Practical advice, common sense prevent decorating mistakes

I've been designing for more than 17 years and have seen just about every type of home and decorating style. Over time, I've seen a common thread through most of the homes. So today I'm going to share with you "The Seven Deadly Decorating Mistakes."

White walls

I hear it all the time, "I don't want to paint because what if someone doesn't like the colors when I sell." OK, when you sell you'll need to repaint anyway to give your home a fresh and clean look, so why live with white walls.

I'm not saying you should paint the whole house green, but see where you can do some colorful accents. And trust me that a nice neutral will make everything look more expensive than white. Life is too short to live with white walls.

Wrong size furniture

You're going out to buy new furniture. You're excited to finally decorate. You go into a 200,000-plus-square-foot showroom and buy. They deliver and it's too big or too small. Has this happened to you?

Do not shop without measurements. It will take five minutes to measure your room and save you a lot of money and aggravation.

Inadequate lighting

I went into a home one time and there was no lighting in the family room -- none at all. They didn't know where to put it so they were using the ceiling cans in the kitchen and the light over the stove; I am not kidding.

It is extremely rare that I find a home with enough or the right kind of light. To properly light a room you need task, general and accent lighting.

Your lighting should be placed at least on a diagonal across the room, with a triangular pattern being the best.

So that means you should have at least two or three portable lamps in each room. Portable lamps are table and floor lamps. Your general lighting is what gets you safely in and out of a room, which is normally the overhead lighting.

Overdone collections

Have you walked into someone's home and didn't know where to look because there was so much going on or that it looked like a retail store? It's easy to have that happen when you love and collect things. You're drawn to them when shopping, along with friends and family buying them for you every holiday.

Collections are fun but they can be overdone. When you have an extensive collection keep it to one room and edit. Put half of the items out and switch them every six months or even yearly since I know it is a task. You'll enjoy them more because after 27 days you actually no longer see them.

At one time I loved Garfield and before you knew it, they were everywhere. I have a Barbie collection that has grown so large my closets are filled with them.

Now I like to tell people I collect money and wine. I enjoy them both and they get used on a daily basis.

Art hung too high

No matter your height, unless you're a giant or little person, art is to be hung at eye level, which for the average-height person is about 58 inches from the floor to the center of the picture.

Art is viewed mainly while sitting, not standing, unless, of course, you have an art gallery in your home. It also should not be hung more than 10 inches over a piece of furniture. When you hang art too high it becomes disconnected from the room and your furniture.

Function following form

So many times we get caught up in the excitement of decorating that we forget that our home must first function and then be pretty. The exception to this rule would be your accessories and small purchases, but for large purchases form follows function.

Here are a couple of examples that I have seen. There was a silk sofa in a family room with children and pets. It was beautiful, but after one week it was stained and the fabric was torn. I know children and pets should be well-behaved, but you need to consider real life.

Another time I saw a small desk in a home office because they liked the look of having guest chairs sitting in front. It gave that executive look, but the owner couldn't work at the desk.

Before you go shopping, you first need to think about the room you're decorating. How are you going to use the room? What do you need to make it functional? How do you live?

When I was a kid, my girlfriend's mother actually roped off the formal living room -- no kidding. Now that said "Welcome."

Fear of making a decision

Are you looking for the perfect thing and have to get everyone's opinion? Know that new items are introduced into the market at least every six months. I get new fabric books every three months and wallpaper books every single month. So there will always be something new to choose from.

And asking all your friends, family and every salesperson's opinion will just be overwhelming. Remember that is why we have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream.

If you are constantly looking for the perfect fabric and need everyone's opinion, you will get discouraged and never get it done. Purchasing interior decorating items is a financial investment, but not the end of the world. It's time to feel the fear and do it.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. Eastern Ave., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.