Watching professional interior decorators at work on TV or in real life is so inspirational and motivating.  These geniuses take a “blah” space and transform it into a “wow” within the span of days.  While that level of proficiency at interior decorating may take years to acquire, you can start your stylistic journey today by following a couple of simple rules.

These four rules of interior decoration will help you reinvent your living space and bring some style into your domicile.  While style and interior design are highly subjective, there are just some things that you should or shouldn’t do.  If you’re looking to spice things up inside but don’t want to commit any design faux pas, then you need to check out these easy to follow tips:

Source: Isabella & Max Rooms

1) Plan and Measure

A lot of people fall in love with a piece of furniture and figure they can just “make it work” in their living space. This is a big no-no!  We all know how people in clothes that don’t fit them look; that could be your living room.  Measure your room and make sure that large pieces fit properly.  Having something too big and placing it at weird angles will rob you of usable space and make your room look off.  Small pieces have the opposite effect, in that they make the room feel empty.  If you just end up buying more small pieces to fill the space, you will end up with a cluttered and thrown together room.

2) Use a Rug

Rugs come in a variety of shapes, colors and styles, so there is always one that is perfect for your room’s new look.  Rugs pull a room together and connect the individual elements.  Make sure the rug is tucked under the front of a piece of furniture like a chair, sofa or table.  Your rug needs to be physically and stylistically connected to the entire room.  Colour Me Happy has a great post on selecting the perfect rug for your space, check that out here.

3) Limit Collectibles

You’re going to want to cut down on the amount of collectibles you display.  Every one has their favorite knick-knack that they can’t get enough of, but too much of a good thing is bad.  Select your favorite piece or two and use them as accents or a focal piece on your mantel.  This highlights your collection, without cluttering the whole space with the entire deal.  The same goes for family heirlooms.  One or two is great but too many will hijack your room.

4) Function Over Fashion

At all costs make sure that your space is functional and above all comfortable.  There is nothing worse than a “perfectly decorated” room that can’t ever be used by people.  You’re not creating a Macy’s window display, you’re trying to make your living space lively and more livable.  Express your fashion sense and individuality but never at the expense of comfort and usability.  Sit in all of the chairs, try out the beds, use the towels and whatever else you have to do to fully test for comfort.  You, as well as your guests, will love it even more when the space you have created can actually be used.

Follow these simple rules and a well designed room is within your reach!  It’s a long road, but good style and design is a journey, not a destination.  Have fun, be yourself and try new things to find your unique look and style!

Tags: Decorating Inspiration, Decorating Tools, Interior Decorating, Interior Design, Room Layout

This entry was posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Interior Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.