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“In townhomes sometimes that distance is as short as 36 inches. In a larger home I prefer 40 inches. Sometimes you just have to accept that a space can’t accommodate an island, and you have to take it out and redraw the plans,” she says.

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Muller’s superpower is an instinctive understanding of scale, one of the most important rules in the playbook.

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“As a visual thinker one of my strongest points is scale,” she says. “Understand your furniture sizes, how much space you need to walk around the space. Not using oversized furniture if your space isn’t large — or has high ceilings — so it doesn’t overwhelm the space,” she says pointing out that undersized furniture can make a room feel unfinished.

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Muller says balance is inseparable from scale and can be achieved through cohesive furniture groupings and intentionally layered textures, such as mixing velvets and cottons and varying pillow textures to create harmony.

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For art, she advocates “less is more,” recommending selective statement pieces, visual pauses on some walls and simple combinations like one artwork and one mirror in a room, noting that more than half of her own art remains un-hung after a recent move.

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When Madeleine Sloback is designing interiors for developments such as townhomes and condos, she prioritizes storage and pays attention to dedicated zones that reflect how people live and that maintain traffic flow. Photo by Adobe Stock /ronstik - stock.adobe.com

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“You don’t have to hang every piece you own, says Muller.

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For Keogan lighting is a non-negotiable design priority: layered, dimmable, well-placed lighting can make even rule-breaking interiors feel right, whereas rooms with only recessed overhead lights on one switch feel uncomfortable, despite good furnishings, she says.

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Sloback agrees and says lighting should come from multiple sources.

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“Relying on one overhead light or one type of light source flattens a room. The most inviting spaces layer ambient, task and accent lighting. Combine ceiling fixtures, lamps, sconces, under-cabinet lighting and natural light to create warmth, depth and flexibility throughout the day,” she says.

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A rule that is often broken is making everything match, says Sloback.

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“Perfectly matched interiors can make a space feel overly staged. Mixing materials, eras, textures and finishes often creates a more layered, collected and personal feel, as long as a sense of continuity ties everything together, such as flooring materials, hardware finishes and trim,” she adds

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One of the rules Keogan breaks is the idea that every room needs a focal point or feature wall.

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“I prefer balanced spaces that draw you in quietly rather than relying on a single overperforming element,” she says.

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She also disputes the rule that all furniture legs must sit on an area rug, arguing that front legs only layouts often work better, with rug sizing driven by proportion and the need to anchor groupings while allowing floor to show. Common mistakes include buying readily available but too small sizes like a five-by-seven-foot instead of larger, more appropriate rugs.

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Keogan also has opinions on the often-quoted guidance that says dark colours make a room feel smaller.

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“That’s true, until it’s not,” she says.

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“Colour washing (or colour drenching) is a great strategy for small or awkward rooms,” she says.

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Painting walls, trim, doors and ceilings the same colour and introducing subtle variation through the finish of the paint can visually expand spaces, soften edges and create immersive atmospheres, says Keogan.

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“Colour washing (or colour drenching) is a great strategy for small or awkward rooms,” says designer Danielle Keogan. Photo by Supplied/SICO

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She recently used this technique in a small den in a condo.

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“We colour washed it in charcoal. We had a lacquer finish for the built-in millwork, an eggshell finish on the walls and the trim in a satin finish. So there was subtle variation between the colours just from a finish standpoint,” she says, adding that a cream area rug and seating in an off-white shade created a “gorgeous” space that felt larger.

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It seems the old adage that rules are made to be broken applies when bending or adjusting them is necessary to adapt to specific situations. Maybe Pablo Picasso said it best: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

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