4 Timeless Decorating Tips

Lots of home decorating rules are hard for me to remember. Are those clear, Ghost chairs in or out? How about the Ikat pattern? And what about those cowhide rugs: incredibly chic or incredibly barbaric? Who can recall?

Here are a few timeless decorating guidelines that are easy to conjure up:

1.     The Rule of 3 -- Tchotchkes look better in 3s. Think “Three’s Company”, but apply it to your decorative items instead. You don’t want just one vase. Where was Jack Tripper without Janet and Chrissie? Add the Janet and Chrissie vases, and you go from ho-hum to style statement in a flash.

2.    Uniformity – It’s best if your “Three’s Company” vases are the same. Uniformity helps ground a look. If we’re talking collection display, make sure there’s some unifying element to it, like color or scale or theme. For instance, a group of small mirrors on the wall together looks great, but make sure the frame finish on all of them is similar (i.e. all are in gold or all in silver etc.) This makes a collection look intentional versus hodge-podge.

3.    Mirrors – Mirrors are good and also inexpensive. They add light to a room. They bounce light in a room – all very good things. Every room should have at least one shiny element and one live thing too. Mirrors are your shiny element, and a bouquet of $5 carnations can be your “live” thing if, like me, you’re prone to killing any and all house plants.

Carnations have a cheesy reputation that’s undeserved. They’re cheap, they last forever, and they give a room a solid hit of color. Lotta look, little lucre.

4.    My favorite trick – I pile a bunch of flowers in vases in front of a mirror (see pic below) because the mirror image instantly doubles the look of the blooms. They look big, not puny. It’s why we buy Miracle Bras, no?

5.     My favorite source – The place for tchotchkes, seasonal items etc. is Home Goods, the discount furniture/décor outfit that’s part of the TJ Maxx empire. You can get stuff for a song here – and it leaves you with that satisfied, happy feeling. Kind of like a marathon session of “Star Search” back in the day.

I have no discipline when it comes to Home Goods, which is why I leave my credit cards at home when I go visit my friend Shawna because I have to drive right by a Home Goods on my way to her house. And my car becomes like Kit in “Night Rider”, meaning that it takes on a mind of its own and veers right into that damn parking lot.

But when it comes to home decorating, I usually have enough discipline to remember these basic rules. Following them is a different matter entirely.