by Natalia Jones

Created on: June 18, 2009

It is common knowledge that the devil is in the details. This explains why a room can be filled with the most expensive furniture but still feel clumsy. Whether it is the layout of the furniture or the placement of the accessories, little elements can conspire to tip your space into the bad books of decorators everywhere.

The following is a list of the most frequent decorating faux pas.

1. Curtains gone bad

The two most popular misdemeanors in this area are hanging the curtains too low and hanging curtains that are too short. When curtains are hung too close to the window they can crowd the window frame making the ceilings appear lower and the room feel darker. Curtains should be hung 6 inches to 1 foot above the window frame. For added drama hang your curtains just under the molding of your ceiling. This creates a regal luxurious atmosphere. Curtains that are too short are among the most aggravating of offenses and are on par with wearing pants that flood. Your curtain should end where your floor starts and it is preferable to have a slight puddle of material brushing the floor than to have hems that don't reach the ground.

2. Karate chopped pillows

Like eighties hair spray, these stuffed pillows with there sunken middles and pointy corners probably had their era. Their time has however long since expired. Pillows never naturally take that comical shape so why punch them into this mold? Let your pillows rest naturally and they will look a lot better.

3. Overly bright lights

Unless you are landing an air craft or performing surgery at home, there is no need to have extremely bright white lights. Lighting is supposed to be functional, but if you find yourself reaching for sunglasses in the living room chances are you can stand to decrease the wattage on your bulbs. Install dimmers so you can control the amount of light in the room at any given time. Dimmers are also genius mood creators. You should also use lamps when less light is needed.

4. Magnetic furniture

Ever notice that some people have cool magnetic furniture that sticks to their walls? Some folks try to create the feeling of space by opening a big hole in the middle of their room. This only means that the room is not functional, because the point of positioning furniture is to fit lifestyles. It is hardly possible to have a conversation in a living room when one chair is a mile away from the next.

5. Teeny tiny rugs

Magnetic furniture culprits also usually have rugs that

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