A list of the top five decorating mistakes compiled by Style at Home magazine's Karl Lohnes and window fashions maker Hunter Douglas.



(NC)-Are you guilty of any of these decorating blunders? Style at Home magazine's Karl Lohnes and custom window fashions manufacturer Hunter Douglas have put together a top-five list of the all-time most often made decorating mistakes.

1) Leaving windows for last. Not only can window fashions create pleasing illusions of depth or height in a room, they control the room's entire mood by determining the quality of light. For example, energy efficient Duette honeycomb shades soften and diffuse light to fill rooms with a romantic glow. Think about the ambience you want to create, and choose your window fashions first to determine which will make the room most usable and comfortable.

2) Buying area rugs too small. An area rug should leave only a 12- to 16-inch border of flooring around the room's perimeter. Your furniture should sit on the area rug and ground it - the rug should not "float" in the middle of the room on its own.

3) Choosing wall colours that are too pale. The larger the room, the more depth a colour needs. When choosing a main colour for an open-style home, choose one slightly darker than you would for a small room.

4) Hanging artwork too high. Simple rules: the bottom of the artwork should be 8 to 10 inches above the top of a piece of furniture. Artwork hung in a hallway or in a stairwell should be hung so the middle of the art is 66 inches off the floor or step.

5) Having more than one focal point in a room. Every room needs a focal point, but most people never figure out what it is. Tip: the bedroom's is the headboard, and the bathroom's is the vanity area. In the living room, the focal point is the television, fireplace or the view, whichever you use more.

For more information, call Hunter Douglas at 1-800-265-1363, e-mail cheryl.corbit@hunterdouglas.com or visit www.hunterdouglas.ca.