When refreshing your home decor, you don’t want to turn to an interior designer for every little change. You’d drive them crazy if you did that! Yet you still want your interior decorating choices to be intentional, cohesive, and have a designer’s touch.
So how do you accomplish a look of a professional interior decorator without running each choice by a pro when you want to update your style?
Decorating intentionally helps you avoid “overdecorating” and coming across as scattered, cluttered, and (dare I say it) tasteless. While there are no “rules,” per se, these guidelines will make your room look intentionally designed and like it was touched by a professional.
Your rooms will flow cohesively from one to the next, be timeless and elegant, and feel balanced and in good taste.
Understand Scale
You may be able to think like an interior designer when it comes to patterns and color, but if you don’t understand scale, you room will look haphazard and unbalanced. Understanding how to balance the pieces in your room will give you a “touched by a pro” look.
I see the most interior decorating mistakes when it comes to adding rugs and curtains to rooms. Your curtains shouldn’t be floating mid-wall in some no-man’s land of drapery choices. Similarly, a rug that’s too small leaves furniture dangling about the room rather than anchored in an intentional grouping.
Avoid an imbalanced room by ensuring everything is the right size for your space.
You may also like: How to Choose the Right Curtain Lengths (And What To Avoid) and How to Choose a Rug: The Ultimate Guide
Select Quality Over Quantity
The surest way to make your room feel cheap is to “cheap out” on the items you purchase. Instead of filling your home with pieces that are almost what you want, wait until you find the perfect item!
A good designer usually has a stockpile of items to pull from because they buy things they love, whether they can use it in a room right now or not.
Buy something when and only when you fully love it!
Put a Mirror On It
My favorite way to add a designer touch to any room is by adding a mirror! It makes a big impact in the room, whether you want to use the mirror for style or function. After all, there’s nothing worse than leaving the house with lipstick on your teeth and a well-placed mirror will be your best friend for a quick check!
Mirrors move light around the room, making them perfect to add to narrow entryways or a dark corner to open up the space. They also balance and center larger pieces of furniture in the same way artwork does.
You may also like: Everything You Need to Know About How High to Hang a Mirror
Welcome Guests Intentionally
Entryways are the first impression guests have when they enter your home. Welcome them intentionally (and like a interior decorator touched the space) by making sure your entryway incorporates the style of your home.
A bright rug, geometric wallpaper, unique bench, and (of course) a mirror are all ways to usher guests into your home with elegance and function. Here are a few more professionally-inspired ideas for your entryway!
Avoid Making Everything “Just Right”
We have all seen the pillows with the chop in the middle and candles you can’t light because they’re part of the design. That looks great in a showroom or in pictures on a blog, but you can’t live in that!
A professional interior designer understands how a room will function and matches the design to it. Decorate your home with elements that you can “live with” instead of “live around.”
Also, ditch the idea that you should display your pieces because you spent money on them. If you love them, yes, put them out! If they don’t add anything to your life, give them to a friend who will cherish them instead.
What “rules” do you follow to add intentional and professional interior decorating elements to your home?
Photo credits: LHW Interiors