Designer Rules

Love this cool bedroom designed by Charm Home

Although there are no concrete rules to good design, there are principles designers use. In the May 2012 issue of House Beautiful, designers shared their secrets. Here are a few simple ones that can have a big impact. 

Never push furniture up against the walls. By pulling your seating arrangement in (even just a few inches), you instantly warm up a space and create flow. - Betsy Burnham

Where to hang artwork? I've found that 63" on center above the floor is a perfect viewing height for most pieces. - Hunter Kaiser

The perfect amount of space between a mirror and the top of a mantel is 7". - J Randall Powers

Lighting is everything. It creates atmosphere, drama, and intrigue in a room. The easiest way to accomplish this is with a dimmer switch. I always use dimmers, even in the powder room! - Martyn Lawrence Bullard

The minimum break for drapery panels that hang to the floor is 1/2". Anything less is like wearing high-wather pants! -Julie Massucco

The perfect wall color is seldom the prettiest shade on the fan deck. Give that slightly drab stepsister shade a go--it will be far more interesting. -Robin Bell

You never want to match your walls to a color in one of your fabrics. It will be too strong. Find a greyed-out version of the color. -Sallie Giordano

Below are a couple of my own rules for design:
Make sure your things have purpose, and edit out those that don't. Having fewer things with more meaning gives a sense of calmness and order to a space. Restraint is essential to good design.

Do not match your bedroom furniture--your bed frame, dressers, and bedside tables should not be a furniture set! Create a more interesting room by using pieces that relate to each other, but that are different. 

Do something unexpected. Add something fancy to an otherwise plain room or bring rustic elements into a refined space. This is what makes a space unique.