It may seem mean spirited and even a little shallow,
to go on and on about decorating mistakes.
Don’t let “food fight paranoia” lead you to plastic slipcovers as defense.
But really, even in a low standard culture,
don’t you owe it to yourself to
live well and attractively?
Dance Hall Days: Lining your furniture up along the walls with a big empty space in the middle only works when a dance party is about to break loose. Vast distances between the chairs and other seating options won’t encourage cozy, comfy chats with friends and family either.
The guiding principle for furniture arrangement is consideration of what you want to do in the room, i.e., the natural home for a table with chairs is a dining room. Use that same task oriented concept to decide what goes where in the other rooms as well. In the living room for example, place your chairs and sofa close enough to each other so you and your guests can have a pleasant conversation without raising your voice. Creating a U shape with the sofa in the middle, flanked on either side with a comfortable chair is a classic solution.
Having established function, can the furniture could float away from the walls and/or be positioned on a diagonal?
You will create a much more interesting and inviting environment if it doesn’t look like you are entering a doctor’s office.
Are you kidding me? Can’t say I’m a fan of copies of anything, although there are circumstances when a copy is appropriate. Let’s say for instance that you have four matching antique or vintage dining chairs but you actually need six. A good craftsman can duplicate the chairs you need so well that only a professional furniture dealer will be able to tell the difference.
In another instance, I’ve used high quality silk ivy in trough style containers for out-of-the-way places that don’t get a lot of light and would be awkward to water, such as the tops of armoires or cabinets. The arrangement finished off the look and added to the ambiance and style of the room. Even so, this treatment would be questionable in very modern interiors, where the esthetic dictates a very disciplined design scheme rather than the homier appeal of more traditional interiors.
Always remember that “Faux” is French for “Fake”.
Having established the “maybe OK’s “ of copies, there are a couple of “you oughta know better” situations that I’ll assume, if they apply to you, you must have been having a bad day when these “accidents” occurred….and you will make amends post-haste.
Plastic flowers are never a good idea. Using them outdoors is beyond ridiculous. The same goes for those silly gnomes…even though I’ll admit, they are kinda cute.
Pink Flamingos are in a class by themselves.
Use sparingly and with Tongue-Firmly-In-Cheek.
Speaking of plastic, say it ain’t so: Plastic sofa and/or chaircovers? What? You’re afraid of a spontaneous food fight? If it looks terrible and is uncomfortably sticky to sit on, you can rest assured you have traveled down the wrong road for upholstery preservation.
There’s more. Bad Decorating #3: See What You’re Looking At
Related Posts
Bad Decorating #1: False Hope and Random Accident Chic
Bad Decorating #3: See What You’re Looking At
Photo – www.flickr.com
Ha! Love the photo of the women sitting on the plastic-covered sofa. To funny.
We have neighbors down the street who had windowboxes filled with spring flowers like tulips and daffodils in April. I was so impressed until I walked past the house last week and noticed that those tulips and daffodils are still there. Made me laugh when I got close enough to realize they were all plastic!
Well, I guess I have to land on the side of no effort is better than bad effort….or give ‘em a point for questionable kitch…. and then a whole other universe like Betsy Johnson. I wish they would have gone for pink flamingos instead…best cindy
There is one and only one instance where I saw an acceptable use of a clear plastic slipcover. It kept a vintage sofa in pristine condition that was for sale in a consignment shop. Of course once someone buys that sofa the cover needs to come off – quickly please!
My grandma has plastic covers on her dining room chairs. Its her only flaw.