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.
Hi,
Love your great Ideas shared here. I love white color and white color accessories. These home decor ideas are really looking beautiful, attractive and gorgeous. I am so excited, I will apply these home decor ideas my home. Thanks for your great support and thoughts.
thanks for sharing your ideas. I love neutral colors and all kinds of white accessories, trust me I have chosen to decorate the living room with white Christmas tree this year to make it to look neat and nice but my husband is not satisfied with the decor yet.He complains that living room looks clutter and so overcrowded. No matter how many articles I read and how many tips I follow in real life, I feel like I am failing at decor. How to make rooms look minimalist . The pics you have shared are good, my rooms never looked anything like this. I don’t know what I am doing wrong.
After being thoroughly frustrated with my décor & my inability to finish anything …I looked at your décor style & though it is what I a looking to achieve, with my own personality infused. I am the type of person that buys things that mean something to me or catches my eye. I love old stuff. I too am a cheapskate & only buy bargains. A lot of the stuff we have are hand me downs or family pieces. The problem is, I buy the bargain or thing that catches my eye, but I never finish as I wait for something else to come along to “go with it” if you know what I mean. I get indecisive & never finish anything. I like kitschy but not fussy.
My family room is on lower level, it is open to my living space on first floor which includes kitchen, dining and living room. I have considered painting my fireplace which is sort of a whole house focal point but my husband is totally against that & for some odd reason it has grown on me. The walls are painted a very light neutral grey. My living room-kitchen-dining is painted a yellowish tan & I think my top priority will be changing that! That yellowish tone is throwing everything off. I change out my tablecloth occasionally –usually by season & use different colors. Same with throw pillows.
I started doing my bedroom & master bath in blue & white. It was blue/rust color.
I guess I do like earthy colors mixed with some blue-but bright colors. I don’t like the earthy color palette of yellows, tans, olive greens.
First, I need help with wall paint colors, then picking my accent colors, then see if I need to change out any drapes, and then make everything blend. I am open to any & all suggestions.
Hi Michelle! My eBook will help you figure all of this out! Just click the link on the top of the page or any of the banners you see.
I have been struggling with color for years !!! Im not sure about grey like everyone is going with?
Color is so personal! Just because something is trendy doesn’t mean it’s right for you!
it was a very helpful post .thankyou! i love your blog
Thank you!
Hello! I feel like a weight has been lifted now that I don’t have to put a label on my design style! THANK YOU! (tired of taking all those quizes) I have an open floor plan with high ceilings to compensate for the smaller room size. Your advice on using one color throughout?
Hi Toy! A lot depends on your personal style and the light situation. If you like a clean neutral palette and want to keep it looking light and bright, you can’t go wrong with a light gray (BM Stonington Gray, SW Repose Gray, BM Gray Owl, BM Moonshine). An off-white or cream shade (Kelly Moore’s Swiss Coffee is beautiful) would also be great. These colors work as great backdrops to any style and don’t need to be changed as furniture and colorful accents change.
We recently moved from Savannah, Ga to a very small town in Arizona. My decorating style has always included primatives, especially in the kitchen/ dining areas. The new home in Az has a more open floor plan. I decided to keep the walls a light cream but have painted the bottom of the bar which is in the living room a dark (primative) green. I also painted the outside wall in the kitchen the same green. I did this because when you look at the bar area you can also see the other green wall in the kitchen. My problem is in choosing a color scheme for a chair in the living room. I don’t want to stay with the wheat colors in the loveseats. Any suggestions?
Hi Marie! It’s hard to know without sending me a picture (which you’re welcome to do – jenna@wifeinprogressblog.com). How about a slate gray that would complement the green quite nicely?