Layering Decor: The Art Of Decorating A Room
Layering decor transforms interiors from basic to beautifully curated. It enhances a home’s warmth, making it feel more inviting and thoughtfully designed. Learn the art of layering decor to create a beautiful home.
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Layering decor is the key to creating a room that feels curated, cozy, and pulled together. Without layers, a room can look flat and unfinished, regardless of how beautiful the individual pieces are. A room might have great bones and lovely furniture, but without layers, it can look flat or unfinished.
The magic happens when you thoughtfully layer different elements in a space. It’s a skill you can easily learn, and once you do, you’ll see a big difference in the way your home looks and feels. It is one of the secrets of interior design.
Today, let’s head to my living room and talk about what layering decor is and what it isn’t.
What Is Layering Decor And Why Does It Matter?
Layering decor is simply adding one item on top of another in a thoughtful way to create a pulled-together and beautiful room. It means bringing together various decorative items to create a space that looks interesting and inviting. It’s really about making a room feel like it has a story to tell.
When decorating a room, everything from the biggest pieces of furniture to the smallest accessories should work together. A room should look as if the things in it have been collected over time. It’s a simple concept, but once you start layering decor, you’ll see how much more attractive and welcoming your home feels.
Why Layering Decor In A Room Makes A Big Difference
Layering decor is what gives a room depth, interest, and warmth. It’s the difference between a room that looks fine and a room that feels beautiful and finished. Each layer contributes something important to the overall look of a space, and together they create a room that feels welcoming and personal.
When you layer decor thoughtfully, you are adding your own style and personality to a room. It’s a way to make a home feel collected and lived-in, instead of just decorated. And we all want to live in a home that looks and feels like us.
Easy Principles For Layering Decor
There are a few simple principles that can help you layer decor to create a room that looks beautiful and balanced. These are tried-and-true decorating practices that you should follow to help make layering decor easier…
- Always start with the biggest decor items first and then work your way down to the smaller details.
- Use a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures when layering.
- Think about how the colors and patterns you are using work together.
- Group items in odd numbers, like three or five, for a more natural, pleasing look.
- Step back often to see how everything is working together. Sometimes you need to adjust things a little until they feel just right.
- You are never done decorating. As our tastes change and we collect new things, remember to change your decor and layers.
Layering decor is not the same as a cluttered-looking room. Thoughtful layering adds interest and beauty, but clutter feels busy and distracting. Every item you add should have a reason for being there. A layered room appears thoughtfully collected over time, rather than crowded.
What To Layer In Every Room
Every room, no matter its size or style, can benefit from thoughtful layering. Here are easy things to layer in a room.
- Rugs
- Lighting, like floor lamps, table lamps, and sconces
- Pillows and throws
- Artwork or mirrors
- Greenery and plants
- Decorative accessories like books, trays, and candles
- Textiles like curtains or Roman shades
Not every room needs every layer, but including several of them will help your space feel intentional and inviting.
Begin With The Largest Items In A Room
Before adding new layers of decor, first take a good look at the larger items already in the room. These bigger pieces set the foundation for how everything else will work together. We might want to skip this step and move on to layering smaller decor. However, creating a welcoming, beautiful room starts with a good foundation. Don’t skip this step!
Ask yourself a few important questions: Are there too many large items crowding the space and making it feel uncomfortable? Is there a good balance between hard surfaces like tables and soft surfaces like upholstered furniture? Are the large items helping the room feel open and welcoming?
Making a few small adjustments to the big pieces can make layering decor much easier. Once the large items are placed thoughtfully, the medium and small layers will fall into place more naturally without feeling cluttered.
Adding Medium Size Furnishing
Once the larger items in a room are in place, it’s time to add the medium-sized decor. These are the pieces that help connect the big items to the smaller finishing touches.
Medium-sized items might include things like side tables, floor lamps, medium-sized artwork, larger vases, or oversized baskets. They are important because they help create balance and give the eye a path to follow around the room.
When adding medium-sized decor, think about how each piece works with the larger items. Group a few pieces together if it makes sense, but be careful not to overcrowd any area. There should always be a feeling of breathing room between things. A well-layered room feels collected and pretty, not busy or cramped.
What You Need to Know About Space will help you learn about the importance of positive and negative space and how it creates a room that feels comfortable and interesting
How to Create a Balanced Room will help you understand how to use medium-sized decor to create a room that looks beautiful and feels just right.
Why Texture Matters When Layering Decor
Texture is one of the most important elements to think about when layering decor. Different textures add depth and interest to a room, making it feel more inviting.
Mixing textures like smooth and rough, soft and hard, shiny and matte gives a room life and personality. A space filled with only one texture can feel flat, even if everything is beautiful. The goal is to create a balance that feels interesting and welcoming.
I am a huge fan of texture, especially since I have a somewhat neutral color palette. Texture has added a great deal of depth and interest to my home. It’s my decorating secret weapon and one of the easiest ways to make a neutral room look rich and beautiful. It actually adds richness and beauty to any room, regardless of the color scheme.
When layering, think about using a variety of textures. Add a soft throw to a leather chair, a woven basket under a painted console table, or a metal lamp on a rustic wood side table. These little touches make a big difference.
How to Add Texture to Create Beauty in Your Home will give you more ideas for using texture to create rooms that feel rich, layered, and beautiful.
Adding Your Personality To A Room
One of the best parts of layering decor is incorporating items that are personal and meaningful. These are the items that tell the story of your home and make it truly yours.
This is my favorite part of the decorating process. I call it embellishing. Adding personal items and things you love makes us feel very connected to our homes and brings warmth to every room.
Consider adding special pieces, such as family photos in beautiful frames, meaningful art, heirlooms, favorite books, or something handmade. Personal touches bring life and warmth to a space in a way nothing else can. And they often make the biggest impact.
When layering in personal items, place them thoughtfully where they can be seen and enjoyed without making the room feel crowded. A little goes a long way. Choose the things you love most and give them a special place in your decor.
How to Style a Beautifully Curated Home shares additional ideas on how to make your home tell your story through its decor.
The Most Important Rule To Know
The most important rule to remember when layering decor is this: less is best. It’s easy to keep adding things, but a room can quickly start feeling cluttered and uncomfortable.
The most important rule to remember when layering decor is this: less is best. Every layer should have a reason for being there.
The goal of layering decor is to create a space that feels collected, not crowded. Every layer should have a reason for being there. When in doubt, take one thing away and see if the space looks better. Often, it does.
Trust your eye. Step back and look at your room from different angles. A thoughtfully layered room will feel welcoming, comfortable, and pretty without feeling overdone.
Simple Decoarting: How to Decorate With Less shares more helpful tips for creating a home that feels just right.
Layering decor is one of the best ways to create a home that looks inviting and feels welcoming. Start with a few simple layers, trust your eye, and enjoy the process. You don’t have to be a designer to decorate like one. You just need a little practice and a lot of love for your home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Layering Decor
Layering decor simply means thoughtfully arranging furniture and accessories in a way that adds depth, interest, and a comfortable feel to a room. It’s about combining different items like rugs, pillows, lighting, and accessories to create a collected, pulled-together look. Good layering helps a room feel finished without looking cluttered.
Using this 3-step approach makes it easy to layer decor in your home. Start by placing the largest items first, like sofas, chairs, and rugs. Next, add medium-sized pieces like side tables, lamps, and artwork. Then finish with smaller accessories like pillows, throws, candles, and plants. As you layer, think about mixing textures, heights, and shapes to make the room feel balanced and interesting.
The key to avoiding clutter is to be thoughtful about what you add. Every item should have a reason for being there. Here are a few other suggestions to help keep a room from looking cluttered: Group smaller items together instead of scattering them. Make sure there’s breathing room around furniture and accessories. Step back often and edit anything that feels heavy or distracting. Less is usually better when it comes to layering decor.
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Other Helpful Decorating Posts
Mixing Decorating Styles: 9 Tips for a Beautiful Home
Simple Decorating: When Less Is Best
5 Easy Ways to Update a Room That Make a Big Difference
Happy Decorating, friends…
Hi Yvonne,
Where did you get the wooden planter that you have on your dinning table?
Hi Ashley,
I found it locally. Sorry, I can’t find a source.
What an informative, relevant and useful post. Thank you for sharing! I savored every word and will take it to heart. I love a good vignette, but as you have so recently pointed out in various articles, over-decorating is quite the dilemma! I can relate! I do enjoy your blog so very much.
This thrills me, Pam! I’m so glad StoneGable is useful!
I love to put shiny new with chippy. The juxtaposition adds interest to any vignette. A little whimsy in a room doesn’t hurt either. Makes for a great conversational moment. You’re absolutely right about too many layers. I see some pictures on Instagram or blogs were they have added on and added on. It boggles the mind. A room needs a place where the eye can rest. As always, a great lesson on design, Yvonne.
Your dinning area looks lovely! The neutral colors are so comforting. Thank you for the great decorating tips!
Mary Anne, thank you so much! How sweet!
Beautiful, but can you show examples of layering patterns and colors (not just neutrals) Thank you
Can a table runner stand alone or does it need to have something on top of it? I haves these beautiful beaded runners 36″ and need some ideas of how to decorate with them. I Feel they are very busy and using them as a layer is too much. What would you do?
A table runner should have something on top of it. Try putting a large white planter with a houseplant in it on top of the beaded runner.
Hi, I do like some of your ideas, but I was just wondering what you meant by “saving your kids from having to ride the bus? I myself am a retired school bus driver, I always took pride and care to deliver the kids home safe and sound !! Also I find your color scheme rather boring !! I love more color!! Sorry, that is just my opinion!! Keep up your good work!! And ad some color !!
Hi Marty! I certainly did not mean any offense. I was a teacher and I know how rowdy school bus rides could be.
Yvonne, you are such a wealth of knowledge and we thank you, so much, for everything you share with us. We always benefit from your posts and can use all your suggestions in making our house a home. Bless you, Yvonne! I thank God for you and the special gal you are! Have a great week!
So good to hear from you Mary Ann!
Hi! Your dining area was a great example! It looks beautiful! I think subtle things can be so beautifully layered rather than competing things that are not restful to look at. The advice you gave is so good! I think sometimes the layered looks in decorating and blogs are either just messy or unworkable for living with it in real life, even if they photograph cute. You are so right about how things can just look piled up. I do not want that look for my house. Tiny decor, too, can look messy, not tied in well. I want it pretty, not lots of little knicknacks everywhere and no really eye-catching special things. Plus it needs to be multifunctional. I have a large black vase that is very pretty, and it looks better than if I rotated vases. I can put dried eucalyptus, or nice faux florals that are seasonal, or a large something, or even nothing at all, and it goes better than a small trio of vases or something in decor I can’t use all year long. It layers better with things because it goes with everything I have.
Great ideas!
I am learning, and playing, all about vignettes from you. Lol. Enjoying it too. One favorite idea of yours, I learned about how to cover books in burlap as risers. A fav! Still struggle with Mantle decorations.
I’ll be using these tips very soon in a current project I’m doing! Thanks !!!
I absolutely LOVE coming to your blog for inspiration and motivation. I can always envision how I want to create my space; however, if I sit on it too long, I’ll start overthinking and before I know it, the space is still bare months later! I need to start trusting my instinct and realize that hey, if it doesn’t work, it’s not permanent! Committing to solid staples and changing up my layers is easier to process for an over-thinker like me!
I love your horizontal striped curtains in your dinette area. Can you please share a link?
Always such beautiful ideas!
I love creating a little vignettes throughout my home. It always adds interest and definitely tells a story! Thanks for such a great post…. it was very inspirational!
Yvonne, I just want you to know how inspiring your decorating style is. I love your layering in your dining room, It is simplistic but well curated and I am a fan of your dining room table and chairs. Love, love your curtains,they just add to be beauty. Well I am off to use your inspiration. Have a great day.
My favorite way to layer is in rugs!
Thank you so much for the reminder to keep it simple. 🙂
You have impeccable taste….I want to be you when I grow up!
so many great details in this article. a must save!
Layering has always been a challenge for me, but I will put more effort in because it looks so great!
Great ideas! Thank you!
Thank you for the tips on layering! Can’t wait to incorporate these tips into my own home decorating!
Love all your posts. They are just so helpful. I have used many of your tips in my own home. I also love your recipes. Thanks for your terrific blog.
Thank you so much Joan!
Can you provide a link or a source for your drapieries? These are exactly what I am looking for. I love the thin stripe in them. Most I have seen are either a large color clock stripe or a vertical stripe. These are perfect!
All the drapery in our home is from Ballard Designs. They are so beautifully made. The drapes you are looking for are on sale now and they ship free! Here’s the link:https://rstyle.me/+dDnQ1V1rkqiZ2YxPpwDTcw
Hello Yvonne!! Thank you for all of your fun, informative posts. They are a great part of my day!
Can you provide me with information on your dining room chairs. Any help you can give would be appreciated.
Happy New Year! ❤️Rhonda
Hi Rhonda, Aww! Thank you for your ver kind comment. The table is from Ethan Allen. It’s the Cooper round, and it’s on sale right now.
Lovely post Yvonne, but it’s not the wish list! Just wanted to let you know.
I love your style. We are downsizing and build our last home. I have chosen white kitchen cabinets and I’m overwhelmed with the different shades of white. Could you please tell me the white you chose for your kitchen cabinets and walls. We too will have an open concept home half the size of our present home.
Thank you, Anne Marie Petralia [email protected]
Hi Anne, In my opinion, you should choose a white that works with the undertones of the color palette in your home. Everything in our home, walls, ceiling, moulding, etc is painted Simply White by Benjamin Moore. It’s a warm white. I chose this color because our floors are oak and my color palette is made up of warm neutrals. The paint on your kitchen walls and the color of your countertops should also be a big consideration. You might want to read Can You Mix Warm And Cool Colors In Your Decor? https://stonegableblog.com/can-you-mix-warm-and-cool-colors-in-decor/. This will help you discover the undertones in your color palette so you can choose the right paint color for your kitchen cabinets.Congratulations on downsizing! I pray you will be happy and blessed in your new home.