Making a French chateau library out of that extra room in your
modular home can be a challenge (we are talking monumental
challenge here!). And making your one room apartment into a
Tuscan villa can stretch the limits of your imagination (You’ve
been watching too many episodes of Trading Spaces again!). But
Tuscan villa, French chateau, English cottage or Santa Fe adobe
— whatever your dream décor may be, there are basic rules of
design that will help make your decorating task a success:

1. Scale and proportion - If you are trying to make a Tuscan
villa out of a one room apartment, make sure it’s a small Tuscan
villa. Take into account the scale of the room, remembering that
the people who will use the room will also be part of that
scale. If you want large comfortable seats in a small room, you
will need to reduce the number of other things that will be in
the room and make sure that the other accessories seem correctly
proportioned in relation to one another. Remember that a small
delicate tea table may look wonderful next to a wingback chair,
but will seem at odds with an over-stuffed club chair! Also the
smaller the space, the smaller the prints on upholstery or
wallpaper you choose. If you have a large space, let yourself go
with large splashy prints!

2. Line - Line defines a space. Vertical lines in your room give
more height, dignity and formality (think of the stateliness of
Grecian columns or pillars!). Horizontal lines give a sense of
space, width and security (think of a bed or a chair rails!).
Diagonal lines give a sense of motion, transition or change
(Think of eaves or a diagonal slash of paint!) Curved lines give
a sense of freedom, softness and sensuality (think of curved,
plush cushions or sofas!) Remember you don’t have to stay inside
the lines! Don’t place all your furniture against the wall like
a police lineup or firing squad! Bring some out into the middle
of the room or at least move a piece or two at an angle to the
wall. 

3. Balance - Balance is equilibrium among the forms in a room.
There are two types of balance:  a. Symmetrical which is a
balance between objects on either side of an imaginary line;  
b. Asymmetrical is a balance between objects of different sizes. 

Large and small items in the room should be distributed evenly.
The whole room should seem comfortable to the eye. There should
be nothing jarring or awkward. If something does seem out of
place in the room, take it out. 

4. Harmony and Rhythm - When a room is harmonious, all the
elements in the room relate easily to each other. When a room
has rhythm, it means that colors or patterns are repeated in a
way that stimulates the eye and mind. Remember however, that too
much pattern in a small room can be overwhelming. 

5. Focus - Focus is what your eye notices or rests on when you
enter a room. Make sure it is something that you want the eye to
rest on, not something you want to hide!

The best advice if you want to design your dream room? Educate
yourself about basic design principles and then trust your
instincts! Don’t listen to your best friend, your mother-in-law
or the neighbor down the street! Trust yourself! After all, you
will be the one who lives with the room. 

That being said, I do have one small piece of advice. If you
find yourself trying to figure out how you can make a moat
around that modular French chateau, you’ve just gone too far!