Oct. 15, 2020
Some rules are meant to be broken — especially when it comes to home design.
Here are decorating "rules" that you should ignore, according to interior designers.
You can have a cohesive room while still mixing and matching different design styles.
Just because you've designed your space a specific style doesn't mean you can't mix and match from other ones, Annie Santulli of Annie Santulli Designs told Insider.
"You don't have to design an eclectic space to incorporate a piece that doesn't fit with the interior-design style of the room," Santulli said "A traditional piece can be updated with modern fabrics and finishes, and rustic pieces can add rich and organic texture."
If you're worried your space won't look cohesive, Santulli told Insider that sticking to a specific color palette is key since "color is the easiest connector."
All of your hardware doesn't actually need to match.
Suzan Wemlinger, principal interior designer at Suzan J Designs, said that, contrary to popular belief, all of the hardware in your kitchen doesn't have to match.
"Just because your kitchen cabinets have bronze hardware, that doesn't mean that your faucet, light fixtures, and knobs all need to be bronze," said Wemlinger. "You should try mixing metals because it makes a room look so much more interesting."
There's nothing wrong with having ceilings that aren't white.
It's quite standard for rooms to have white ceilings, but Wemlinger told Insider it's OK to mix it up
"Even if your room is neutral and monochromatic, a soft, metallic champagne color on the ceiling will look amazing," she said, adding you could also try using "a fun, patterned wallpaper" on your ceiling instead of painting it white.
All of your artwork doesn't have to be from the same artist.
A room can still look cohesive even if all of your artwork isn't from the same studio.
In fact, too much cohesion could sometimes make your space look boring. "No matter how good the art may be, if it's all a similar look, it lacks visual interest," Wemlinger said.
"Also, if every piece is a framed canvas piece, there is little textural interest for the viewer. Instead, think about mixing different styles and genres like a traditional vintage framed oil portrait mixed in with a canvas abstract," she added.
Dining rooms don't need to have rugs.
Iantha Carley, owner of Iantha Carley Interiors, told Insider that you shouldn't feel obligated to put a rug in your dining room unless the space is truly "enormous."
"Not only does it take up a lot of visual real estate, but also you don't have to worry about food and drink stains," she said. "It's much easier to vacuum or sweep the floor."
A tiny room doesn't have to be painted in a bright, light color.
White walls can help a room look larger, but Carley said this doesn't mean you should feel obligated to wash a small space in a bright color.
Plus, dark-colored walls come with their own perks.
"It's permissible to paint a small room a dark color because it creates a sense of coziness and intimacy," she shared. "It also gives the illusion of expanding the room because the corners are less obvious."
Art doesn't always need to be hung at eye level.
When it comes to artwork, you can really display it any way you want.
For example, you can try swapping out eye-level posters for floor-to-ceiling prints if you want to make a dramatic statement, Kesha Franklin, an interior designer at Halden Interiors, told Insider.
"You can also create a cluster of art frames in different sizes on the floor to fill an empty corner in the room," she added. "It's effortless and can be easily updated as your mood changes or your art collection grows."
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