Seven Deadly Sins of Decorating

Sin #1: Inability to Edit

If less truly is more, then beauty is in the eye of the editor, not the beholder. Nowadays, battalions of furniture and tchotchkes seem fuddy-duddy but, more importantly, they upstage the most important component of any room namely, you (or me, if I'm lucky enough to get invited)! A radical cure for an overcrowded living room is to remove half the furniture and objects. Store what you love, donate what you like and begin thinking positively about negative space.

Sin #2: Not Listening to a Room

The best interiors are a harmonious marriage between architecture and interior design so spend time in an empty apartment or house before you decorate it. Get a feel for each room's proportions; register the quality and direction of light; contemplate some surfaces, textures and colors—then let the room's function dictate its design. In other words, the furniture configuration in your living room should not be the same every time you move.

Sin #3: Slavishly Following Trends

Ignore shelter magazine suggestions (guilty as charged!!) about adopting a currently popular interiors style like Asian Modern or English Country. The most successful rooms defy categorization. They're allergic to design templates because they reflect their owner's individuality and life experiences.

Sin #4: Resorting to Cliché

Rooms that stay relentlessly true to one particular style or period (even, dare I say it, mid-20th century modern!) are predictable. They leave little to the imagination. Good design is never stuck in a time warp. It's confident and surprising. Or, in designer Larry Laslo's words, "Glamour is rooted in the unexpected."

Sin #5: Lack of Humor

The best rooms never take themselves too seriously and yes, there is such a thing as death by good taste! A multi-layered interior should easily accommodate (and, at times, flaunt) some irony, wit or kitsch.

Sin #6: Fear of Color

The sage refuses to age with beige! A coat or two of paint is the least expensive and quickest way to transform an interior. Skillfully applied color acts like cosmetic surgery and opens up a claustrophobic kitchen or heightens a low ceiling. And then there are the mood enhancing qualities of color.

Sin #7: Formality

Along with antimacassars, straight backed dining is a thing of the past and more of us choose to use our "best china" everyday. The most successful rooms strive to be casual and relaxed. They welcome guests and encourage them to linger.

Have you sinned?

via Creative Director Linda O’Keeffe of Metropolitan Home