Aidan Gray’s Randal Weeks Shares Décor Dos (and Don’ts)

Aidan Gray – the Texas-based home furnishing company specializing in European interior – shares tips on how to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again in four key areas of home outfitting.

It’s curtains for you, Sweetheart. Time and time again, I’ve specified and fretted over the perfect fabric, the perfect stitch, the perfect layout, etc. for custom window treatments for oversized windows. I found that it can be an enormous waste of money. In hindsight, ready-made silk would have been a better choice. Stick to neutrals – you can always add banding, but they never go out of style. I tell all my clients to stay with classic colored, ready-made draperies. And the best part is, when you save the money on the front side, you can buy two colors and change them out seasonally.

Don’t get trampled on. Flooring is always an expensive consideration as it is a true anchor for any room’s décor. The key is to think ahead five or 10 years. Will you have a dog over 15 pounds and active kids who are the source of scratches and gauges from cleats and claws? If so, smooth wood floors may be out of the question. You should consider stone or porcelain in that case. This thinking may prevent you from getting flooring torn out in a few years because of the wear and tear of life.

Buck tile trends. Since 2000, long linear tile has been all the rage in back splashes. Everyone is doing it, and someday it will be like avocado counter tops that immediately date a home. In my shower, we went dark natural stone because it was on trend. I HATE IT. It is hard to maintain and entirely too dark for a bathroom. Classic tile styles for the bathroom should be light and simple. Think of your home as the nicest hotel you have stayed in…then think of that bathroom. The best are always classic whites and classic marbles that are timeless and elegant.

Avoid the storage wars. A huge mistake that is made in a lot of homes is the absence of abundant storage space and storage-accommodating furniture when considering room design. The best rule is to think of how much storage you will need and to double it, especially in utility rooms, kitchens and bathroom. Consider the traffic pattern and location of each room within the home, as well as how many people and animals are parts of that pattern. These considerations can prevent a mistake of large proportions when looking for storage solutions.