size it up!

Have you ever found yourself asking….”is this hung too high?” or “should the legs of the chair or sofa touch the edge of the rug?” or “does this chandelier look funny?” How about…”do these pants make my butt look big?”

Well, I can’t answer that last one for you, but here are a couple of staging tricks and guidelines that will steer you in the right direction for those other pesky questions.

Area rugs: use a rug to ground or define a space. Most people buy their rugs too small. A typical sofa and chair or loveseat configuration works best with a 5 ft. x 8 ft. rug.

If you are creating a conversation area, have all front legs of your furniture sitting on the rug by at least an inch.

If you decide to use a rug under your table and chairs (not recommended if you have nice floors), look for one that is 24 to 30 inches wider than the table and chairs.

If you are putting down one big rug in a room to cover most of the floor, leave 25 to 36 inches between the edges of the rug and the walls.

Artwork and photographs: ground your art to furniture pieces. Place the bottom edge of the artwork 4 to 6 inches above the surface or the back of the furniture.

If the art is alone on the wall, hang it 54 inches from the floor to the centre of the art piece. This is a comfortable eye-level for most people.

Chandeliers: to hang a chandelier in an entry way, measure the height of the space from floor to ceiling. The chandelier should hang down 3 inches per foot of the height. For example, if the height is 12 feet, the bottom of the chandelier should hang down 36 inches from the ceiling.

If you are hanging a chandelier in a dining room, the bottom should hang anywhere between 30 to 42 inches above the table top.

Hanging curtains: be sure to place the brackets a couple of inches on the outside and a couple of inches above the moldings around the window. When the curtains are pulled back, you don’t want them to obstruct the view or the light. When they are closed, you want a nice clean line that covers the top of the window & molding.

Never, ever screw anything to the face of the moldings. It looks bad and it’s much easier to repair the wall where the brackets were, then trying to repair damage to the face of molding surrounding the windows. (Of course, hanging window treatments -- like blinds made to fit -- on the inside of the window is fine.)

If you want a window to look bigger, mount the curtain brackets well beyond the edges and the top of the window and make sure your curtains are large enough to cover the entire space when closed.

Miscellaneous tidbits: if traffic flows around a table, make sure you have at least 48 inches between the edge of the table and other furniture or walls.

Be aware of what’s being reflected in your mirror. Put it where you are reflecting greenery, light, the outside view, a backyard or garden. Rethink it if you reflect the ceiling, wall, closet...etc.

As for the pants question, well…I know there is a theory about what the back pockets are like and where they hit you, but I'm never so sure... that’s why I’m mostly a “dress and skirts” girl!