Most homeowners try their best to follow the basic design rules in order to accomplish a beautiful, well-liked design. But what if we told you that a lot of the rules you are still following are outdated? That’s right! We have three popular design rules that you should definitely not follow and are worth breaking. Let’s take a look!
Design Rules That Are Outdated:
No. One: Matching is a Must.
While matching can help keep consistency and make the room look put together, we completely disagree with the idea that everything must match. Instead of worrying about finding the exact wood species or same color fabric, we recommend searching for similar undertones. The undertones will help keep that consistency in the design that you desire without causing a ruckus to find everything in the exact shade. Plus, your colors also do not have to match. If you are putting a pillow on your couch that contains the color blue, you do not have to find that exact color blue for your lampshade. A similar blue tone will do just the trick. The one color to be wary of is white. Off-whites and pure whites are not interchangeable; therefore, you want to be careful when mixing whites.
No Two: Mixing Metals Causes Chaos.
If you want to mix metals, do it! Designing gives homeowners the opportunity to express their uniqueness and personality and no “rule” should hold you back from doing so. Design experts do not recommend mixing metals, but if we look closely at the rule, they really just want homeowners to avoid mixing metal finishes. The difference between a matte and shiny finish can create a little less congruency than we desire, but you can most certainly mix rose gold with gold.
No. Three: Never Use Dark Colors in Small Spaces.
We definitely do not want you listening to this rule; you can absolutely use dark colors within a small space. A long time ago, homeowners were encouraged to use only light colors in smaller spaces because they help to open up the space. But on the other hand, dark colors help to hide how small the space is and creates the illusion of a bigger space. To ensure that you do not overwhelm the space with dark colors, we recommend adding the colors in one at a time to make sure that they flow properly. Also, lighting is key when using dark colors. Just make sure that you provide adequate lighting in a small space and you will be fine!
Are you interested in learning more rules that are just meant to be broken? Be sure to check back for part two!