Decorating a house can be a passion project for some and a dreaded process for others. Decorating an entire house comes with seemingly endless decisions and having the vision to ensure that the home feels cohesive. From hardware finishes, upholstery selections, paint colors and more, decorating a home can feel like an enormous puzzle — that has no right or wrong answers. So as you navigate the decorating process, start with easy-to-implement tips to help your home feel complete.
Select a color palette
Establishing a color palette is the best way to guide your purchasing decisions. The 60-30-10 rule is a decorating guideline that has stood the test of time. This means that 60% of a room should be a dominant color, 30% should be a secondary color, and 10% should be an accent color. Carrying variations of these colors throughout the home will help it feel unified and intentionally designed.
Add additional lighting
Even if the home is filled with recessed lighting in the ceiling, each room should still have at least three additional lighting sources. In a kitchen, this could mean pendants over the island, sconces over the sink and a fixture about the table. In living rooms, this could mean a variety of sconces, picture lights, floor lamps and table lamps.
Identify each room’s focal point
Identifying each room’s focal point gives you a starting point to design around. In a living room, this is typically the fireplace. Arranging the furniture to focus on the fireplace and creating conversation areas around it grounds the space. In a kitchen, the focal point may be a stunning range hood. This should be the showstopper in the room, and the other kitchen features shouldn’t compete with it.
Size the rug correctly
An appropriately sized rug can make a room appear larger, as well as professionally designed. A rug that is too small can lessen the overall impact of a room and make the room feel off. When deciding between two rug sizes, selecting the larger size is always better. As a general guideline for rug sizing, at least the front legs of your seating should be on the rug, if not all four legs. There should also be six inches between the rug and the wall.
Consider the walkways
An essential decorating guideline is that form should follow function. A room should feel and look effortless, and how seamlessly you can move through the room is the most important fundamental aspect. A room shouldn’t feel crowded and there should be enough breathing room to circulate. Generally, there should be at least three feet of walkway space between pieces of furniture and about 18 inches between smaller pieces, such as the coffee table and the sofa.
Hang the art at the correct height
One of the easiest ways to transform how a space feels is to adjust the height of the art on the wall. Art should be hung at eye level, but this is a different measurement for everyone. Hanging art 58 inches from the floor to the middle of the frame is a good height for many people. And when in doubt, lower the frame an inch or two.
