Plaid: A Little Goes a Long, Long Way



Posted: Monday, August 10, 2009

by Lauren Kline
Long and Foster Real Estate

It seems that in the past few months I have seen the most bewildering thing, listing after listing of homes decorated with plaid. Some of them have plaid furniture, some have plaid wallpaper, and a few even have plaid carpeting. Plaid. Carpet. Up until this point I wasn't even aware that anyone made plaid carpet and am frankly rather surprised that there's enough of a market for it that anyone does make it.

Now don't get me wrong, I love plaid. It makes a neat geometric accent to offset an otherwise plain room or outfit. Plaid is fabulous for kilts, coats for little dogs, and to denote Scottish things. Plaid is also effective as a pattern for a funky dress or pair of pants if you like things a little more playful. However, as a design element that you are going to look at day in and day out, it may not always be the best choice.

If you find it necessary to use plaid in your decorating make sure that you do it sparingly. As a rule of thumb, it's probably not a good idea to carpet or wall paper your home in plaid. However, an accent wall done in plaid might add some visual interest without overdoing it. Mostly stick to smaller plaid accents or plaid decorating elements that are easily changed like blankets, cushions, or curtains. This way, if you become tired of your plaid-ified home, you can easily change those pieces for something different.

If you absolutely love plaid and must have a lot of it in your home, consider only plaiding up one room in your house. Set aside a private space that you can enjoy and plaid it right up. Be aware that many people will find a whole plaid room a headache in the making though.

Remember too, plaid doesn't only come in bright colors; some plaids are made up of earth tones or dark sombre colors. Use the bright coloured plaids for an eye catching pop of color or a more neutral or subdued plaid if the brights are just a bit too much for your space.

Keep in mind, as well, if you're looking to sell your home and you've wallpapered or carpeted areas of your house in plaid it is well within your best interest to re-carpet or remove the wallpaper. Prospective buyers will almost definitely not look upon plaid walls or floors favorably; they will instead see the work that they are going to have to put into the home and the costs that they'll incur as a result.

Begin your search for Montgomery County MD real estate at LaurenKlineRealEstate.com. Her team will help you find the perfect Columbia Heights DC home.

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