Break These 8 Décor Rules without Breaking a Sweat

Most of the decor rules are there for a reason, and when you think about it, they make perfect sense. But, would the world collapse if you don’t paint a small room white? Well, no. Although following the conventional wisdom is always the easiest way to go, it doesn’t have to be the best one. If you dislike white, and have to paint the room with it, that’s a complete decor failure. It won’t be the designers who came up with this rule living in that room, but you, so you have the right to look beyond it. Go bravely into the bold new world of creativity, and break some of the following rules.

Walls and Floors Should Be Painted Differently

Why should they? Apparently to create some sort of contrast between the area you walk on and the one that surrounds you. If you ignore this rule, you can create depth in the room and make the furniture and accessories stand out even more than usual. To add some dynamics, you can use the same colour, but with different finishes (e.g. matt for walls and sheen for floors).

Do Not Paint the Ceiling

According to the established decor rules, the ceiling should always be white, to create the illusion of height. If you already have high ceiling, though, you can use a bright or a deep shade to make a bold and unexpected statement. Break this rule with style and use the same colour as on the walls, and don’t go too far by painting it with a contrasting shade.

Match the Wood Tones

Remember your grandma’s dining room with coordinated floor, table, chairs and sideboard? Sincere apologies to your grandma, but it is time to outgrow that matchy-mathcy style. Mix of different wood tones and textures can be warm and welcoming and look more natural than forcedly matched decor.

Do Not Mix Patterns

Speaking of matchy-matchy looks, mixing patterns has always been a major designer no-no, but as this trend is going big in the fashion world, it’s becoming more popular in the house decor realm. If you prefer a toned down look, you can use the same colour palette, but try to incorporate different pattern sizes. Do it well with accessories, such as throw pillows, blankets, patterned runner rugs, curtains, etc.

Match the Colour Tones

Have you ever been annoyed while trying to find the perfectly alike colour tones for your sofa and armchair? Not only that is nearly impossible, but it is also unnecessary. There is a thing called monochromatic decor and it relies on different colour properties to create dynamic in a room painted with one colour.

Match the Dining Chairs

Buying a set of dining chairs at the same time you are getting a dining table is something most of us do by default. Allow yourself to go wild with this rule and use not only different colours, but materials and textures too. It will make your dining room appear much livelier, welcoming and what people in fashion like to call “effortlessly chic”.

In with the New and out with the Old

Going for strictly modernist or strictly vintage style is an old-school decor rule people have been choosing to break for years now, but there’s no harm in mentioning it again. Many people still restrain themselves from combining an antique table and a modern chair, but there is actually no reason for that. Nothing can complement and enhance vintage style as a piece of new-age furniture/accessory.

There Must Be a Pop of Colour in a Neutral Room

“Pop of colour” is an overrated cliché that has been present both in fashion industry and home decor for decades, and it is about time to wish it farewell. All-white room, for instance, can look spacious, warm and appealing, and you can create a sense of dynamics by adding some subtle patterns to it.

These were some of the old-school rules you can throw out in order to create a unique home, that will live up to your expectations, instead of some obsolete rulebook.