Dan's Papers - March 28, 2008 - Decorating by the Numbers

To the casual observer, decorating might seem like a lot of talk about colors, prints, patterns and textures with the occasional fancy word such as "oushak" and "bergere" thrown in for good measure. While colors are certainly important, it's the numbers that count when decorating. Consider the most important tool that a decorator carries around: a tape measure. So let's put aside for a moment talk about how orange is hot, that green in the new blue, that wicker is wonderful, or that "bitch is the new black," and take a look at some standard numbers and measurements starting in the dining room.

There should be about nine inches of space between the seat of a dining chair and the lowest point of the tabletop. This is something to keep in mind if the dining table has an apron, which is the horizontal support under the tabletop. It's not going to be a very jolly dinner party if guests can't get their legs comfortably under the table. If there's a lot more space than nine inches, guests may feel like children with their chins in the soup.

When installing a hanging light fixture over a dining table, the lowest point of the light fixture should be three feet over the table surface. Look at it first at three feet and if it seems too high or low adjust accordingly. If there's just a hanging fixture, and no table underneath, there should be at least seven feet of clearance under the fixture to the floor.

A minimum of three feet of space is necessary around a dining table if there's going to be room for a person to walk past a filled chair. If there's ever going to be someone serving food or clearing plates while people are seated at the table this will be important. Also, this space means someone seated at the table can get up without asking others to squeeze their chairs in or move. If it's simply not possible to have three feet or more of space, make sure there's an absolute minimum of 20-inches to 2-feet for someone to sit comfortably in a chair.

Ideally, a rug under a dining table should extend about three feet from the edge of the table. If the rug is much smaller, then the legs of the chairs get caught on the edge of the rug as they are pulled in and out. Also, it's not great if the dining chairs have two legs on and two legs off the rug.

Moving out of the dining room, consider that when ordering wallpaper, there are two types of rolls: American and European. An American roll is typically 27 inches wide and five yards long, which is a total of 33 square feet. A European roll is typically 20-inches wide and 11 yards long, which is a total of 55 square feet. A double roll will, of course, be twice as long as a single roll. If a painter is estimating how many rolls of wallpaper a project will require, be sure it's clear what type of roll is being discussed.

Upholstered sofa and chair cushions are often filled with a mixture of down and feathers. This combination comes in different ratios such as 60/40 or 80/20, with down being the first number (remember that it's alphabetical, down comes before feathers). A cushion filled with 60/40 will have less down, so will be firmer, than one filled with 80/20.

Then there are some measurements that are really a matter of preference. The height of a towel bar (48-inches off the floor is about average), the height that a showerhead is installed at (72 to 74 inches off the floor is standard, but a taller person will want it higher), and the height of a shower curtain pole (standard shower curtains are 72-inches high so it's easiest to have it at least 78-inches off the floor) can be determined by what looks best and what suits your height and comfort zone best.

When the next decorating project comes up, remember to keep the numbers in mind to make the final result as perfect as possible.