Interior design is one of those things that we all think we are good at, and yet all get terrified by because we know anyone that walks into our home is going to scrutinize our efforts. That’s why we always stick – and we mean stick – to the interior design rulebook and the perceived decor truisms. We get so scared of getting it wrong that we make sure all the wood we use has the same finish, all the furniture in a room matches, and we don’t dare stray away from the safety of magnolia. Well, you know what, screw the rulebook and screw the so-called truisms.
Rules are there to be broken. Full stop. Period. And you know what, a lot of interior designs would respect you feeling that way, for mixing brass with silver, and chrome with gold. Interior design is meant to be fun, it is meant to be brave and rule-free, and it is meant to be about trusting your gut as much as your eye.
And to help you with all of this, we have come up with a few looks that wave the flag of unconventional and still look totally killer.
Don’t Banish Dressers To the Bedroom
Dressers are not strictly the property of your boudoir, they are amazing pieces of furniture that deserve to be explored in every single room. Why not? We love using dressers all over the house, not just because they look amazing out of their natural habitat but because they are so useful too. Storage, practicality, comfort; a dresser celebrates all of these things. In fact, no furniture should be exclusive to any one room. Run with your idea of having bathroom furniture. Put a gorgeous and bold armchair in the corner of your kitchen. Put a shower in the corner of your garden. The rules are yours to play with and bend, remember that.
Ignore Anyone Who Says Metals Should Match
Anyone that has even the slightest interior design will have heard that you need to match your metals, like something, will happen to an innocent kitten if you don’t. But who cares? Not about kittens, about mismatching metals. Get creative with your design ideas. Chuck in some brass cooking utensils to clash with your chrome taps, or whatever it is. Just because you have one thing that is stainless steel does not mean that a dictatorship needs to rule your place, not by any means.
Stop Hanging Your Art Out Of Principle
This is one of the most stubborn rules in interior design, but the walls are finally being breached and a new way is starting to be celebrated. Why anyone thinks they should HAVE to hang their art is beyond us, because you don’t HAVE to do anything. When it comes to art, we actually prefer art that is leaning up against a wall, or sat on the mantelpiece and leaning back, or layered on a console or something. It’s bohemian, yes, but in the most gorgeous and chic way bohemian could ever be. Basically, embrace it. Leave your walls unpunctured and start exploring alternatives.
Paint Where You Should Paint
If you pick up your copy of the interior designs handbook, you’ll see that it says no bold colors are to be used on trims or moldings. We don’t know why it just does. Well, we think painting these places with bold colors is actually super stunning. It makes a room pop in a whole new way. We know this is bold, but don’t worry, there is a way to manage the risk. Look around your room, see what bold colors are in there and pick a complimentary tone to play jester on your trims. This will stop you getting the color totally wrong and creating random chaos in your room.
Your Fireplace Is Not The Focal Point
Yes, there was once a time when we had to huddle our furniture around the fireplace in a room because it was a way of keeping warm, and a way of cooking dinner. This is no longer the case, so there really is no point in creating a cluster of furniture in the center of your space. Instead, find something else that could act as the focal point, like the window overlooking your garden. Or just a corner, allowing you to have more space to play with. The choice is yours, just know you can break from the fire. It’ll still be there next winter when you use it again.
