When designing your home, there are a lot of factors you must take into consideration. One of them is negative space. This is one of most important elements and yet most don’t understand it. All of the free open areas that lie around tables and rugs and in between furniture and accessories can make or break a room. There is one thing to remember: your decor needs to breathe and so do you!

If you feel suffocated in a room, there are a few things that are going on. One, the furniture is too big for the space. Two, everything is too close to each other or three, there are too many things in the room. All of these are easy to fix. Make sure when you’re buying furniture you take measurements, not just of the furniture itself, but of the room too. Don’t forget the floor to ceiling height as well. Also, take into consideration the other pieces you plan on including in the space.

{Tip: When hanging artwork or framed photos on the wall make sure there is a good amount of space in between them. Here I hung up a number of small pieces together but because they are set up in a structured way and have at least 1.5 to 2 inches in between them, they don’t look like a mess}

Always leave a good amount of space around furniture and large accessories such as lamps, stools, vases, etc. This includes the coffee table from the couch! Ten to twelve inches should be enough. People should be able to get up and walk around with ease but be close enough to reach cups and other things on the table.

Don’t clutter a room with lots of stuff. This never looks good! You could have a lot of beautiful things in a space, but if there are too many it will all look like junk. Who wants that! Start with the necessities and then slowly add finishing touches and pops of style.

{Tip: When you want to create an area that shows off a collection or a number of plants like this, group items and furniture that resemble each other. Whether in color, texture or material, doing this will give a well thought out cohesive look instead of stuff you just piled together}

Also, try not to go to have too much space or your home will look bare. Fill it with beautiful things that make you happy but don’t take over the space. Everything in the room should look like it belongs together with a couple of pops of sparkle. You want to live in a well rounded designed space that reflects who you are with effortless style.

Follow these tips and keep them in mind when redesigning or planning on designing a new space. Remember, the negative space is just as important as the space you’re filling. It’s where you’re most of the time and being able to live and breathe effortlessly will make all the difference.