Some people are born with a great eye for decorating or design.

Others learn the skill and are able to apply it successfully.

And then there are the rest of us.

These decorating rules and principles are simple enough that most anyone can apply them.

Your home might not look like a West Elm catalogue, but it’ll look presentable.

You might already be familiar with therule of thirdsfor photography.

It helps to have groupings of objects in varying heights, shapes and textures.

At the same time, there should be something similar about them.

Look at the image above as an example.

Three vases, all different heights.

The main materials are similarwicker and glass.

But there are subtle differences in elementssand, water, and the texture of the limes.

Walker points out that this is just a basic rule, and it might not work in every instance.

But if this grouping doesn’t look right to you, go with your gut.

The goal here is to check that everything isn’t uniform, and by extension, boring.

Find Your Room’s Focal Point

A room’s focal point is its most emphasized feature.

It’s the thing your eyes are naturally drawn to when you walk into the room.

And everything around the focal point compliments it.

Nafie also suggests simply using a large piece of furniture as a focal point.

You could use a large piece of artwork as a focal point.

A large mirror also works well.

Once you find the focal point, decorate around it.

Use its main color in elements throughout the rest of the room.

In the above example, the focal pointthe fireplaceis white.

you’re able to also frame it.

In the photo, the vases, windows and sofas serve this purpose.

A fireplace is easy to frame, as it usually comes with a mantle.

you might add decor on or above the mantle.

Think of it as the room’s anchor.

But there are specific measurements for decorating that make a room look better.

Apartment Therapysuggestsleaving about 18" between them.

When hanging art above your sofa, ensure it’s no more than 2/3 the width of the sofa.

For height, they say you should mount curtain rods 4" from the top of the window.

But maybe you want your windows to look wider or taller.

To create the illusion of width, feel free to break the 1-3" standard, too.

You might want to go as far as 12" on either side.

TV distance: How far your TV should be from your sofa will depend on its size.

We’ve talked aboutviewing distance before.

The easiest rule of thumb: multiply the diagonal size of your TV by two.

That’s about how many inches your tv should be from your seating area.

For rugs, there are three basic rules you might follow.

Front on: Many designers choose to just put the two front feet on the rug.

This can tie everything together and create a feeling of openness.

They don’t always work, but they’re good guidelines to follow.

Consider Your Negative Space

Sometimes, less is more.

In design, the negative space is the area that’s not taken up by any subject.

Most commonly, this is the white area on your walls.

Its tempting to fill every space with a subject, but sometimes, the negative space speaks for itself.

Train yourself to look for those moments in your own home.

Is there a tabletop with a fledgling vignette that would look just as spectacular if cleared off?

This is probably the best and most common way to make the most of negative space.

Leave some roomsome negative space.

Be intentional.verify the negative space serves a purpose.

You might leave a space empty to highlight a decorated area nearby.

Or maybe the negative space creates an interesting design.

SF Gate’s Home Guidesexplainsthat two contrasting shapes can create an oddor interestingnegative space.

To clarify, it’s not just about looking for places where you’re able to remove things.

It’s about looking for spots that look great even when they’re empty.

It’s also about considering the function of the empty spaces between subjects.

Task:As its name suggests, task lighting is meant to light a specific task.

A lamp in the living room might light a reading area.

Under-cabinet lights in a kitchen serve as task lights for countertops.

Accent:Accent lights are meant to highlight a particular object.

You might see them on painting, for example.

Adding different types lighting can give your room dimension.

Real Simple has somespecific tipson how to do this in each room.

Beyond these basics, you’ll probably also want to make your home look like your own.

We’ve got sometips on how to do that, too.