After you finish spring cleaning, you might wonder what to tackle next. Now that you’ve cleaned up, reorganized, and decluttered, you might find that it’s time for a little redecorating—but where should you begin? You can start by clearing away all of the decorations currently living in your space and taking inventory of them. Then, you’ll implement the “Rule of Three.”
What is the “Rule of Three” in decorating?
If you watch a lot of home-decor-themed shows or read a lot of DIY blogs, you might be familiar with the Rule of Three without fully knowing what it is. Jackie Hernandez, who manages the online School of Decorating, breaks it down like this: “For decorating, the Rule of Three means objects look better in a group of three.”
It’s really that simple. In general, odd numbers are the way to go no matter what, according to Apartment Therapy, so if you absolutely have to have a bunch of items on your horizontal surfaces, you can go for five or seven or nine. If you’re angling for a fresh, decluttered look, though, three should be your maximum.
Odd numbers force your eyes to move around the group, but also give them a central piece to focus on. In general, human beings just prefer things in odd-numbered groups, especially in groupings of three. If you’ve ever taken a film or photography class, for instance, you know that you’re supposed to frame all your shots by the Rule of Thirds, breaking the screen into three sections horizontally and vertically, to make every scene more visually appealing.
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Three of what, though?
As long as you stick with odd-numbered groupings, your options for decorating are pretty endless. Let’s consider your bedside table. You probably have a lamp, so you have space for two more things. You want the three items on each flat surface to vary, either by texture or height—or both. A ceramic dish for your rings and a picture frame are two solid options for your remaining spaces. Anything else should be put in the drawer or somewhere else.
Your coffee table can have a stack of textured coasters, a stack of books, and a small plant. See how easy this is? It even works for your walls: Don’t hang one or two pieces of art; hang three to up the visual intrigue without getting too cluttered.
Per Hernandez, on larger surfaces, you can cluster items in groups of threes, too, such as on a desk or dining room buffet. Try using decorative dishes to hold the clusters, which will create visual distinction between them, or just space them out.
This is a great way to go through all the knickknacks that crowd your space and determine which ones really deserve to be on display, which ones can be stored away, and which ones can be tossed or donated. See? Even your options come in threes.
