DO

• multifunctional furniture! (e.g. bed with storage)
• contrast
  • shape contrast (round vs edges)
  • size contrast
  • color contrast
• texture
  • wood
  • textiles
  • basket/woven
  • stone
  • leather
• plants
• wall artwork
• low lighting
• statement pieces
  • interesting shapes (e.g. couch, chair)
  • light fixtures
  • large plant
  • large mirror
  • large artwork
• treat many small deco items as one large deco item
  • e.g. many small picture frames are one picture wall
  • e.g. place small trinkets together on a round mat

DON'T

• small rugs
• try to fit the largest furniture possible in your room
• buy all furniture from one place (it will look like a showroom; never match exactly!)

COLORS

• think about which mood you want your room to have (depends entirely on your own feelings!)
• muted (dark, earthy, natural) vs clear (saturated) colors
• warm vs cool: 80/20 ratio rule
  • just warm feels stuffy; just cool feels sterile
  • choose depending on the fixed undertones in your room (e.g. countertops)
• 60/30/10 rule
  • 60% primary color (e.g. walls, large furniture)
  • 30% secondary color (e.g. rugs, accent pieces)
  • 10% accent color (e.g. decor, cushions, artwork)
• use different shades/hues of one color, don't match exactly
• use each color throughout the whole room (in small or large quantities)
• use contrasting colors (if not sure: use a bit of black)
• if there's one thing with a certain color that you can't get rid of, add more small details in that color so it looks deliberate (e.g. black tv)

WALLS

• don't hang deco too high. the upper part of your walls can stay empty
• deco above furniture should have ~2/3 of the width of the furniture or more
• don't match picture frames exactly, use a variation of the same color/material/style
• use tall+thin / vertical deco (or wallpaper patterns) to emphasize vertical space / room height

LIGHTS

• use low lights, task lights and decorative lights (e.g. led strips)
• use warm lights. kitchen and bathroom slightly less warm
• hang mirror opposite of windows for more natural light