While sorting through some old magazines, I found a great list of interior decorating tips in the July/August 2011 issue of “House Beautiful.” Although these tips come from four years ago, all of them still apply to homes today!

The original list as it appeared in the July/August 2011 issue of “House Beautiful.”

Without further introduction, the tips are…

1). TABLES
A 36-inch-wide rectangular table is perfect for conversation. A round table with a diameter of 48 inches seats six; a 60-inch round will handle eight standard dining chairs or 10 ballroom chairs. – Charlotte Moss

2). OVERHEAD LIGHT FIXTURES
How long should these be? Just add the length and width of the room in feet, and whatever number you come up with is (in inches) your guide for the fixture’s diameter. So, a 15-by-20-foot room needs a 35-inch-wide chandelier. – Bunny Williams

3). PAINT
One gallon of paint will cover about 400 square feet of wall. – Alexa Hampton

4). CURTAIN HEIGHT
Mount curtains as high as possible to give them room more height, and let them break 1.5 inches on the floor. – Miles Redd

5). KITCHEN ISLANDS
A kitchen island should be about 38 inches high–a little taller than the countertops–to be comfortable for food prep. – Thomas O’Brien

6). CURTAIN WIDTH
Curtains should be 2.5 to three times the width of the window. So, if you’re doing two panels, each should be 1.25 to 1.5 times the window width. Buy a rod that’s 20 inches wider than your window so it extends 10 inches on either side. Your window will seem much wider than it really is. – Libby Langdon

7). DINING ROOM CHANDELIERS
The bottom of a dining room chandelier should hang 36 inches above the table. – Thom Filicia

8). LIGHT SWITCHES
Install light switches 36 inches above the floor and 1.5 to two inches to the side of the door trim. – Gil Schafer

9). SOFAS
For a standard 84-inch sofa with exposed legs and a tight back, you’ll need 14 yards of 54-inch-wide fabric. Add two yards for a skirt. – Madeline Stuart

10). GOLDEN RATIO
From classical times to today, the golden ratio has always been the perfect proportion: 1 to 1.62. – Eric Cohler

Do you have any design tips to add to the list? Feel free to post in the comment section.

Living and loving life together,

Mitzi