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Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry has outlined four decorating principles she finds useful: the 60-30-10 colour approach, an unexpected red accent, grouping objects in threes and paying attention to proportion. In an Ideal Home contribution, she describes them as flexible guides rather than rules to follow mechanically.
Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry has shared four decorating principles she says can help a room feel more balanced, while stressing that they are guides, not rules to follow blindly. In a first-person contribution for Ideal Home, she describes how she uses colour balance, an unexpected red accent, groupings of three and attention to scale in her own home and client projects.
Jahangiry’s first principle is the 60-30-10 colour approach: use a dominant shade across roughly 60% of a scheme, a secondary colour for about 30%, and an accent for the remaining 10%. The larger share might appear on walls or major furniture; the secondary colour could come through upholstery, curtains or rugs, while smaller details such as cushions, artwork or accessories provide the accent. She says she uses the idea as a starting point, not a calculation to apply literally.
Her second pick is the unexpected red theory, an idea associated in her account with Brooklyn-based interior designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon, who posted about it on TikTok in early 2024. The suggestion is to add a red item that contrasts with the rest of the room, from a small vase or lamp to a larger piece of furniture. Jahangiry says the broader lesson is to introduce an unexpected element; she sees the contrast as a way to make a scheme feel more considered.
For styling surfaces, Jahangiry often groups objects in threes or other odd numbers, varying their heights, shapes and textures. Her fourth principle is proportion: a living-room rug should reach beneath at least the front legs of the sofa and nearby chair, rather than sitting as a small island in the middle. Likewise, art above a large sofa should be large enough, or arranged as a collection, to relate visually to the furniture below.
Four Guides for More Balanced Rooms
The value of Jahangiry’s list is its practical focus: each principle offers a way to diagnose or shape a room without requiring a strict formula. A colour ratio can help someone begin a palette, while attention to rug or artwork scale can address a common source of visual imbalance. Grouping accessories and adding contrast are similarly low-commitment ways to adjust a space.
These are the designer’s professional opinions, not universal standards or guarantees that a room will look better. Jahangiry says the principles should be adapted to individual taste. Her account is especially relevant to readers trying to balance a cohesive look with personal choices, because it presents structure as a tool rather than a substitute for judgment.
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Jahangiry’s Flexible Design Approach
Ideal Home introduces Jahangiry as one of its new Open House contributors, writing about decorating for busy family life while maintaining aesthetic values. In the article, she says she generally follows her instincts and has previously argued that a home should reflect what its occupants love, rather than instructions imposed by traditional design rules.
The four ideas she highlights do not all work in the same way. The 60-30-10 approach is a framework for distributing colour; the red theory is an invitation to create contrast; the rule of three is a styling habit; and proportion concerns the relationship between the size of objects in a room. Jahangiry says she may set aside the colour ratio, for example, when using several tones of one colour in a colour-drenched room.
No Tested Formula or Universal Rule
The article presents Jahangiry’s experience and views; it does not report controlled testing, survey results or evidence that the four approaches work for every home. The source also gives no precise measurements for choosing rug or artwork sizes, beyond describing how items should relate to nearby furniture. The suggested colour shares are approximate, and Jahangiry explicitly says she does not calculate them exactly.
The source does not establish how widely designers use these principles or whether the red theory produces the same effect in different rooms. Readers should treat the claimed visual benefits as the contributor’s assessment, not as independently verified outcomes.
Apply the Ideas to Your Room
Jahangiry’s article does not announce a product, formal design standard or follow-up study. Its practical next step is left to readers: use whichever principle addresses a room’s needs, then judge the result in the space itself. Someone building a palette might begin with the 60-30-10 balance; someone styling a shelf could try an odd-numbered group; and someone reassessing a living room could check whether the rug and artwork are scaled to the furniture.
Any further guidance from Jahangiry would depend on her future contributions to Ideal Home. For now, the central point in her account is that these four ideas can inform decorating decisions, but personal preference remains the final measure.
Key Questions
What are the four interior design principles Jahangiry recommends?
She highlights the 60-30-10 colour approach, adding an unexpected red accent, styling objects in groups of three or other odd numbers, and keeping furniture, rugs and artwork in proportion.
Does the 60-30-10 rule require exact measurements?
No. Jahangiry describes it as a loose guide for balancing a dominant colour, a secondary colour and an accent. She says she would not calculate the percentages exactly.
What is the unexpected red theory?
It is the idea, attributed in Jahangiry’s article to designer Taylor Migliazzo Simon’s early-2024 TikTok post, that adding a red item can create an unexpected contrast. Jahangiry says the wider principle is to introduce something playful and unexpected.
How should a living-room rug relate to the seating?
Jahangiry suggests choosing a rug large enough to sit beneath at least the front legs of the sofa and a nearby chair, so it helps anchor the seating area rather than appearing disconnected.
Are these rules suitable for every home?
Jahangiry does not present them as universal requirements. She describes them as adaptable design guides and says people should use the ideas that work for their rooms and ignore those that do not.
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