Recovering From A Decorating Disaster

By Joey Lewitin

What happens when you come home and you realize that you hate the way it looks?
Simple, you fix it.

Decorating disasters are not the end of the world. All you have to do is take a calm, logical approach to the space, and you should have no problem figuring out what the problem is, and taking the necessary steps to resolve it.

The first thing you have to do is step back from a room and look at it with an unbiased eye. Why don’t you like this space? Are you just in a bad mood, or is there something wrong here?

Pay very close attention to the following three factors
- Color: Color shapes your perceptions and influences your emotions. If the colors in a space are clashing, or if one of them just calls up an unhappy memory, then you know where your problem is.- Pattern and Line: These factors refer to way the space is arranged. This can apply to everything from the relative position of the coffee table, to the way the patterns on two different sofas look next to each other. Make sure the space is neither chaotic with too many lines, nor boring with too few. - Texture: Often overlooked, the incorrect use of texture can cause major headaches for a rooms design. Too much texture makes the space abrasive, while too little can make it boring. You also have to watch out for clashing textures overwhelming a space, such as rough concrete walls meeting with a clefted stone floor.

The problem is usually caused by just one or two factors that can usually be easily changed.

If color is your problem it may be time to get creative. Rather than redoing expensive paint jobs, ripping up flooring installations and redoing ceilings, it is often easier to take existing color schemes and influence them through the use of accent pieces. If a room is too dark and gloomy, try hanging brightly colored art, wall pieces, or clocks around the space. Bring in cheerful furnishings, with glowing patterns, and add lamps and decorative lighting. If the problem is too much light, do the opposite, grounding the space with dark, deep accessories that will contain the airy colors.

Fixing a problem with line and pattern is a little more straight-forward. Generally a line problem in a room is caused by clutter. You should start by arranging your possessions in a more logical and orderly pattern. Move similarly shaped objects next to each other in groups, and get rid of unnecessary items by placing them in storage. Try to maximize foot space, and create linear passages throughout the area.

If the problem with the room is that it is too boring, you can add interest by incorporating patterns into the space. Try a single furnishing, such as a sofa or coffee table, adorned in an intricate and contrasting pattern. If that helps, add other items to the mix until you feel that the room is engaging enough.

If neither color nor clutter seems to be the problem, than it might be the textures in the space. Go beyond your eyes and try to understand how the room feels. Is it a friendly room? Is it gloomy or exciting or is it just boring? Often you can alter the entire ambience of a space just by adding or subtracting a highly textured piece.

When you find yourself in the midst of a decorating disaster it is important not to panic. Just calmly step back from the space and evaluate what went wrong. Pay attention to the colors, and the ways in which they interact. Also notice the patterns, the lines, and the textures, and how the affect the underlying nature of the space. Many people find it useful to create diagrams, and to lay out colors patterns and textures on them, as a way of visualizing the space in a more compact manner.

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