one on my daughter’s room and it has affected her sleep with the light and sound.

From Jennifer: When I put in a shower in a former half bath, I got several tile estimates. Every one of them included schluter, those metal edges on the end of tile (Blech). I didn’t want metal edges. Finally, one creative installer said, “no you don’t have to have schluter. I can cut fresh pieces of tile to finish the edges, I’ve put clear nail polish on tile edges before to give them a glossy, finished look, there’s tons of creative ways to get the look you want.” Don’t just take what installers say as gospel until you talk to a few people. All those previous unimaginative, old-fashioned installers knew how to do was schluter when design, trends, and options change endlessly.

From Verana: Light-colored grout in your shower floor will discolor. We had picked cream grout to match the color of the tiles (which looks stunning), but maintaining the color takes weekly cleanings. I understand much better now why hotel showers typically have dark gray grout… much easier to maintain.

Alright my friends, do you have any more tips or renovation regrets to add? Should we keep this series going? If so, what room would you like us to tackle next? Drop your suggestions below! xx

Opener Image Credit: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: Our Classic Modern Master Bathroom Reveal

A new design mistake coming at you, but it’s complicated so to really understand it we created a formula. Here’s what happens: you have this one piece of art and you put it on a wall, and you have this other piece and you put that on another wall. You continue until you deem the room ‘done’ and then you look around and wonder why the room doesn’t just sing.

I GOT YOU. There is a formula, a science in which we use to consider decorating pieces on ALL FOUR walls of a room. To speak in scientific terms, your eye wants to move around at a pace that is both exciting and relaxing. It has to do with variety, keeping it interesting and a bit unpredictable, yet giving it some negative space and simplicity to calm it down a bit.

After staring at years of my/EHD work I realized that we have a very intentional (yet organic) way of doing this. Here are the options (pick one for each wall):

• One large piece
• Gallery wall
• Grid
• Medium piece
• Diptych
• Mirror
• Stacked pieces
• Something sculptural
• 3 Dimensional, (like a clock)

[HOT_TIP title=”Hot Tip” content=”Vary the orientation and the medium/type of art of two pieces next to each other. “]

That’s right – every wall in a room is addressed with a different configuration of art/mirror or sculpture. Two of any of those things next to each other looks competitive and yet redundant. Imagine two gallery walls next to each other? Two large paintings? Two mirrors? Two grids or diptychs? It seems like of course, you wouldn’t do that, and yet I see it over and over mostly because all of us just use what we have and simply hang it on the walls in an attempt to not have it blank. I GET IT. We can help.

But since real-life examples and explanations are almost always better… Shall I demonstrate? Behold:

Let’s take the Portland living room for example (let’s call it Exhibit A). We have a grid on the fireplace wall, a single horizontal piece, a single vertical piece, and a peek into the open dining room that has a diptych.

Then on the other walls, we have a ‘leaning gallery’, a blank wall because then we have a large vertical leaning in the nook. No mirror or anything ‘sculpture’ but that’s because we have the sconces that help add that 3-dimension. See how your eye is never bored and continuously hopping around?

Exhibit B – Our bedroom in LA. We have for you one big ‘piece’ (the frame TV), a mirror and I added a ladder which also acts like a ‘sculpture’ or 3-dimensional piece.

On the other walls, we have one vertical, two stacked pieces that don’t match (a mini-gallery), and a triple stacked grid (pretty sure that is a sandwich Brian would like to eat), with a big vertical mirror by the closet (not shown). And YES you can have opposing mirrors in one room, just not next to each other.

Exhibit C – In the kid’s room we have a gallery wall, a big statement canopy with two smaller pieces that match (a diptych of sorts), a mirror, a kite (3 dimensional), and a sconce (another 3-dimensional piece but more graphic than the kite). Each wall has its own thing going on, but all working together.

Exhibit D – Our old bedroom. A diptych above the bed, a single vertical, oval mirror, 3-dimensional sconces, and a mixed stack (mini-gallery).

This is an example of multiple mirrors in one room that still works. They are close but not on the same wall:)

Exhibit E – The Portland Family Basement playroom. Here we have a large focal piece next to a large gallery wall, a clock (round to shake it up), and even the swing is the ‘art’ for that corner, adding dimension.

Exhibit F – Emily Bowser’s living room. Here we have a triptych (flanked by 3-dimensional sconces), a large round mirror (to break up the squares). And on the other side of the room…

Here you have a vertical mirror, a single horizontal piece, and in the background a sculptural art piece. All different shapes that make this room sing.

Exhibit G – Jess’ studio apartment living room. An incredible floor to ceiling gallery wall, with a single vertical piece next to a vertical stick sculpture, with a large mirror and those peg hooks act like another 3-dimensional sculpture.

Exhibit H – Julie’s Bedroom. Julie really nailed it with her array of awesome wall art. First, there’s that great gallery wall full of 3-D objects right next to the neutral stacked diptych (nice balance). Then she DIYed that single vertical piece between her windows followed by her ‘raised off the wall’ horizontal triptych. To finish off the space, that long pill mirror. basically something interesting and different at every turn.

I could go on but it feels right to end on ‘H’:)

BUT if you are a little overwhelmed here is a great EHD go-to:

Does this answer your burning questions on how to decorate your walls in a unique yet cohesive way? I hope so. I know it can feel really intimidating when you are staring at empty walls. But as long as you vary the configurations, scale, and orientation (while working within a decided color palette, of course) you are likely going to get exactly the room you’ve been wanting. xx

Opening Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Reveal: A Budget and Rental-Friendly Living and Dining Room (With 80% Thrifted Finds)