Interior designers reveal the 8 decorating rules you should (almost) never break

Sep 08, 2026 08:16 PM - 1 hour ago 4

The measurement you decorate your location is wholly up to you — but location are a fewer guidelines and design suggestions you whitethorn want to support successful mind arsenic you're decorating.

Although location are uncommon exceptions, present are a fewer decorating rules that the pros opportunity you should almost ne'er break.

Having curtains that are excessively short tin make your abstraction consciousness incomplete.

curtains sofa model big

Your curtains should graze the floor, according to immoderate designers. Shutterstock

Lauren White, proprietor and main designer astatine Ellen W. Interior Concepts, said curtains should ever deed the floor. This mostly helps a abstraction look larger and much polished.

"Curtains that are excessively short are for illustration wearing high-water pants," she said. "It does not look bully and makes your abstraction look unfinished."

There are uncommon exceptions to this — for example, if you're dealing pinch a model supra a descend aliases bathtub.

A rug that's excessively mini tin propulsion disconnected an full room.

Living room pinch mini reddish rug, ample windows

A mini rug tin propulsion disconnected the proportions of a space. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

A high-quality rug isn't inexpensive — and the bigger you go, the much costly they become.

Because of this, you whitethorn beryllium tempted to take a smaller, much affordable option, moreover if it intends sacrificing aesthetics.

If that's the case, and your rug won't beryllium decently scaled to your space, you're astir apt amended disconnected skipping a rug altogether, White said.

"A rug that is excessively mini takes distant from the space, though you would dream it adds ocular value," she told BI.

The "right" size of a rug varies depending connected the room. However, astatine the very least, White said, your rug should astatine slightest beryllium capable to beryllium nether the beforehand legs of your furnishings pieces,

Ordering furnishings without measuring your abstraction tin lead to costly mistakes.

measuring furnishings appliance

Measuring is key. Shutterstock

It whitethorn look for illustration a no-brainer, but taking the clip to measurement your abstraction is simply a important first measurement to creating a successful design, White said.

Even better, effort envisioning really an point will beryllium successful your abstraction by utilizing a spot of tape.

"Get the dimensions of the furnishings you're willing in, drawback immoderate bluish painter's tape, and create the style of the furnishings pinch the painter's portion and dimensions," she said. "This will springiness you a ocular guideline to guarantee your furniture will beryllium functional successful your space."

Choosing stylish pieces without reasoning astir their usability tin origin your abstraction to look cluttered.

Living room pinch mounted tv, cabinets adjacent to it, tv guidelines below

When successful doubt, opt for pieces that person other storage. Carlina Teteris/Getty Images

"When choosing furnishings for your home, it is important to not only incorporated pieces you love, but to guarantee these pieces activity for your lifestyle," Gena Kirk, vice president of creation astatine KB Home, said.

Because of this, you want to debar buying stylish pieces that aren't functional and alternatively opt for pieces that person a batch of retention space.

Doing truthful helps to "keep your location looking beautiful without the clutter," Kirk said.

Having only 1 root of ray successful a room tin make a abstraction autumn flat.

dining room pinch modern chrome and quartz eating array and chairs pinch wood paneling

Lighting should beryllium layered successful a home. John Keeble/Getty Images

Windows aside, having only 1 root of ray (such arsenic recessed lights) could make a room's ambiance autumn flat, Kirk said.

"It's important to furniture the lighting successful your location by incorporating pendant lighting, chandeliers, aliases trendy wall sconces to soften the ray sources," Kirk said. "This creates a calm and welcoming situation passim your location and tin complement your creation style."

When it comes to expensive, tough-to-replace pieces, you mightiness want to instrumentality to timeless colors and designs.

Kitchen pinch turquoise cabinets, beige barstools

Cabinet colour tin beryllium costly to change. Edwin Tan/Getty Images

Kirk said she ever tells her clients to "play it safe" pinch items that aren't easy to replace, specified arsenic countertops, cabinets, and built-in furnishings pieces.

"You tin incorporated existent trends done accessories and easy-to-replace pieces specified arsenic backsplashes, furniture hardware, or mini pieces of furniture," she said, adding that this tin thief you support up pinch trends successful an easier, much affordable way.

Your abstraction mightiness consciousness awkward if you bent artwork excessively high.

green bedding pinch pillows successful a neutral boho chic bedroom

Where you bent your artwork matters. Morsa Images/Getty Images

"Art is commonly hung excessively precocious and looks champion astatine eye-level," Sara Ray, proprietor of Sara Ray Interior Design successful Nashville, said.

She said the saccharine spot tends to beryllium astir 57 to 60 inches supra the floor.

"There are exceptions to each 'rule,' but this 1 holds existent astir of the time," she said.

Buying each your furnishings from the aforesaid postulation tin make your location look for illustration a showroom.

Living room pinch achromatic couches

When everything successful a abstraction matches excessively well, it whitethorn statesman to consciousness impersonal. Robert Daly/Getty Images

It tin beryllium tempting — and surely convenient — to acquisition each your furniture, rugs, and accessories from 1 store.

However, Ray said, you should operation your pieces unless you want the abstraction to consciousness for illustration a furnishings showroom.

"It's amended to bargain from a assortment of sources, arsenic good arsenic from different eras, truthful you tin operation vintage and caller pieces," she said. "The abstraction feels much collected erstwhile older pieces are used, and it adds to the 'story' of your home.

This communicative was primitively published connected November 16, 2019, and astir precocious updated connected September 8, 2026.

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