Use the Home Decor 80-20 Design Rule | Forge & Bow Dwellings (2024)

February 15, 2023

Use the Home Decor 80-20 Design Rule | Forge & Bow Dwellings (1)

Some rules can feel restrictive, and that’s true. On the other hand, some rules can provide the proper guidelines within which you can explore and let your home decor creativity run free…without creating chaos.

This is how we view the 80-20 design rule.

The 80-20 rule is relatively simple and can be used for different aspects of your interior design.

Design 80% of the room following one main philosophy, style, and color, and use the remaining 20% to explore and add a different touch.

Let’s see how this can be applied to your home.

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80-20 Interior Design Color Rule to Elevate Your Home Decor

Are you looking to update the colors of a specific room? You’d like to mix in a few colors and tones together but you’re not sure how to best do it without it becoming too much?

Then the 80-20 rule will be a very valuable tool.

This can work for any room and it extends beyond just the color of your walls.

Everything in a room brings colors - the walls, the furniture, the bedding, the pillows, the curtains, the doors, and the cabinets.

There’s a lot to play with!

Now choose one main color - this will be the reference for 80% of the room. Then have fun with the remaining 20% of the room.

  • Add personality to a soft neutral room

Use neutral colors (white, beige, light grey) as your 80% reference, and pick your favorite color(s) for the remaining 20%. This will create a minimalist environment yet still be unique.

  • Create a bold statement with complementary colors

If you want to create a bold statement, check out complementary colors. Complementary colors are across from each other on the color wheel. A green wall with a purple art piece or an orange sofa on a blue wall for example.

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  • Create harmony with analogous colors

If you want to bring energy but keep a more harmonious and calm feeling, choose analogous colors. Situated directly next to each other on the color wheel, they bring contrast and harmony. Yellow and orange or light green and dark green for example.

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80-20 Design Style Rule to Enhance Your Home

The 80-20 rule also works when wanting to mix different design styles.

First, choose the main interior design style you want to focus on. Take into consideration the architectural feature of the space, if any. A big fireplace or brick wall could be a great start for a rustic design. A metallic panel could help bring an industrial design focus to life.

Apply this style for 80% of the room.

Then for the 20% remaining, choose another style you are interested in.

For example, you could have French Country-style couches, coastal art decorations, or bohemian tapestry and rugs.

Use the Home Decor 80-20 Design Rule | Forge & Bow Dwellings (5)

The 80-20 rule can really help you to let your creativity and unique personality shine without ending up with overwhelming or chaotic decor.

If you love the combination of certain colors or styles together, try mixing them using the 80-20 rule!

If you would like additional support, let us know! We’d love to help you create your dream home.

Use the Home Decor 80-20 Design Rule | Forge & Bow Dwellings (2024)

FAQs

What is the 80-20 rule in home decor? ›

Colors. When choosing colors for your room, use the 80/20 rule to create a balanced look. Choose neutral colors for 80% of the room and use pops of color for the remaining 20%.

What is the 80-20 rule in design? ›

The Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 rule as its also known, is a productivity hack of sorts. The idea behind it is: 80% of the effects of any given process come from 20% of the effort put into it. To illustrate this in a UX context, it's like saying: 80% of your users use 20% of your features.

What is the 80-20 rule for color? ›

The 80-20 rule in using colour suggests that 80% of the room should be a neutral colour, providing a foundation, while 20% should be vibrant colours used for accents, creating a dynamic yet balanced space.

What is the 80-20 rule in construction? ›

While some changes may fit your needs, others can increase the cost of your project. Locking in design decisions early in the process is the most effective way to protect your budget. We call this idea the “80/20 rule.” 80% of the outcome is determined in the first 20% of the process.

How do I use the 80-20 rule? ›

You can use the 80/20 rule to prioritize the tasks that you need to get done during the day. The idea is that out of your entire task list, completing 20% of those tasks will result in 80% of the impact you can create for that day.

What is the 80-20 rule for clutter? ›

On the podcast Lipstick on the Rim with actress Molly Sims, the duo fervently recommend applying it to homes large and small, explaining that it's all about filling your space 80% at most and leaving the remaining 20% empty to “take a break.” This free space provides plenty of visual relief and allows new objects to ...

What is the 80-20 rule style? ›

The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is a familiar saying that asserts that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. In business, a goal of the 80-20 rule is to identify inputs that are potentially the most productive and make them the priority.

How do you visualize the 80-20 rule? ›

The Pareto chart is a visual representation of the 80-20 rule, featuring a bar + line chart. The bars represent the value of each item on your list (arranged in descending order), and the line indicates the cumulative percentage of those values.

What is the best chart to show 80-20 rule? ›

The Pareto Chart is a very powerful tool for showing the relative importance of problems. It contains both bars and lines, where individual values are represented in descending order by bars, and the cumulative total of the sample is represented by the curved line.

What is an example of the 80-20 rule? ›

80% of crimes are committed by 20% of criminals. 80% of sales are from 20% of clients. 80% of project value is achieved with the first 20% of effort. 80% of your knowledge is used 20% of the time.

What is the 80/20 rule in real estate? ›

In the realm of real estate investment, the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, is a potent tool for maximizing returns. It posits that a small fraction of actions—typically around 20%—drives a disproportionately large portion of results, often around 80%.

What is the 80-20 rule paint? ›

It states that the majority of your room – 80% – should be decorated in neutral colors, such as whites, creams, beige or pale pastel hues. The remaining 20% is where you can let your creativity shine, opting for statement colors and patterns. If you use this rule in your interior design, you can't go far wrong.

What is the 80-20 rule design? ›

Focus On Usability Over Features

Since the principle states that 80% of an application's features will result in only 20% of the usage, it's essential the application is above all focused on usability rather than adding features upon features, many of which will go unused.

What is the 80-20 rule projects? ›

Otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, the Pareto rule is a tool that can be used to improve project management efficiency. The rule states that 80% of the results of a project come from 20% of the work. Therefore, by focusing on the 20% of work that is most important, we can improve the efficiency of a project.

Which tool is also known as 80-20 rule? ›

It's based on the Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 Rule) – the idea that 80 percent of problems may be the result of as little as 20 percent of causes. To use Pareto Analysis, you first need to identify and list the problems that you face, and their root causes.

What is the 60 30 10 rule in interior decorating? ›

What is the 60-30-10 Rule? It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.

What is the 70 30 rule in interior design? ›

A simple rule of thumb many interior designers follow is the 70:30 hack for decorating a room. 70% of the room in one style and 30% in another. This delicious “Mix” of 2 or more styles creates a unique and eclectic look making the space more personal and individual and bringing your own personalised style signature.

What is the 60 40 rule in interior design? ›

Creating a balanced Room Layout

The golden ratio helps achieve a balanced room layout by assessing the floor space covered by furniture. Striking the right balance means that nearly 60% of your room will have furniture on it, with 40% being clear.

What is the golden rule in interior design? ›

In theory, a room should be 1.6 times wider and 2.6 times longer than it is taller to achieve perfection... but of course, this is not always practical or possible. Often, however, great room proportions are just something we get a feeling for when we enter them for the first time.

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