When it comes to interior design, most of us could do with a little bit of help from time to time. Fortunately, experts are on hand to dole out advice on how to create something that’s genuinely stylish. It’s all about obeying certain design rules to open up space and make it appealing. But how do you do it? Check out these great rules of thumb from great interior designers.

Never Push Furniture Up Against The Walls

Every designer has his or her own style and take on a room. But they unanimously believe that people shouldn’t push all their furniture up against the walls. It makes the rooms feel a lot less lived in. Instead, move the furniture into the room a little. This opens up space and gives the room more flow. Instantly, you get a more relaxed feel to the interior.

Have Perfect Lighting

Most designers think that having plenty of natural light is the best solution during the day. But natural light can only take you so far. Recessed lighting is great for when you want to highlight a particular area of the room at a certain time of day. And wall lighting is also excellent, especially if you want to highlight certain features in the room. Mix and match your lighting for the best effect. And spend some time studying the room throughout the day to see which areas could use the most help from extra light.

Design Isn’t Like Marriage

When it comes to design, people don’t tend to have enough fun, according to Ross Cassidy. He notes that no design decision you make is permanent, like marriage. You can chop and change to your heart’s content until you get it right. So why not be a little more experimental?

Get more liberal on a small scale first. Perhaps you could introduce a new piece of zany, colourful furniture. Or maybe you could add bright new artwork to the walls. If you like what you’ve done, get a little bolder. Perhaps you could swap out your old furniture for furniture that’s new and deliberately colourful. Don’t like it? Sell it off and start again. Your decisions aren’t permanent, remember.

Make A Statement With Accessories.

Designer Austin Warner says his rule is to make a statement with accessories. According to him, they’re the soul of the room, which would be lost without them. But why? Well, it’s all down to the fact that personal accessories tell a story. Sure, the decor is great and all. But behind the bright colours and beautiful lines, there’s rarely a history. Accessories tell a story of your interests and hobbies. And they make great focal points in otherwise uninspiring rooms.

Put Wallpaper In Unexpected Places

We call wallpaper, wallpaper. And it’s the perfect example of language manipulating the way that we think about something. Wallpaper goes on walls, right? Not according to Lindsay Coral Harper. She says that wallpaper can and should be used all over the room, not just the walls. Put it on the ceiling, on the inside of drawers and even halfway up a stairwell.