5 Rules You Shouldn’t Forget When Decorating Your Home, According to Designers

When designing a room, keeping proportion, function, and personality in mind are all essential factors to curate a space that feels like a reflection of your style.

We asked three interior designers to spill the design rules they employ to define a space that are straightforward to apply and keep in mind while decorating and renovating—read on for their advice.

Select the Right Size Rug for Your Space

Rugs are both pretty and practical—they’re pliable landing and can ground a space. More often than not though, interior designer Brittney Ferguson says she sees too-small rugs throwing off the proportions of a room. Beware: a miniature rug can trick your eye into thinking the space is smaller than it is. 

How do you know your rug is the right size? Ideally, all furniture legs should sit on the rug, Ferguson says. When covering an entire room with a custom rug, the area rug should be a minimum of four inches and no more than two feet away from the baseboards.

“The right rug will live in your home for years,” says Ferguson. “The wrong rug will just be a daily reminder of money wasted.”

Allow the Form to Follow the Function

Arguably the most eminent rule of design, “form follows function” is an architectural principle that states the purpose of a building should be the starting point for its design. This can be applied to interiors too, says Melinda Trembly, an interior designer of Rincon Rd. 

“I find myself referencing this rule from vast architectural decisions to the tiniest design detail,” says Trembly. “You can have the most beautifully designed room but if it doesn’t serve your needs, it might as well be a cardboard box.”

To follow the principle, your rooms should be livable, comfortable, inviting, and serve your lifestyle. As you’re decorating a space, Trembly recommends asking yourself both broad and detailed questions about its functionality as a whole as well as individual items.

“The smallest details can make a huge difference in everyday ease of functionality and convenience,” Trembly says.

Be in Control of the Brightness

No matter how stunning your furnishings and artwork are, bad lighting can ruin the overall feel of any space. That’s why Ferguson adds dimmer switches to overhead lights, which allows you to easily adjust the mood of a space. Cooking dinner? Turn the brightness up. Having a dinner party? Dim the lights.

Eleanor Trepte, an interior designer of Dekay & Tate agrees that lighting is imperative to define a space. When designing a room, she acts as if there is no overhead lighting. Instead, she outfits a room with accessory lighting to create a more serene, comforting place to wind down. 

“Leave the cans off and lean into lamps, sconces, and any additional lighting you can add to the space,” says Trepte.

Listen to the Architecture of Your Home

A mid-century ranch will never be a Mediterranean villa. From cabinets and doors to built-ins and finishes, Trembly insists you should honor your home’s roots when making architectural decisions and changes. 

“Don’t fight the architecture of your home,” Trembly says. “There is nothing worse than trying to make something it’s not. Good bones are the foundation of a stunning space, so employ the architecture as your guide.”

While you’ll want to observe the era your home was built in, that doesn’t mean you need to furnish it with period pieces. Go wild with your decor, mixing and matching all styles that speak to you for an eclectic, one-of-a-kind home.

Show Off Your Personality

No one wants their home to look like their neighbors, Trembly says. The most memorable, defined spaces are a reflection of the people who live there—not a vast retailer’s catalog. So get personal when decorating with your uniquely collected items that tell a story of your past, present, and future. 

“Frame your child’s artwork, display that hand-woven basket from your trip to Mexico, or buy that chair that spoke to you at the flea market,” says Trembly. “Whatever it may be that makes you smile, those are the things that make a space a home!”