by Lindsey Schultz
When blending interior design styles within your home it is important to find a common theme amongst the elements. Often people stick to one interior decorating style in their home, which depending on personality and lifestyle, can feel monotonous. If you are looking to create what many would call an eclectic styled home, or you just have so many likes that you don’t know how to narrow it down there are a few simple interior decorating tips or rules to stick to in order to be successful.
First and foremost – narrow it down! Too many different interior design ideas in a home will create an uneasy energy. When there are too many things to process it is hard for the mind and spirit to relax. If you find there are items you simply cannot part with, then don’t. Rather pack them away, and next year you can bring them back out. As long as you pack something else away in their place!
Second, find a common interior design theme. For example, when incorporating antiques into your home decorating, especially ones that are complex in their design, it is best to stick to the same time period or region of origin. But you never want to over do a time period or region of origin in any one room, or the pieces cease to be special and you move away from eclectic to Chinese temple. When drawn to antiques of wildly different time periods and regions, search out those that are simple in form. You never want your pieces to compete with each other. I could go on and on with this rule, but then this would no longer be just a blog! So…
Third, don’t force it. If you don’t have an interior design professional on hand to guide you, trust your instincts. If something does not feel right together, then they just might not be right together.
Finally, keeping your interior design color palette simple by focusing on neutrals for your larger furniture pieces, and being thoughtful about accent colors, allows your special pieces to draw more immediate attention. If you simply fall asleep at the idea of a plain, neutral fabric sofa, then search out a neutral in one of the many wonderful textures on the market today.