Do you like to decorate your home? We sure do! This activity is all fun and games until you bump into all of those dos and don’ts. But you know what? The truth is that you can simply ignore them and design your home however you wish.

Yes, there are some mistakes that you should avoid making when you are decorating, but there are also many misconceptions. The most common mistakes you’ve heard about are most likely in the latter category.

People probably told you that you shouldn’t paint a small room in dark colors or that you shouldn’t mix metals, among many other things, just because it is “wrong.”

Here, we collected the most common decorating myths and, with the help of designers, debunked them. Read on if you want to find out more about it!

Small rooms should be painted white

For some reason, this belief still exists, and people are always promoting it. We understand what makes white rooms so popular. They work great if you want to adopt a minimalist style, but they are not the best idea if you want a more daring look for your home.

Another thing that many people like about white rooms is the fact that they look very clean and that they give the illusion of space. Or at least that’s what some people are saying.

In reality, depth perception does not work like this. Color adds depth and appeal, and our eyes naturally gravitate from darker to lighter shades. This is what gives us the ability to estimate the space between two walls and gives us the impression of space.

Also, let’s say you decide to paint a single wall a darker color. Maybe add some designs and patterns. This can help you get some fresh ideas about where to put the furniture and how to decorate the room.

More than that, many contemporary designers even advise covering a whole room in a single dark color to fade out the edges and corners and make the space appear larger.

So, as you can see, you don’t have to be afraid of painting small rooms in darker colors. It is just a myth!

More furniture equals less space

This also applies to large furniture. The idea behind this belief is that if you have a lot of furniture in a room or massive furniture, you will have less space. Well, you might think that this makes sense, right?

Even if this is counterintuitive, a room that is fully furnished will make the space look bigger. This happens because when you buy furniture, you should always think about scale. Scale is everything when we are talking about furniture. You need to learn how to buy the right pieces that can fit in the right places.

Small room, small furniture. Big room, big furniture. These two are the basic rules when you want to choose the best pieces for your home. For example, if you have a pretty small living room, you can buy a bigger couch. Yet, you should keep in mind that the rest of the furniture should be smaller because if you don’t, the room will appear overstuffed.

Keep in mind that when you are arranging your furniture, you should put it in a way that doesn’t interfere with the traffic in the room.

Everything has to match

This is a very common misconception that we always hear: you can’t mix metals like gold and silver, floral patterns with geometric patterns, and so on. But I don’t know if people who say this are aware that the days when we used to match everything evenly and use only monochrome are long gone.

If you really think about it, the fact that you want to do these things differently might add a bit of originality to your home design. Just think about your walls, curtains, and couch all having the same color. Everyone who comes to your house will be bored by your design choices. More than that, it can be tiring for the eye to stare at the same color for long periods of time.

Absolutely, there are some rules that you can follow to ensure that everything will look good. Let’s say that you want to mix floral patterns with plaids. In “the old days,” people were not very good at doing so. But if you are careful enough to keep the patterns at different sizes and for them to not pop up too much in the same space, you should be good.

Artwork should always be hung on the walls

Maybe you are an art lover. And that means you probably have a sizable collection of various art pieces. Or maybe you are an artist and you are always carrying your art with you. Or you just simply enjoy having paintings, sculptures, and other pieces like those around your house, and you bought all of them from Ikea.

Whatever the case, people probably told you that art should always be hung on the walls. If you put a painting in any other place or on any other surface, it is wrong, and you should never do that again.

If you ask me, this is a little bit old-fashioned. Better said, it is out of fashion. Yet, I am aware that some art pieces require specific conditions, and you can’t just keep them wherever you like. Maybe it is not smart to place a very expensive 100-year-old portrait on your chimney.

But in reality, this is usually not the case. You most likely only have a few paintings and figurines from the store. And there are a lot of options and places to put art around the house. You can opt for some shelves or even put it on the floor. The most important thing is for the pieces to match the aesthetic of the room. It is this simple!

Home design and decorating are not for modest homes

Of all the myths we have debunked until now, this is the biggest one. You can absolutely decorate your home and play with home design ideas, even if you have a modest home! This is all about the taste. If you feel like starting a new project and transforming your space, don’t hesitate if you can’t afford the most high-end and expensive pieces. You don’t need those if you want to have a beautiful home.

If we think about all the negative effects the industry has on the environment, it is actually much better if you buy your decorations and furniture from a thrift shop or a yard sale.

Sometimes the challenge of transforming your home into a nicely decorated place is exciting, and this inner drive can motivate you to make the most of it using what you have.

Always follow the latest trends

This is the last misconception on our list. You know, the trends in the field of interior design are always changing, and sometimes you will not be able to keep up with them. And this is not a problem, since you don’t have to follow them.

And to show you that this is true, we can just tell you to take a deep breath and think about all those timeless trends that everybody wishes to have in their homes. Be it the marble countertop in the kitchen or the hardwood floor, there are a lot more out there that wait for you to explore them.

So, you just have to follow your heart and decorate your home as you please, without following the latest design trends. The most important thing is that you like it!

You should also check out: 9 Ways To Bring More Natural Light Into Your House