Furniture & Layout
Rug Sizing: The Most Common Living Room Mistake
A rug that’s too small makes furniture look like it’s floating and the room look smaller. How to size rugs for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, with the reasoning.
Design Journal
Furniture & Layout
Scale, proportion, rugs, art, conversation areas, dining rooms and the art of the finishing vignette.
Furniture & Layout
How High to Hang Art (and Why 57 Inches Is the Magic Number)
Most art in most homes hangs too high. Here’s the gallery standard, how to hang over sofas and beds, how to plan a gallery wall, and the math to find the nail.
Furniture & Layout
Scale and Proportion: Why Furniture Looks “Wrong” Even When It’s Beautiful
A lovely sofa can still look wrong if it’s the wrong size for the room, or for the furniture beside it. The simple ratios designers use to get scale right.
Furniture & Layout
Conversation Areas: Arranging Furniture for People, Not the Television
The best living rooms are arranged for talking. The distances, shapes and tricks that make a seating group feel intimate, even in a big open room.
Furniture & Layout
Dining Rooms That Get Used: Table Size, Chair Clearance and Lighting
Many dining rooms sit empty because they’re uncomfortable: too tight, too dim, too formal. The measurements and choices that make people linger at the table.
Furniture & Layout
Accessorizing: Odd Numbers, Varied Heights and the Art of the Vignette
Styling a mantel, a console or a bookshelf can feel mysterious. The principles designers use (odd numbers, triangles, layers and breathing room) make it repeatable.