The Top 10 Interior Design Tips

1. The correct height for a dining room chandelier is approximately 36-inches from the top of the table to the bottom of the light fixture. Depending on your ceiling height, it may go as low as 28-inches above the tabletop.
2. A gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet.
3. A standard 84 inch sofa with exposed legs and a tight back will require 14 yards of solid 54-inch fabric. An additional two yards is required for a sofa with skirt.
4. Curtains should be two and a half to three times the width of the window. If you use two panels, each should be one and a fourth to one and a half times the window width.
5. To make a window seem wider, purchase a rod that is 20 inches wider than the window, which will extend 10 inches on either side.
6. If you mount the curtains ten-inches above the top of the trim, your ceiling height will seem higher. Let the curtains break 1 1/2 inches on the floor.
7. When considering dining room tables, round ones elicit better conversation. A 48-inch diameter table seats six, a 60-inch round will handle eight standard chairs.
8. Kitchen islands should be about 38-inches high, slightly taller than the countertops, making them more comfortable for prep.
9. The size of an overhead light fixture can be determined by adding the length and width of the room in feet, and whatever that number is, convert it to inches. Example, a 14-by-25-foot room will require a 39-inch wide light.
10. From classical times to today, the golden ratio has always been the perfect proportion: 1 to 1.62.