If you get the chance to talk to an interior designer, he or she will tell you the same thing. Arranging an interior space is an absolute art, maybe a science even, that must follow super precise interior design rules which they spend years and years studying in college.
Break them, and you will end up with a messy, chaotic space that simply makes no sense.
But what if you were to look at interior design rules a little differently? Not as laws set in stone to make your house the copy of a picture you see online, but something else. A guideline telling you when to push the envelope just a little further to add a touch of originality to your space. Or a boundary to let you know – stop right now, this is nonsense!
Here are 5 interior design rules you should absolutely break!
Hanging artwork at eye level
Although no one knows exactly where this rule comes from, one theory states that it has a practical reasoning behind it. Evidently, so that you and everyone else can admire your precious artwork in all its glory.
So what’s the problem? Hanging artwork at eye level absolutely qualifies within our list of interior design rules meant to be broken for the following reason. It simply doesn’t work!
Alright, perhaps you can get away with it if you have two or three paintings or prints in a low room, but that’s about it. Let’s say your space has high ceilings and you have large pieces of artwork. Hanging them at eye level will create the unwanted illusion that they are dwarfing the furniture underneath. They might also end up turning your living room into an involuntary museum!
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to hang your artwork click here.
Fake plants are a huge faux pas
This has to be one of the Ten Commandments when it comes to interior design rules. That you should never, under any circumstance, decorate your space with fake plants. They are cheap, ugly, gather a lot of dust if you don’t take care of them, and will simply make you look like an inelegant person.
But are they really? The problem here is that, when referring to fake plants, most people tend to think about those old, fabric roses everyone’s aunt used to display on the dinner table on Sunday.
The truth is that fake plants are now so sophisticated in design that you can barely tell them from the real ones. So give them a go!
Do not combine metal and wood!
Says who? As far as interior design rules that we are absolutely encouraging you to break go, this is the one that makes the least sense of all. Of course, this is a very dated attitude as well. Having a cohesive living room or kitchen or the very famous bedroom set was a mark of how well you were doing in society.
Apart from that, having an entire house worth of furniture made of real wood sent the important message that you were wealthy and could afford such expensive furnishings. Therefore, mixing in cheap, metallic pieces would have been considered tacky and non-respectable.
That’s not the case today! The trends we love now are the complete opposite of the ‘cookie cutter’ ones of old. As an example, you can mix dining tables that are chrome based with antique chairs with gold finishing for a bold look.
Tiny interiors need tiny furniture
Of course, there is some sense to this interior design rule. For example, if you have a garden room that has been turned into a guest bedroom, cramming it with gigantic pieces will present a logistic problem.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to take the extreme opposite approach and only use small furniture to make it comfortable. In fact, there are many interior designers who explain that large pieces can work very well in a small space. As long as you use them in an ensemble meant to save space rather than load the room.
For instance, in your garden room turned guest bedroom, begin by prioritising. This means focusing on the bed. As far as organizers and shelves go, you can mount them on the wall. Choose a floating desk and two comfortable side tables and you’re done. You can even fit a couch in there if you’re ambitious enough!
This is a great guide to arranging large furniture in your bedroom
Never set the back of the sofa facing the door!
Image Source: BHG.com
Out of all the interior design rules on our list, this one makes the most sense. Not placing a sofa with its back to the door will make your space feel airier and bigger. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t break it!
It mostly works if you are dealing with an exceedingly large room. Or a very long one, for that matter. If left as is, the space could feel too big, uninviting, cold, and without a trace of intimacy. Therefore, use a sofa to divide the room into two or maybe even three smaller spaces that feel cosy and intimate.
Place a coffee table at the back of the sofa to mask it and you can start creating your interior space based on this. Add another coffee table in front of it, comfortable chairs, and smaller, side tables for glasses and cups!
So, are any of the rules we’ve just detailed ‘by the book?’ Of course not! They are interior design rules you should try breaking more often. And when you do, allowing your creativity to run free, you might discover new and fresh ways to arrange your space that truly make you feel at home!
