Curtains, rugs and the layer everyone leaves until last

Every fit-out budget is consumed from the hard end. Joinery, stone and tiling are contracted early and paid for; curtains and rugs are chosen at the end from whatever remains. The result is a technically complete home that sounds echoey and looks unresolved.

Set aside a real number for it at the start — somewhere between eight and twelve per cent of the interiors budget is a reasonable planning figure. Textiles are also the layer doing the acoustic work: a hard-floored, glass-heavy room is unpleasant to sit in until something soft is introduced.

For curtains, the practical decisions are fullness and drop. Anything less than double fullness looks mean when drawn. Fixing the track at ceiling level rather than just above the frame makes a room read taller at almost no extra cost.

For rugs, the common mistake is buying too small. At minimum the front legs of the seating should sit on the rug; a rug floating in the middle of a seating group makes the whole arrangement look temporary.

For rugs, the common mistake is buying too small.