Home Decor is Easy if You Follow Me

There are a few basic rules for interior home decorating. And they're pretty simple all in all. Just trust me when I pass on these hidden pearls of design wisdom and you'll be just fine.

First and foremost, unless you are planning on living in a certain home for the rest of your God-given natural life, then you'll want to stick to neutral colors and patterns. And stay away from wallpaper as much as possible because that's a turn-off for a lot of buyers although it rightly shouldn't be. And maybe just go crazy with outrageousness in one room alone if you can't stand living with neutral and want to express your personality more. Because it's a real pain to change things around and repaint an entire house when it's time to sell. And of course, everyone thinks the same thing: Oh, I'll just redo it later. But human nature is so that you probably won't have the energy or time or inclination to redo it.

Believe me, I know. Because I've done it all. I've made the mistakes. I've done the large floral wallpaper thinking that it was so Laura Ashley, why wouldn't anyone want that?! I mean anyone with a soul, should love it. But I was wrong. Everyone isn't a romantic. And I learned from that experience and I hope to never make those same mistakes. Because I think it lost me a bidding war--in the end.

Now for ultimate impact when decorating a room, you'll want to remember some basic rules of decorum. Put like things together and decorate in threes. What that means simply is this: if you collect old globes, then ensure that you collect them all and arrange them repeatedly throughout the same room for cohesive effect and place them pleasantly upon a shelf or table or in a built-in for impact. Take your time. Some compositions require more energy and maneuvering. Use a contrasting color behind the display. This is very important. You don't want the impact lost on a dull contrast using similar color behind the items themselves. You want it to pop.

Also employ unique items. One friend of mine staged an entire wall of door knockers and it was amazingly brilliant and clever. The final result was so cool. But who would've thought that such a utilitarian device could be decorative. It just requires a little imagination.

Also, the human eye needs relief and so if you have old suitcases galore, stack three at a time together and please vary the view and posturing. This way, there's balance and yet not overwhelming clutter or aesthetic exhaustion. The same rules apply that apply in other walks of life. KISS. Keep it Simple Stupid.

That about sums it all up. For the count there are only a few basic rules. Follow them and I know you'll do fine.