Life Style Decorating 2: Building Good Taste

Haven't we all heard someone exclaim, "She doesn't have any taste at all! Have you seen how she decorated her home?" While this statement could be true, in most cases I have found it has little to do with taste and everything to do with preference. We can not judge someone else's preferences, but we can judge their taste, once we learn how to build our own good taste in decorating.

So what is the difference between taste and preference? Preference is personal. It is what a person likes and dislikes. Shouldn't personal preference affect how you decorate your room? Absolutely! But you also need taste to make sure the efforts you put into decorating your room result exactly the way you expect.

What is taste? Taste is not preference. It is not inherited (thank goodness). Taste is an acquired attribute that can be learned by most anyone through careful study, observation and lots of practice. It starts with a working knowledte of design elements, what the remainder of this article will discuss.

It is important for you to learn these key elements for by doing so, you will be able to:

- Judge quality in furniture styles and construction.

- Make wise decisions for floor coverings, wall and window treatments and accessory items.

- Know what fabrics work best for window curtains and draperies, upholstery and accessory items like linens.

- Be able to use accessory items and object 'd arts with confidence and flair.

- Select lighting that is both functional and attractive.

The design elements discussed in this article are the keys to putting all the pieces of the interior together to form a tasteful decor.

Line and Form

What is a line? Seems like a silly question, yet how difficult it is to answer for most of us! A line is nothing more than a series of points in space. Like this: *------------* or this ./\/\/\/\/\/\/\.
Lines can be curved as well as straight. They can go vertically, horizontally, diagonally, zigzag, in a circle or curves - simple or elaborate.