Designers Say These 3 Tips Are the Solutions to Your Overdecorating

If you feel like you've overdecorated your home and are looking to take a step back and give your space a bit of an overhaul, designers are here to help.

Below, four design professionals are chiming in with their go-to tried and true tips for managing overdecorating once and for all. Their main pieces of advice? Edit often, purchase pieces intentionally, and follow the "one in, one out" rule when decorating your home.

Edit Often

To ensure that you don't fall victim to overdecorating in your home, it's important to pare down belongings and restyle a space, explains Ashley Macuga, the founder of Collected Interiors.

"When a space feels overdecorated, we first begin by thinking through what in the room we want to have the most impact visually," she notes. "It might be a piece of art or the unique silhouette of a chair."

After identifying this object, Macuga is a proponent of removing all of the items surrounding it and putting them back one by one "until the space feels balanced."

Becky Shea, the leading interior designer and owner of BS/D agrees and also follows this approach. "A blank canvas allows you to approach decorating more purposefully and minimizes the chance of overdecorating," she shares.

Shea likes to be mindful of the hues she's using within a given space, too. "While I like to add pops of color to my designs with decorative objects and art, too many bright or bold accents can subliminally read as chaos," she notes. "Balance those pops with plenty of neutrals to bring the energy back into a calming balance."

Note that taking part in this exercise doesn't mean you have to literally donate or sell all of the items that end up unused. "An edited space doesn’t mean parting with your treasured objects forever," Macuga stresses. "I am constantly making changes to the styling in my own home, and have a bin where I store my favorite objects."

Macuga consults this storage area as often as she pleases. "When I want a refresh for a change in season, I pull out the bin and start from there instead of buying new," the designer explains. "It's good for the planet and for the soul."

Designer Bethany Adams, the founder of Bethany Adams Interiors, operates similarly in her own home. "As a designer, it's difficult not to go overboard in decorating my own house—there's always some new, fabulous treasure I want to bring home," she comments. "But to avoid decor overkill (and clutter), I try to follow Coco Chanel's famous, 'Take one thing off before you leave the houses' adage, but applied to interiors.'"

For Adams, this also means swapping pieces out as the seasons change for a fresh feel. "I love trying statement accessories in different locations," she notes. "Sometimes magic happens when you move things around and try furnishings in different locations—even different rooms—then you had originally intended."

Purchase Pieces With Intention

To avoid the feeling of an overstuffed, overdecorated home, it's also smart to think carefully before making any type of decor purchase. It's tempting to fill up an online shopping cart with items that are on sale or are trending, but if pieces don't actually support the vision you have for your space, it's best for your home—and your wallet—to simply leave them behind.

"I think if you buy items that you truly love over time—not just simply buying for the sake of quickly filling an empty space—you are much more likely to keep those pieces longer without constantly feeling the need to buy more," explains Lauren Sullivan, the founder of Well x Design.

Live By the One in, One Out Rule

If you love clothes, you may already abide by this rule as it pertains to your closet. It essentially works so that every time you purchase a new sweater, an older one must be added to your donation pile.

Why not adopt a similar philosophy when it comes to home goods? This is something Sullivan happily embraces in her own space. "This helps with feeling the need to overdecorate and also reduces clutter," she explains.