1. To help lengthen a room with a low ceiling, consider these decorative options: Help "fool the eye" by covering your walls with a softly colored vertical striped wall covering, or embellish your walls with a creatively designed faux finish, or an asymmetrical picture grouping will help by adding visual interest.

2. Many lovely color schemes fade to drabness when under lit at night or they may even become garish when over lit. Make sure your rooms are evenly illuminated. People, like moths, avoid dark areas, and gather in light ones.

3. Don't follow fads in decorating. Choose what suits your own tastes, your lifestyle and your budget.

4. When framing pictures, select matting and colors that compliment your room setting and color scheme

5. Watch your scale when mixing patterns. A modern, contemporary nine-foot sofa might look luxurious in certain settings, but would be totally overpowering with a dainty French provincial coffee table.

Call Mishanna Rischar at INTERIORS by Decorating Den for your complimentary in-home consultation at 805.525.9800.