How To Get A Cohesive Look When You Decorate

Creating a cohesive look in your home is very necessary for having a polished, inviting, and well-decorated home. These tips will help you get the unified look that ties everything together seamlessly.

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Are you ready to redecorate a room in your home?  Or, maybe you’ve already decorated the room, but something just seems off to you.  

Oftentimes, the problem is that while all of the individual elements might be pretty on their own, the room just doesn’t look pulled together or else it doesn’t fit in with the flow of the rest of your home.  

A well-coordinated room not only feels more inviting but also reflects a sense of style and intentionality.

Welcome to chapter 8 of the Simply Decorating Series; a free resource designed especially for the diy decorator who is eager to transform their home into a place that reflects their personal style and needs. Each post breaks down complex design ideas into simple, actionable steps. If you’re just beginning the series, start with chapter 1, How to Decorate a Room – Where To Start.

Before you go through this post, be sure that you’ve already read the post, ‘How to Decorate a Room – Where to Start’.

Establish a unified theme

A unified theme is the backbone of cohesive decor. Start by choosing a theme that resonates with you, such as modern, traditional, or coastal.

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Your theme should reflect your personal style and preferences. Use it as a guiding principle for all your decor choices. This means selecting furniture, colors, and accessories that align with your chosen theme.

Start by identifying key pieces that inspire you, like a piece of artwork, a favorite piece of furniture, or even a particular fabric. Let this inspiration guide your choices.

Before you get too carried away though, it’s also important to consider the architectural style of your home. Not paying attention to the style of the existing structure can either cause a big fight or make your home feel like a mismatched mess.

For instance, a beach house might naturally lend itself to a coastal theme with light, airy colors and nautical accents.

The flip side of that is that a house that is traditional in its architecture would likely not feel cohesive with ultra-modern decor. Instead, you could blend traditional elements with modern touches for a balanced and cohesive look.

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A unified theme doesn’t mean everything has to match perfectly. Instead, aim for a harmonious blend where each item complements the others.

The point is that consistency is key, so make sure that every piece you add to your space fits within this theme.

Limit your color palette

Why should you do that? Doing so creates harmony and avoids visual clutter, making your space feel calm and well put together.

If a unified theme is the backbone to a having a cohesive home, a limited, but cohesive color palette is the fundamental piece.

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Choose a primary color and two or three complementary colors and use them consistently throughout the room.

To distribute those colors within the space, use the rule of 60 – 30 – 10.  

• 60% of the palette will be the dominant color (such as the walls or large furniture pieces).

• 30% will be the secondary color (such as the smaller furniture or rug).

• 10% will be the accent color (such as in fabrics, accessories and/or artwork).

This consistency helps tie the room together and ensures that all elements work harmoniously.

Repeat Patterns and Textures

Patterns and textures kind of go hand-in-hand when talking about cohesive decorating, but remember that what you choose should naturally fit within your overall theme.

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For example, if you have a modern theme, you might choose geometric patterns, while a rustic theme might call for natural textures like wood and stone.

Use these patterns and textures in various elements of the room, such as rugs, cushions, curtains, and furniture.

Imagine you have a living room with a modern theme and you choose a geometric pattern for your cushions, a seagrass area rug, and floral curtains. The clash of these patterns and textures would make make the room feel disorganized and visually overwhelming.

Instead, you could replace the floral curtains with ones that have a subtle geometric pattern or a solid color that complements the cushions. Alternatively, choose a different area rug with a simple geometric design that ties in with the cushions.

Repeating patterns and textures can tie different elements together. If you use a certain pattern on your cushions, consider echoing it in your rugs or curtains.

Coordinate Furniture Styles

While mixing styles can add interest, too much variation can disrupt cohesion. Ensure that primary furniture pieces share a similar design language.

You can then add accent pieces to provide contrast without overwhelming the unified look.

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This doesn’t mean everything has to be matchy-matchy, but there should be a common thread that ties the pieces together.

For example, if your theme is coastal, opt for furniture with clean lines and natural materials. Accent pieces can provide contrast, but they should still complement the overall style of the room.

There are times when you may want to add drama or tension to a room – in a good way. That’s usually accomplished by adding an accent piece that is the complete opposite style of the rest of the decor.

For example, the addition of a sleek, modern chair to a traditionally styled room would create a good kind of tension and drama in a space. It’s a trick that you’ll often see interior designers use.

The juxtaposition of the modern mixed with the traditional will certainly draw attention and add visual interest, making the room feel dynamic and thoughtfully designed.

Create Seamless Transitions

Creating a cohesive look in your home includes more than one room. You want to develop seamless transitions between rooms also.

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By carrying elements of your color palette, patterns, and theme from one space to another, your home will be a cohesive unit rather than a series of disjointed rooms.

Here’s an example of what this might look like in action:

Let’s say you have a traditional-themed home with a color palette of shades of blue and green, with coral as an accent color:

• In the living room: Furnish the room with comfortable furniture with classic lines. You might have a tufted sofa with wingback chairs in blue or green upholstery. Use rich wood tones for coffee and side tables. Bring in the accent color with fabrics, rugs, and artwork.

• In the kitchen: Use cabinetry with a traditional profile, such as raised panels on the doors and classic antique brass hardware. The counters could be granite, quartz, or marble with a backsplash in a classic pattern. Blue, green, and coral-colored accents could be added with canisters, dish towels or small decor items.

• In the dining room: Choose a large wooden dining table with elegant chairs, perhaps upholstered in a fabric that matches throw pillows in the living room. Draperies, table linens, and a centerpiece could all carry your color theme into this room. You might showcase coral more predominantly in this room, but use blue and green more as accent colors.

• In bedrooms: Continue the traditional theme with classic furniture pieces like a sleigh bed or a four-poster bed. Use coordinating bedding and drapery fabrics that echo the blue and green tones found in the other rooms. Coral can be used for accent pillows or decorative items.

You might not get it right the first time

And that’s perfectly okay! Even professionally trained designers don’t always get it right the first time.

We all know Rome wasn’t built in a day – decorating your home is no different. It can take months or years to finish (is any decorating ever truly finished?) and usually takes lots of trial and error.

Just be sure to keep up with receipts and not remove any tags from purchased items in case you need to return something that doesn’t work in the room like you thought it would.

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