Many of you feel more comfortable when you have a tape measure in hand when trying to place couches, rugs, chairs, mirrors and other objects in your rooms. You know you absolutely must measure when ordering custom window treatments and my mantra is always “measure twice, cut once.” Be mindful and take care to measure correctly with a steel tape and double check so you won’t be disappointed and end up with window coverings that are too long or too wide or too short and gap in the window frame. For some other decorating projects, you can be more frivolous as your style dictates, but there are some rules that designers think are “ideal” that you might want to keep in your personal decorating guidebook. I call these the best practices but can depend on the size of your room, how tall or short you are and just your own intuition on what looks good in your space. If you get stuck and something doesn’t seem to mesh or looks off, refer to these numbers to see if you can design a more attractive and functional living area.
Many designers have set “best” decorating rules . See if you agree with: “Design By Numbers.”
1. Good distance between a gallery of pictures: 2 inches
Whether your pictures are horizontal or vertical or a combo, this space grouping will create an uncluttered but cohesive collage. The more the merrier when making a photo or art gallery.
2. Best distance between and area rug and at least one wall: 12-18 inches
You want to have at least a foot of bare floor or you will have a rug that looks a wall-to wall carpeting that was cut too short! Not a good look.
3. Perfect distance between a nightstand and a bed: 2 inches
You need a little bit of space or the furniture will look crowded. 2 inches is just enough so you don’t spill your water bottle or carafe and when you punch the snooze button, the alarm clock doesn’t crash to the floor.
4. Most comfortable coffee table height: 16-20 inches
Many couches are 18 to 20 inches high so a coffee table just about 2 inches lower is just enough to comfortably put up your feet and keep your view clear.
5. Best distance between TV and sofa: 72 inches
We find that sitting farther than that causes eye strain and any closer could be uncomfortable. If you have a high definition TV, multiply the diagonal measurement of the screen by 1 1/2 and that should give you a happy viewing distance.
6. Most comfortable height for kitchen countertops: 36 inches
If you are short like I am, you will want to reconsider this measurement as countertops are always too high for me but for the average person, this is the most common height for easy cooking and food prep and dishwashing- that interminable pile of dishes never seems to magically disappear.
7. Perfect height for toilet paper holder: 26-28 inches
Does it drive you crazy when you have to stretch and do an awkward bend? This measurement should alleviate this.
8. Good height for bathroom towel bar: 48 inches
This keeps the extra-long and deluxe towels from hanging to the floor and allows for a perfect look for regular towels.
9. Ideal height for chandelier over a dining room table: 66 inches
Measure from the bottom of the chandelier to the floor. This height will allow for a pretty centerpiece but leave plenty of space to keep a clear space across the table so you can see and talk to your guests. A high light fixture over the table looks unnatural.
10. Best Drapery Length: one to three inches past the floor.
For full length draperies, puddling is the trend today to softly let the bottom glide along the floor to create a slight bunching of the material. Add this measurement to your full length number to accommodate for your personal taste.
Refer to these as a helpful guide if you are very particular and need math and numbers to give you that expert feeling to make your room right, but never feel compelled or inhibited to use your intuition and original flair to “mix-up” for a lively home. Make yourself happy.
