How to Design a Room From Top to Bottom

Keep the ceiling simple. Many design schemes have experimented with textures, hanging things and other curiosities, but all of these things quickly go out of style. A plain white ceiling will make the room bright and inviting, and won't compete with the rest of the decor.

Choose a single decorating theme to lend unity to your room. Eclecticism can add visual interest, but only within the limits of a unifying theme. Allow modernism, neo-classical or colonial to dominate the room, but don't attempt to mix them all together.

Choose wall colors for practicality and to match your own tastes. Avoid dark colors in smaller rooms, because they will make the room feel closed in and claustrophobic. Consider painting one wall a different but complementary color as a visual accent. Coordinate your colors based on color wheel theory.

Hang art that is in proportion to the size of the room. Don't overwhelm a small wall with a giant painting or clutter a large wall with a collection of tiny works. Hang artworks with their tops and bottoms extending equally from a central line. In other words, line up their centers rather than their tops and bottoms to create a harmonious feeling in the room.

Find furniture that exhibits class and durability, and go for quality rather than quantity. A few well-chosen pieces of furniture in a spacious room will work a lot better than a room that is crowded with your acquisitions. Give your furniture room to breathe.

Accent your hardwood floors by refinishing them and leaving them exposed. You can add visual accents using brightly covered wool throw rugs, but don't hide your hardwood.

Make the room personable and lived in with colorful, idiosyncratic accents such as handmade pots, shelves of books and exotic wall hangings.