LOL made me look over at my kitchen couch and chairs. Two front feet of couch on area rug. One leg of one chair tentatively reaching out to touch one little corner of the rug. Gee now why is that?? Neither feet of other chair on rug at all. Something must give here I have broken many rules. Actually I vacuumed and was not good to put things exactly back.

I am afraid I go against many rules. I especially think living in a smaller house makes this necessary. I do think there might be a few rules that are worth considering. Feet of couch on area rug good because it helps to keep it from becoming magic carpet under foot when you me dogs and cats travel across it.

I do think rules have their place. If you can make them fit.

Shades, you took the words right out of my mouth!!!
Living in smaller homes, you have carte blanche to break ALL the rules. You are doing good to even HAVE a rug, don't you think?

But it is nice to hear a designer actually SAY that the rules were made to be broken.

There in one decorating rule that works for me. Was thinking more on this.

There is this rule about furniture heights going from high to low and back again. As I understand it it is best to have taller pieces together or balance out visual height with art or whatever. The reason is to help keep the eye from bouncing up and down up and down as it travels around the room.

I agree with this rule. It works for me. I find when I do not follow it I get nervous in my space. This is why the 3D images in room design programs are so nice verses just my cut out graph paper pieces. They do not show height. With my furniture I mentally know the height of different pieces so I can plan it but some times I make the high low mistake and it makes me crazy.

Maybe this is all my imagination. And I do not remember where I read this rule.

Interesting thread ML I hope others contribute their thoughts.

Chris

that sounds like a rule shades - like balancing out a large tall piece with something on another wall - tho could be a lower piece with a painting hanging over it. if you left the wall bare the room would look out of balance. or if you put a small painting over it...

I think it's good to KNOW the rule and then decide if it should be broken in your space. if so, break it!

DH and I will be quibbling over all of that today, as movers deliver our furniture and stuff, oh, the stuff.....
I like to ponder over where to hang pictures, put lamps, etc. He wants to get it all over and done with right away. Drives me nuts!! In the end it will look fine, and if I want to do some tweeking, I'll send him on an errand, make my change(s) and he'll probably never even notice:-)

I hate symmetry, but totally agree with the height balance. He likes symmetry. I usually win!

Then there's the Michilen Man leather recliner to deal with......................Talk about breaking rules.

oh Ha wanttoretire. we have TWO recliners and considered getting two more before I got the love seat. Rules out the window for sure. Have a great moving day. Oxymoron for sure.

LOL at the Michelin Man recliner! Dh's sticks out like a sore thumb and try as I might, I just can't make it fit in.

My DH has a COAT that makes him look like the Michelin Man, but he doesn't wear it in the house. ;)

I am not a decorator, and I don't follow any rules except: Do I like it? Does it fit the budget?

The 'furniture feet on/off the rug' thing has always confused me. I've seen shows on HGTV where a designer declares that the front feet of LR furniture should either be ALL on or ALL off the rug. And then people on the RMS website repeat this advice as if were written in stone.

WHY is that a rule? What difference does it make? Does it make the furniture group more 'cohesive'? I can't say that I even notice if our furniture is on or off the rug on any given day. The non-skid factor that Chris mentions makes more sense to me.

And, on another subject, aside from being high enough to qualify as 'chair-rail', what difference does it make if your chair-rail is 4' high, 5' high, etc? I've read advice that someone has given to re-do NEW bead-board and chair-rail, because it is perceived as a too low.

Somewhere I saw a sign: MY HOUSE - MY RULES

Where are these rules written?

I agree with mama goose, do I like it and does it fit the budget? are my only two criteria. That said, I usually do like the rooms in magazines better than mine.

Mama goose- I think chair rails are the correct height, so that your chair doesn't damage the wall, when you back up from the table. That's why a lot of old houses have them in the dining room...plaster.

Really high ones are usually plate rails, because you used them to display plates, at a height, where they wouldn't be touched or damaged.

As for all other rails, if they're just for decoration, or to break up the wall space, maybe try making up your own names for them.

The "fingerprint rail" could be handy. Everything below is painted with enamel (where little hands touch) and everything above is something a little less easy to scrub. The "dog rail" would be very similar, but the height could change with the height of the dog. LOL

As for area rugs, the only one that's really important is the dining room or eating area, since the chairs will be tippy if all four legs aren't on the rug. In the living room, I think it depends on what you put under the rug, to keep it from slipping. If there's nothing, or it doesn't work very well, then putting furniture legs on the rug might help :)

My favorite rule to break...this should never be painted!

I can not leave this one alone." The "dog rail" would be very similar, but the height could change with the height of the dog. LOL"

So for ML her "Dog Rail" would be considered a tall base board. Heheheheheh Sorry ML I been working too hard lately on books.

Chris

shades, LOL!!

lavender, with the grandson staying here, ours would be called the 'bumper car rail'. If we called it the 'dirt rail' it would go all the way to the ceiling. :P

BWAHAHAHAHAHA
And I was just reading about dog rails and thinking how LOW mine would be, almost invisible, and then I read

"So for ML her "Dog Rail" would be considered a tall base board. Heheheheheh Sorry ML I been working too hard lately on books. Chris"

You crack me up, Chris.....that is so true.
TALL BASE BOARD, OH YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! PERFECT NAME...

I believe you have to know and understand the rules first. Once that is done, you then have the foundation for when and how it's okay to break them.

This applies to many situations, not just decorating.

Oh, and I don't have any area rugs :-( DH and I just cannot seem to agree on one!

Great thread.

As a famous restaurant says in their ads: No rules, just right.

I like the quote you gave by Peter Frank ML. It kind of lets some of us breathe easier. I certainly couldn't have any decorating police to our home, we'd be busted for all kinds of infractions I know.

FlowerLady