Deciding to decorate your home interior on your own may seem like an intimidating task, with so many colors, styles, and patterns to choose from. Before you make any decisions, it is important to understand that the rules of design change. The style rules your parents abided by are no longer applicable! Familiarize yourself with these outdated rules of home renovation and try their more modern alternatives instead.
- Your living room needs a couch. You may have noticed that more and more people are omitting couches from their living area space – which is totally fine. You absolutely do not need a couch in order to “complete” your living room. If you live by yourself or with only one other person, you may decide that investing in a large couch or sofa would just be a waste of space. Instead, try incorporating a love seat, or armchair that meets your comfort needs.
- Small rooms need a light color. While it is true that light colors such as eggshell and ivory can make a room appear to be larger, that does not mean that you have to stay away from dark shades in small spaces. Experts say that white can open up a crammed room, but dark hues can add drama and depth, which can also lead to giving a small room the illusion of more space.
- Mixing patterns is off-limits. Yes, it can be difficult to decide which patterns are aesthetically-pleasing together, but that does not mean that combining various patterns is not an option. If you are having trouble deciding which patterns to work with, try sticking to one color-palette and playing around with designs of similar shapes and symmetry.
- You can’t mix old and new. It is possible that you have heard you can’t combine pieces from different eras – this is completely false. Incorporating both modern and vintage décor is a great way to not only add personality to a space, but also to get some use out of older pieces that you may have considered getting rid of. Try including a vintage piece, like an old armoire, in a contemporary style bedroom.
- Your kitchen needs a microwave. This rule is completely optional Some say that every kitchen requires a microwave, but you might not even use one. There is no reason to take up precious counter space to incorporate an appliance if you have doubts that you will ever even use it. You might be fine with simply having a toaster oven.
Don’t make these design mistakes in your hom! Ditch the old ]rules of design and follow these simple and easy home design tips. For more home décor tips and advice, contact Lisa Marble, an interior decorator in Richmond, VA.