Why my home never looked quite right – and how I fixed it

Red marble tray with mixture of ornaments and jug holding wooden utensils — (Image credit: Leah Hodson)

Home decorator and content creator Leah Hodson is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on overhauling a home with clever DIY and decorating tricks. See the rest of her articles here.

I’m ashamed to admit, but something never felt right about my house, even before the renovation. Looking at other homes on Instagram, it felt like I was missing a trick everyone was aware of. I bought the pillows, the throws, and filled my house with things I loved, but something felt… off.

In all fairness, I’m more comfortable showing my DIY projects than a fully styled room. I can manage large IKEA hacks, panel my hallway or even pick out the right wallpaper, but when it comes to figuring out how to do justice to the project I’ve spent weeks on, it never feels right.

1. Rule of thirds

As a good starting point about understanding scale, there’s the Rule of Thirds that your favourite filmmakers and photographers use to guide the viewer's eye towards the main subject.

The idea is to place your ‘main character’ on the lines of the 3x3 grid or within the center stage to ensure it’s where the eye focuses on. Think of the room in a 3x3 grid, and this will be useful in planning furniture placement as well as styling pieces.

Large grey vase of white flowers on wooden stool beside burgundy sofa

2. Trinkets and ornaments

I love trinkets! Filling a room with lots of small things often leaves it feeling cluttered rather than considered. It turns out that good styling is not about having more, but paying attention to scale.

By giving your eyes some breathing room, finding statement pieces that draw focus with smaller items that complement it adds to the story - your story of life experience and interests.

3. Trays, trays, trays

Did I mention I love trinkets? They’re cheap and easy to move around, but many small items create visual noise as there isn’t something for the eyes to settle on – my eyes are constantly jumping from one item to the next.

Instead of clearing them out entirely, I’m grouping them together on my favourite upcycled tray. This increases the scale from looking at many small items to one larger focal point.

christmas star garland hanging over some wall art

4. Art work

A simple trick to draw your eyes up is always with the use of artwork. I have found that my choice in artwork has previously been too small for the space. A larger, more well proportioned art piece will work better as a focal point rather than one hanging awkwardly on the wall.

5. Soft furnishings

Soft furnishings play an important role in mellowing any room. It adds a much needed layer of warmth to a space. Think cushions, throws and window dressing but in different prints – avoid trying to make everything match. My favourite combination is mixing florals and stripes so it’s not too busy. Though, I am still trying to get the mix right!

Red velvet sofa with mix-and-match cushions beside basket of throws

6. Baskets

Just like trays, baskets help to group things together to make a larger focal point – their versatility knows no bounds!

I’ve bought so many baskets over the years that I’m now on a basket ban. Though I might have sneaked one in recently – the Mrs Hinch Home Bargains basket (I simply adore the shape!). It’s great for alternative storage too to hide away wires or to store things. I really like using it to add texture to a space!

7. Lighting

Lamps are the perfect multifunctional styling piece! Oftentimes our mistake is to only look for one beautiful ceiling light and think that that’s all the room needs. Alternative lighting options like wall lights and lamps are as essential as that one big ceiling light. As part of the renovation, we had a full rewire and with that, I decided to add accent lights in my kitchen and extra sockets. I wanted more sockets (despite the cost) so that I can have more soft lighting around my house. I have my eye on some wireless lamps that won’t need to be constantly plugged in, like this Walter Rechargeable Lamp from Pooky. Though I know I will definitely forget to charge it!

In reality, perhaps it's not very much a scale problem, but a grouping issue – items grouped together can be mixed and added to a story. I’m trying to remind myself that a room is 3 dimensional instead of a flat picture, which really makes for an interesting challenge. When styled right, all objects add to the story and play off each other perfectly, instead of creating clutter.

Leah is a home interiors enthusiast, DIY devotee, and self-confessed lover of all things beige (but you can never call the beige that she does boring!). Her popular Instagram account, The Stanley Diary, has over 10,000 followers, who want to be inspired by her affordable home renovations.

With a background that includes a brief summer internship writing wedding features (long before she got married herself), her real passion lies in interiors. Leah love creating spaces that feel warm, cosy, and full of character. Over the past five years, since getting the keys to her first home, she’s been living and breathing interiors, armed with a power tool in one hand and a Pinterest board in the other.