WHEN IN DOUBT...GOOGLE IT...

This is the second part of last weeks Blog...you may want to review it in order for it to make sense..
I am having a little fun today with  all this . I am exploring the person who wrote the original article about "101 Designer's Secrets" (House Beautiful 5/2012)  It seems that she is not a designer, but a freelance writer who specializes in articles about Interior Design, Horticulture, Archetecture and Food.  Which explains why she wrote these '101 secrets'.

To a non-design person these little tid-bits of design wisdom might ring true, but to someone who has worked in the field for years, these blanket statements of fact are not something I would ever claim or suggest you adhere too.

The one that is stuck in my 'craw' today is by a designer named Kate Ridder who believes that:

" A bed should be 23 inches off the floor, no higher". 

This got me thinking.. so I took my yardstick up stair to my own bedroom....Oops it's 26 inches..But  I think it looks terrific.  I have a large spacious bedroom with well sized furniture and 15 foot Vaulted Ceiling.  I also wanted it the same height as the matching Bachelor chests that I use for nightstands. They are large and are very balanced in the room...plus lots of storage. I then remembered hearing of a study done years ago by Domain, a high style retail  furniture company. (a store in the King of Prussia Mall).   They queried their customers and found that most people really prefer to climb up into a bed...not down into it.  Perhaps Ms Ridder works primarily with Far East design  or perhaps she is very petite...I don't know...so I  "Googled" her web site and checked out her work.  Just as I suspected...very clean Mid-Century modern designs with a touch of Asian influence. No big comfy looking beds here.
After I "Googled" Ms. Ridder,  I "Googled" the author of the article, Lisa Cregan. On her web site she listed all the articles that she has had published with pictures of the magazine covers..  I clicked on the one for the "101 Interior Design Secrets"  in  House Beautiful May of 2012...and to my surprise.. the online version of the article only listed 35 Designer Tips (which  are good starting ideas)... Ms. Ridder's belief was not one of them....Do you think Ms Cregan might have received some feed back from those of us in the field?

The moral of this story...as before...there are no hard and fast rules in Interior Design...And when in doubt...GOOGLE THE SOURCE......and now for me....I am going to climb into my Great Big High bed and have a wonderful and regal nights sleep.