From mixing materials to asymmetrical layouts, six top interior designers chat with us about the design rules that they don’t follow and share the spaces they’ve created that illustrate why rules can be broken.
6 Design Rules to Break, According to Top Designers
![Rule #1: Hang Artwork Symmetrically in a Room"I like to place art to create the effect I am looking for rather than in an expected location, like centered over the couch. Sometimes I like to take artwork off grid because I think symmetry can be stultifying and stiff. In the living room above, the large painting was placed to the far left of the sofa to serve as a focal point from the hallway that leads straight to the room."Elizabeth Vallino, of Elizabeth Vallino Interiors](https://d1h3pk8iipmcfn.cloudfront.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/051034/Elizabeth_Vallino.jpg)