Content may contain affiliate links. When you shop the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business.
Have you ever wondered why the spaces in your home don’t flow? Or why stepping from your kitchen into your living room gives you a jarring sensation? If your home decor is not cohesive, your home will never feel “right” or finished.
Whether you’re decorating a new home or redecorating an older home, it’s important that you try to keep a cohesive feeling throughout. If you walk from room to room and it all just seems “off”, maybe these are some of the reasons why…
1. You Do Not Have a Whole House Color Palette
A whole home color palette is essential to creating a cohesive look. Without this defined color palette, your rooms will not flow and your entire home will feel disjointed. Of course, this is most important when your house has an open floor plan but even behind closed doors, a sudden change in color can also be quite jarring.
In our first home, the very first thing I did was paint every room a different color. Needless to say, this resulted in a disjointed look.
Choose a neutral (a shade of white or cream, gray, greige or even a pale version of a more saturated color) and 3 – 5 accent colors that you love and that you will use consistently. Don’t worry about trends. It’s important that these are colors that you really love since you will be committing to them throughout your home.
Now – this does not mean that you have to paint every wall the same color. But it’s a good idea to keep it similar. If navy blue is your dominant accent color, it may be a couch in one room, an accent wall in another and a rug in yet another. The same color is reflected throughout your home in different ways, creating a sense of flow and cohesion.
Tip: Struggling with your whole house color scheme? I’ve an entire post dedicated to the topic!
2. You Have Not Consistently Used Wood, Metals or Neutral Elements
Yes, you can mix metals and different woods as long as they appear several times and look intentional. However, I suggest picking one and keeping that as the dominant “earth” element in that room.
3. You Haven’t Figured Out Your Personal Decorating Style
When it comes to decorating, many people don’t have a good sense of their personal style. As a result, their homes look like a copycat of someone else’s or have no sense of cohesiveness. Just like your clothes reflect you, so should your rooms.
The best part about figuring out your signature style is that it helps narrow your focus and certainly makes shopping for decor a heck of a lot easier – you will never again question if that purchase will match your existing decor!
You do not need to label your style. In fact, I’m firmly against labeling my style as one particular style. I think the most personal home decor is usually a mixture of many different style elements. BUT I am aware that my own preference is a mixture of transitional and farmhouse which makes it easier to pinpoint what will work or will not work in my home.
If you haven’t figured out your decorating style yet, I have an entire post dedicated to the topic that might be helpful.
4. You’re a Slave to Trends
We live in a time of inspiration overload thanks to Pinterest and Instagram. With so many beautiful and inspirational spaces out there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being a slave to trends.
Think long and hard before incorporating that latest trend into your home. It may be completely out of fashion within the year but you may be stuck with it for the next ten.
Knowing and understanding your own home decor style as well as having an established color palette will help keep you focused on what will work in your home and stop you buying things that that you’ll regret and have to return.
5. You’ve Not Decorated with Intention
Before you start to dream of paint swatches or the perfect pop of color for that room – figure out how you need that space to work.
Will your living room be an adult only space for relaxing? Or will it also need to serve as a playroom/work area/homework area? Will your dining room be used every day or just for formal occasions?
This will not only help you decide what types of furniture you need but how to best arrange said furniture to make the most efficient use of the space.
A formal dining room or living room that the kids will rarely be in can afford to have cream upholstery but an eat-in kitchen may need surfaces and materials that can be quickly and easily wiped down.
Without defined spaces that function as they need to your home will never be cohesive and flow or function the way it should.
Deal with the clutter, reassess your space and make the most efficient use of the room – this may mean moving furniture around or separating rooms into different zones.
Thinking of all these different aspects will help inform both your design choices and the most efficient and effective use of the spaces in your home.
cohesiveness – yeah – that’s what I need to learn. I’m starting from scratch – we’re building a living space inside our commercial building. DR/LR area is open concept with 12 ft ceilings. I have South/East windows that allow ALLOT of natural light. (actually amazing!) 2 Bedrooms, in opposite corners (so their interiors are visible from living area). I want to do greige in the open area (SW Seasalt in the master and a soft grey/blue in other BR). My dilema/question … in the LR we’re doing a feature wall using the same color paint, but we’re just not sure whether to go a shade lighter or darker. Thoughts? Suggestions?? (modern/rustic decor – some antique furniture – wood flooring – accent colors: blue, green, aqua, turquoise)
thanks, Kathy in PA
Sounds like you’re well on your way in terms of paint colors, Kathy! That sounds like an awesome combo. I personally like a darker accent wall because it adds a bit of drama and a stronger focal point, and naturally because it’s darker has a bit more contrast than just going a shade lighter – but it’s really up to you! There’s no right or wrong, it’s really what you like best!
How do you figure out your “style”? Is there a post that gives you different options that one could choose from to pick their style? Thank you so much
Hi Tina,
I have an entire lesson in my free email mini-course on how to discover your true style. You can learn more and sign up here.
Hi Jenna! I love your article…..well said. I understand what you’re saying and I think I accomplish cohesiveness with colors in my home. (I have light beige walls and stick to blues, yellows and green touches (mostly with plants). My problem is that I have way too many different styles! I have many oriental/Asian accents (and a couple of small black lacquer cabinets) in my formal living room. My kitchen has touches of French country with a collection of black tole painted trays and blue Roseville pottery and my family room goes into rustic items with iron accents! OMG it’s a mess but I love all these styles and things that go with them…..I love everything from worn barn siding tables to jade Buddhas. Many of the oriental things were given to me as my husband’s family is from Hawaii. I DO KNOW that I’m very attracted to a neutral color pallet with lots of different textures and I want to go in that direction as my wallet permits. Where do you suggest I start? Do I get rid of the formal oriental decor? How do I combine my beautiful blue and white temple jars with baskets and chippy flower pots? Please help!!! I’ll appreciate any words of wisdom!
Hi Mary! Thanks for your comment! I know only too well how difficult it can be to include ALL the things you love – but it can totally be done! Again, I think if you tie them in with your color palette it really helps. My home is quite traditional but I love including rustic, farmhouse elements. As long as you make a conscious decision to include them throughout your home, it will look intentional. If you only have one room then it might look out of place. Blue and white temple jars will look just beautiful alongside the rustic stuff…you might have a harder time getting some of the black pieces to work, but again I think if you are intentional about it (and don’t over do it) it can be done. Take a look at my living room: It’s traditional, yet casual with rustic touches. I intentionally stick to the same colors which really helps everything flow well. I hope that helps! I also have a post on color schemes that may be helpful as well as my free decorating email course.
Thank you Jenna!! You give me hope! I just came upon your blog tonight so I will definitely explore all the articles, and decorating ideas you have. Thanks again. I will look at my house with new eyes and mix it up a little!
Great suggestions thanks
Thanks Eugenia!
I agree 100% with everything you said. My biggest question though is HOW to select colors to help the flow from room to room (specifically to paint color). My home has a lot of espresso colored accents and undertones throughout. I feel I am consistent with that piece. I also feel that my current wall colors compliment one another, but I want to “update” my home with wall colors and am truly struggling with selecting a color pallet to use. I do not have an open concept home, but we do have very large openings from one room to another.
Any suggestions on where to start?
Hi Joanne! My forthcoming ebook will cover this topic in detail (sign up for my free decorating course for now). But keeping it simple, pick your favorite color. Let’s say it’s blue. Decide whether you want to work with a monochromatic palette (different shades of blue) or work with a few neutral colors (warm or cool). The idea is to repeat colors throughout your home so that it flows. So maybe you paint all your walls a light shade of gray and use all different blues as your color that repeats throughout. You really can’t go wrong with neutral wall colors because they are classic – think light grays, beiges, creams etc. Then you can have more fun decorating with throw pillows, accessories, rugs that have more color in them.
If you are stuck on picking color palettes, Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. Simple search for “whole house color palettes” or something like “blue color palettes” and you’ll get tons of inspiration.
I hope that helps!
These are definitely fantastic tips. When we first decorated our home, I didn’t have a cohesive look at all. Over the years I’ve been correcting that and the house is slowly getting more consistent. Now I just need to figure out how to get the kids toys to fit into the whole decorating scheme!
I feel you! I’m so thankful for the playroom in our basement where ALL the toys are hidden!!