Decorating: knowing when to stop

It's OK to go over board for Christmas. But instead of
decorating the whole house, try it in a few designated
areas. Photo: Livet hemma.

So you've found a great backsplash and now you want to apply it to all three kitchen walls.

And in the living room, you're finally happy with the many colour-coordinated pillows in the couch. (At the same time you're observing how guests perch awkwardly at the edge of the sofa instead of sinking into the sea of softness.)

If these scenarios sound familiar, you might have given in to over decorating. Don't worry, you're in good company; design magazines are filled with interiors like that!

In an effort to make our homes "perfect", it's easy to achieve something that looks overdone and that is not practical to live with. Knowing when to stop takes practice, and is also a matter of personal taste.

To get it right, I find it helpful to take the approach of a film director: a good movie features one or two stars, while the rest of the cast are supporting actors. The supporting actors give the framework and time for the stars to build their characters. Compare it to "breathing room" and space around a stellar feature in a home.

This can also be applied to Christmas decorating. I say: focus on a few rooms in your home, or even a designated corner of a room, and let the jewels glimmer without competition. Does that strike a bell? Will you try it?

In my mind, this is too much of a good thing. I'm talking about the backsplash. I would have applied it to the window wall only, making this the feature wall with the wonderful greenery outside. Photo: Houzz.