Design Lesson

11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid them

11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid them

11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid them Author: Style At Home

Design Lesson

11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid them

We’ve all made purchasing mistakes. The sweater that was too itchy. The wine that no one cared for. Unfortunately, when it comes to your home, the stakes (and price tags) can be significantly higher. Of course, smaller purchases can be returned, but often the most impactful design choices require installation (and associated labour costs) that will have to be undone and redone if there’s been an error in judgment along the way. The point is not to frighten you away from changing anything, ever, or to steer you toward only neutrals, but rather a reminder that you can save a small bundle if you avoid these big blunders.

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11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid

TV or artwork installed too closely above a gas fireplace

“This one is so common: Installing a TV or coveted piece of artwork over a gas fireplace,” says Crispin Butterfield, senior designer at Urban Theory Interior Design in Brandon, Manitoba. “From an aesthetic point of view, a 24-inch minimum distance, for example, between fireplace and the bottom of your object might not look proportionate, but trust me when I say following building codes and manufacturer installation instructions is crucial: the heat a gas fireplace gives off can and will melt your electronics and finishes if mounted too close to the output source,” she says. A mantel safely segregates the artwork from the heat of the gas fireplace in the living room pictured here.

Image by: Style at Home By: Helen Racanelli Source: Tracey Ayton

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Design Lesson

11 expensive design mistakes and how to avoid them