Last week I shared four decorating rules you can safely break.  If you missed them, read the article here. Today we’ll review four more rules that can create barriers to your personal style and enjoyment.  It’s OK to learn to break the following rules!

Rules You Can Ignore (continued)

5.  Rule:  Use wallpaper on walls. Papered walls make lovely additions to many rooms.  You don’t have to limit wallpaper to walls, however.  It makes great accents and accessories – with or without papered walls.  Try being a little off-the-wall and put wallpaper to use other ways.  Here are a few ideas to jump start your creative juices:

Frame wallpaper.  Interesting wallpaper pieces in a variety of frames create an eye-catching  gallery wall above.

 

Wallpaper furniture.  The stunning dresser above top is covered in wallpaper.  Dress up a plain bookcase by papering the backs of bookshelves as shown above or perhaps top an end table or coffee table with wallpaper (protect the paper by covering it with a piece of glass), and dress up wooden chairs and more.

Line drawers or shelves with wallpaper.  What a sweet surprise to open the drawer above and discover the pretty pattern.  Instead of buying shelf paper, use leftover wallpaper to line your shelves and drawers throughout your home.

Update a lampshade.  Wallpaper can brighten your room in other ways besides the walls!  Use it for sprucing up shades for lamps, chandeliers and pendants.

6.  Rule:  Use beige for a monochromatic room. Beige often seems to be the “safe” or “go to” color when someone wants to do a monochromatic room.  But monochromatic doesn’t demand beige – there’s a whole palette of colors out there that can make a monochromatic statement for your space.  Consider these for example:

Green provides a fresh springy feel to this monochromatic bedroom.

Red is right in this monochromatic space.

Deep blue is dramatic in this monochromatic living room.

Brown is beautiful in this monochromatic bathroom.

7.  Rule:  Use furniture that matches for a cohesive space. This is an “old” rule.  Don’t get roped into the idea that you have to buy furniture “sets.”  This used to be the decorating trend, but we’ve now come back around to a more eclectic and “designed over time” approach in home decor- using pieces of furniture we love or find interesting or meaningful rather than all matching pieces.

This sunny bedroom features a contemporary upholstered bed, a vintage dresser as a nightstand and a painted bookshelf for the second nightstand.

This playful bedroom includes a contemporary dresser as a nightstand, a rattan stool, a wooden chair and an ornate painted bed.

This comfy living room includes a rustic coffee table, a painted media cabinet, an exotic drum end table and a small traditional side table, all mixed in with contemporary fabrics.

A traditional mirror, painted dresser, contemporary umbrella stand and an industrial light all work together to say “welcome.”

8.  Rule:  Use real art created by an artist. If you love a piece created by a professional artist and you can afford it, lucky you!  Don’t buy into the idea, however, that you can only used signed art in your home.  You might be surprised by the variety, beauty and impact unusual pieces of “non-art” art can make in your home.  Remember the framed wallpaper gallery shown above in Rule #1?  Here are just a few others:

Of course I just had to start with family photos!  There are numerous ways you can frame them, hang them, display them.  Pictures of loved ones can be the most precious art in your home.

The contemporary art in the photo above is actually inexpensive dishes that have been spray painted and installed on a painted wall.

Antique cutting boards and bread trays create an artful kitchen display.  Other kitchen items you might consider hanging are antique rolling pins, painted trays, delicate china plates or platters.

Have an everyday item, like a playing card, a letter, or a vintage post card enlarged to poster size and hang in a ready-made frame.

Popular and inexpensive, wall decals come in all shapes and sizes.  You’ll find great ideas for every room in your home – words, graphics, contemporary, traditional, for adults and for kids.  They’re easy to apply and easy to remove.

Breaking Rules Can Be Fun

There’s no doubt decorating “rules” they provide a valuable starting point and a direction in decorating.  But if you can learn the rules, you can also learn when and how to break them.  The four rules we discussed today and and the four from last week are rules you can learn to break.  Which ones do you break or want to break?  Share them with us by leaving a comment below – we’d love to hear from you.

Remember too, whether it’s sticking to the rules or breaking them, Your Decorating Hotline helps you with your decorating dilemmas one-on-one.  Read more about our consultation services by clicking here.