Design Peeves

I read more interior design magazines than I'd like to admit. Consequently, I have developed a few design pet peeves that just ruffle my feather pillows:

• unburned "display" candles: burn your candles, people---from what I hear, wax is not waning
  
• "karate-chopped" throw pillows: some designers do this thing wherein they give the couch pillows a chop with one hand to make them look more lived-upon...however, the result is not coziness but rather judo-chic
  
• lack of personal touches: who wants to live in an interior design museum? add photographs and memories from your adventures throughout your space to remind yourself and your guests that you live there
  
• collections: if you have 44 Aunt Jemimas, let's keep that little secret to yourself
• impractical furniture: cuteness should rarely trump comfort (exception to this rule: super cute shoes)
• cluttered bookshelves: make your bookcases aesthetically pleasing---group books by size, shape or even color and be sure to add in non-literary elements like vases, sculptures, or picture frames to break up the monotonyimage from Apartment Therapy