A record of Take On 8 Controversial Decorating Issues

We will start this post off by saying that when it comes to decorating your house, we believe there are no right answers. Rules are meant to be broken and feathering your nest is certainly one of the most subjective and personal things you will ever do. Our mantra has consistently been “simply do what you enjoy” so you end up coming home to a house that makes you smile.

But what if you do not know what you enjoy? Simply look at rooms in magazines and online and find out what tickles your fancy and use it as a springboard to take your house to the next level. Or stare at your favordominite painting or even a pair of earrings or a fairly invitation and use it as your inspiration – yes you can even design a room around a pattern on a napkin or a fairly soap box like this:

We enjoy reminding people that we have absolutely no background in home improvement or interior design, we are simply two people who learned as we went and slowly updated our house on a budget and shared our progress as we went. And somewhere along the way we amassed sufficient confidence and on-the-job experience to assist other people spruce up their spaces as well. But we certainly have made our fair share of mistakes, and we think those learning experiences have truly made us who we are today. They assist us relate to everyone out there who is also trying to fix up their home on a budget without any formal training- armed only with their wits, some elbow grease, and a lot of bullheaded determination. Oh yeah, we can totally relate to that.

And we have one more rule around here: do not do something simply because we suggest it. When we dish out advice on anything from a recommended paint color to a rug rule, we do it to assist get the ball rolling and serve as a starting point. But we never want people to blindly do things simply because “The house team said it would work.” Because design is so subjective that there are about 100 ways to skin a cat. So it would simply be crazy to robotically follow our suggestions without a bit of thought and consideration to see if they truly feel right for you and your home. There is not one right way to decorate your living room, there are about a hundred distinct solutions that would look fantastic. And that is good news because it means you can follow your heart to a result that works for you instead of blindly hunting for the nonexistent one and only “answer” to your decorating dilemma.

BUT (there is consistently a but, right?) on the flip side to that coin, we do get asked a few questions that are certainly highly debatable, so here is our take on those decorating dilemmas. They are truly more like general suggestions that you can consider and apply in a way that makes sense to you or choose to fully ignore. Truly it is all about doing what you enjoy, not what we say!

Controversial Question #1: Can your living room rug be shorter than the length of your sofa? Generally speaking we prefer for the rug to be at least a few inches longer than your sofa on both sides so it feels anchored by the rug instead of top heavy and a bit too bulky. So in smaller rooms with a sofa and a chair arrangement (like our den or living room) we typically recommend a 5 x 8 rug, but in any other seating arrangement (that involves a sofa and a loveseat, a sofa and two chairs next to each other, or a sectional) we consistently think an 8 x 10 rug works best to define that arrangement and ground everything with ease.

But rules are meant to be broken, so there is a room over on domino.com with a rug that is shorter than the sofa that is excellent. See there truly are no right answers here, so why not take home three potential rugs and see which one works best for your space (simply return the two “losers” when you are done and you have not wasted a cent trying out a few alternatives). Read more general rug rules right here.

Controversial Question #2: Should large upholstered furnishings be covered only in neutral colors so they consistently feel classic, or can you get more bang for your buck with a brightly colored sofa or a lively patterned chair? We prefer classic upholstery and opt to bring in color with accessories, which is typically the safest way to ensure that you will not tire of the look of a room and be forced to purchase large items in order to change the look (as opposed to switching out some accessories for a new look on a far smaller budget). For example, a bright abstract turquoise painting above the fireplace and some punchy orange and aqua pillows could totally change up the look of our den in under $100.

But again, rules are meant to be broken. Here is a space with a bright red sofa that looks amazingly classic and fresh (see more info about this room makeover here):

And here is a bedroom makeover where we recommended graphic striped chairs that truly made the space feel polished and luxe (without breaking the bank since they are from Target). So sometimes some color or pattern in your furnishings can truly make the room.

Controversial Question #3: Do all the frames in a room have to match? Personally, we enjoy that every frame in our house is white so we can switch them out from room to room for an straightforward change (which has saved us some major moolah over the years since they are so flexible and easily movable). Check out more framing ideas right here.

But they certainly do not have to be all the same color throughout your house, or even throughout a room. There is a space with a mixed display of frame finishes that looks eclectic, lovely, and collected over time from over on Apartment Therapy this morning. So again, it is truly all about what you like and what you have on hand so there is no ideal answer in this category either.

Controversial Question #4: Do all wood furnishings have to match? No way. We in fact believe that falling for the matchy-matchy look is the quickest way to a flat room that looks like you got everything in an afternoon from the same store. Here is a post with a slew of details and suggestions on that subject – we truly think layered materials, finishes, and tones can make a space feel dimensional, interesting and effortlessly stylish.

Controversial Question #5: Does all hardware (faucets, door knobs, fixtures, etc) have to match? Nope, certainly not. It cannot hurt if you have a small bathroom or kitchen and painstakingly ensure that every latch, pull, and fixture is the same brushed nickel finish, but we have also seen some remarkable rooms with layered hardware and fixture choices (like antique brass mixed with silvery finishes). We in fact wrote a big post all about this subject so click here for more info.

Controversial Question #6: Should all the trim in your house be the same color? Well, we enjoy that all of our trim is a pleasant crisp white (it keeps our home feeling cohesive and current) but we have also seen houses with rich dark wood moldings in some rooms and clean white trim in others- and it looked fairly darn remarkable as well. And here is a lovely English casa with vivid raw wood beams that add tons of character and charm:

The bottom line? Do what you enjoy (whether that is mixing and matching trim throughout the house or keeping it all consistent and cohesive).

Controversial Question #7: Can you put an area rug over wall to wall carpeting? Our opinion: yes, yes, yes! We enjoy rugs over wall to wall carpet. Any seating area that floats in a space (which is frequently how they look best, even in small rooms) needs something to ground and define simply that distinct area. So a rug over a carpet (be it jute, wool, or anything truly!) frequently looks fantastic in every space from a living or family room to a bedroom with a small seating area or a centered bed. In short: Go for it if it makes you glad (and avoid it if you disagree)!

Controversial Question #8: Besides paint, what is the biggest way to transform a space? We believe that answer is undeniably curtains (as demonstrated by this remarkable reader-submitted curtain makeover, which you can learn more about here):

They truly can make the room and create a taller, bigger, and more architectural effect. Here is a post all about picking the ideal window treatments to spruce up your space, so you are bound to find plenty of ideas (do not forget to check out the comment section for even more solutions).

So that is our take on a few controversial decorating topics. What do you folks think? Are there any decorating rules that you happily break around your house? Or any that you stick to religiously without any interest in straying? Do tell.