The Design Rules I Use in Every Client Consultation

You know that first meeting when a client walks me through their home and says, "I just want it to feel right, I don't know how to explain it"? I hear a version of that in almost every consultation. People know something isn't working, but they can't name what.

Over years of these walk-throughs, I've landed on a handful of design rules I lean on every single time, no matter the house, the budget, or the style. Here they are, and how you can start using them today.

1. Start with how you actually live in the room, not how it looks in a photo

   Why it matters: it's tempting to design around a picture you saved, but a gorgeous photo doesn't know that your family eats dinner in front of the TV, or that your dog sleeps on the sofa every afternoon. When a room is designed for a lifestyle that isn't yours, it looks nice for about a week and then stops working.

   
   

   The fix: before you pick a single piece of furniture, write down how you actually use the space on a normal Tuesday. Who sits where? What gets dropped by the door? Design around that real life first, then layer in the look you want on top of it.

   
   

2. Pick your anchor piece first, then build around it

   Why it matters: an anchor piece is just the one item a room is built around, usually a sofa, a rug, or a piece of art. Without one, people tend to shop room by room in a scattered way, and end up with furniture that doesn't relate to anything else in the space.
   

   The fix: choose one piece you love first, whether that's a sectional, a dining table, or even a piece of art, and let its color, shape, and scale (meaning its size relative to the room) guide everything else you bring in.

   
   

3. Get the floor plan right before you touch paint colours

   Why it matters: I can't tell you how many consultations start with "what colour should I paint this room?" when the bigger issue is that the furniture is arranged in a way that fights the room's natural flow. Colour is the easiest thing to fix and the last thing that should be decided.
   

   The fix: map out where furniture will sit and how people will walk through the space first. Once the layout actually works, then pick paint, because a colour choice can't rescue a floor plan that doesn't make sense.

   
   

4. Layer three types of lighting into every room

   Why it matters: most rooms rely on a single overhead light, which is why so many spaces feel flat or a little harsh at night. A room with only one light source has nowhere for shadow or warmth to live, so everything looks the same everywhere.
   

   The fix: aim for three layers in each room: an overhead or ceiling light for general brightness, a lamp or two for a warmer everyday glow, and one accent light (like a picture light or a dimmable strip) to highlight something specific. Turn off the overhead sometimes and just live with the lamps on. That's usually the moment clients tell me the room finally feels cozy.

   
   

5. Walk out of the room, then walk back in before you call it done

   Why it matters: when you've been staring at a room for hours (or weeks), your eye stops noticing what's actually there. You get used to the awkward gap, the crooked lampshade, the pillow that doesn't quite match. Fresh eyes catch what tired eyes miss.
   

   The fix: physically leave the room, make a coffee, check your phone, whatever gets you out for five minutes. Then walk back in like it's the first time you've seen it. Whatever jumps out at you in that first ten seconds is usually the thing worth fixing before you move on, and after 18 years of doing this, that first-glance reaction is still the tool I trust most.

   
   

   Those five design rules cover almost every consultation

   I run, whether it's a full renovation or a single room refresh. If you want to go even deeper, I put together a free guide called 10 Things Your Decorator Knows That You Don't that walks through more of what I check for before I even open a paint deck.

   
   

   None of these rules require a big budget or a full renovation. They're really just a different way of looking at a room before you start buying things for it. Start with rule one this week, just sit in your space and notice how you actually use it, and the rest tends to follow naturally.

   
   

   Grab the free guide: 10 Things Your Decorator Knows That You Don't

   
   

   Not sure where to start with your own space? Take the 2-minute style quiz to find your design direction.

   
   

   Ready to go deeper? The Interior Designer's Rulebook has 250+ tips like these.

   
   

Thanks for reading!

Lenore 🤍