4 Reasons Your Home Doesn’t Feel Cohesive + Video

If creating a cohesive look in your home is something you struggle to master you are definitely not alone. In fact, I think that this is definitely the number one struggle that I hear from you guys and I totally get it.

I've been there too but as someone who loves a good home decor dilemma I've enjoyed the process of figuring out some tricks to get my home flowing from one room to another.

It really comes down to being really intentional and setting some boundaries for yourself. Doing so will eliminate a lot of choices and as a result have you decorating with way less overwhelm.

So here are what I think are the 4 main reasons why your home doesn't feel cohesive and some new ways of thinking that will get you on the road to a more cohesive look.

1 | Your Home Lacks A Defined Color Palette

I bought my first condo after my first year of teaching and to say it needed some help is an understatement. I actually bought it from my now husband so shhhhhh, don't tell him that the decor was U.G.L.Y.

Anyway, I guess you could say it was the beginning of my mission to create a stylish and functional space that reflected who I am, but everything had to be done on a pretty tight budget. I was up for the challenge.

Working with what I had meant that I had to find a way for a lot of hand me down and mismatched pieces to work together and a really easy and inexpensive way to do that is with paint.

Which lead me to the realization that the best way to create a cohesive look in my home without spending a ton of money was with a consistent color palette.

I definitely took more chances with bold colors back then but even now that I'm in my third home having a consistent color palette is the key to my home flowing from one room to another.

The key to creating a whole home color palette is to use the colors in different ratios in the different areas of the home.

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My recipe usually includes neutral walls in the main living spaces and hallways with the pops of color coming in in the accent pieces. You can see this recipe in action in my family room.

In the kitchen I switch up the ratio by bringing in one of my main colors, with the neutral still playing a large role.

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In places like the bedrooms I switch up the ratio again by using a bolder color on the walls or on a piece of furniture.

Keeping the same color story going throughout most of my house (kid's room's get their own fun colors) I'm able to create flow but still give each room it's own personality.

2 | You've Never Taken The Time To Define Your Style

Putting a name on your style can be a scary thing especially if you like a lot of different styles. But the best part of defining your style (which believe it or not can still include multiple styles) is that it narrows your focus.

Think about it…

If you're in need of some new throw pillows and standing in the pillow aisle at Home Goods you could easily get really overwhelmed right? But if you have a defined color palette, your choices are already limited. And if you have a clear definition of your style and have created a list of elements that fall into the scope of your style, you have limited your choices even further and now know exactly what you are looking for.

Not only that, you can be certain that whatever you bring home will go with what you already have because all of your decorating decisions were made with the same guidelines in mind.

Taking the time to know your style definition is essential to creating a cohesive look in your home. It's so important that I've created an entire course  to walk you through the steps of defining your signature style and how to take your definition and implement it in your home.

3 | You're Dealing With Inspiration Overload

With so many resources available to us these days (hello Pinterest) it's really easy to fall into the trap of inspiration overload. We are inundated with photos of beautiful spaces and if you're anything like me, it is difficult to decide which ideas to implement in your own home cause you like all of it!

Having your defined color palette and your style definition will help you focus when it comes to gathering inspiration, but beyond that you need to set some limits when it comes to gathering ideas.

Ideas are just plain no good without any action and so I challenge you to stop gathering ideas, edit your pinterest boards down to only the best of the best ideas and start taking action! (And this is another concept we cover in detail in my online decorating course!)

4 | You Haven't Purged To Make Room For Your Evolving Style

Just because you once loved something or invested in it 10 years ago doesn't mean that it still belongs in your home.

I've adopted a new mentality when it comes to getting rid of stuff and this applies to decor too.

The chances of your style staying the same forever is slim. That's why I keep big purchases pretty neutral (both in color and in style) and add in the pops of color and personality with the items that are easier to trade out as my style evolves.

For example a large purchase like a sofa needs to last, so I chose one with clean lines in a dark grey color, but bring in pops of color and pattern with fun pillows and throws!

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The key pieces to the puzzle though is to be okay with the fact that your style is going to evolve and to actually get rid of the things that no longer fit your style so that you can plan to add things that do.

Taking action here is going to mean that you are not struggling to make the old outdated items work with your new look. And in return it will allow your new look to really stand out the way that it deserves to.

How To Get A Cohesive Look In Your Home

If you crave a cohesive look in your home, pick one thing to focus on in the next month and take it from there. You will get there, but it's so important to not overwhelm yourself and expect perfection right away.

If our homes are truly a reflection of who we are, they will be forever evolving but it's still important to take the time to get to know your style so that you narrow your focus and create boundaries so that each item is super intentional.