✨ Sometimes the secret to a beautifully styled space isn’t what you add—it’s what you take away. When a room starts to feel a little busy, one simple edit can completely change the way everything else looks. In this 60-Second Design Tip, Amy shares one of her favorite reminders for knowing when enough is enough and how taking a step back can help you create a space that feels collected, intentional, and beautifully balanced.
“My mom always told me, when you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one piece of jewelry off.”
Give Your Favorite Pieces Room to Stand Out
💛 When everything is competing for attention, nothing really gets to be the star. If you have a beautiful lamp, piece of artwork, vase, or decorative object you love, give it some breathing room.
💛 Try taking one item away from the grouping around it. You’ll often find that the pieces you leave behind suddenly feel more important—and the entire arrangement looks more intentional.
Look for the “One Too Many"
💛 Sometimes a space doesn’t need a complete restyle. It just has one too many things.
💛 Maybe there are four accessories on a console when three would feel better. Maybe the coffee table has a stack of books, a bowl, a vase, a candle, and a decorative object. Try removing one piece before rearranging everything else.
💛 That tiny edit can be all it takes to make a space feel finished.
Create Places for Your Eye to Rest
💛 Not every inch of a room needs to be decorated. Empty space is part of the design, too.
💛 Leaving a little open space on a bookshelf, console, coffee table, or mantel gives your eye somewhere to rest. It also helps break up collections and makes the pieces you do display feel more special.
💛 Think of that empty space as something you’re intentionally adding to the room—not something you need to fill.
💛 That tiny edit can be all it takes to make a space feel finished.
Pay Attention to Scale
💛 Clutter isn’t always about having too many things. Sometimes it comes from having too many small things.
💛 A collection of little accessories can quickly start to feel busy. Instead, try removing several smaller pieces and replacing them with one larger statement piece. A substantial vase, lamp, bowl, or piece of artwork can often do more for a space than five smaller accessories.
Edit Your Pillows and Textiles, Too
💛 The same rule applies beyond tabletops. If your sofa is covered in pillows, take one or two away and see how it feels. If a chair has a pillow and a throw competing with everything around it, try removing one.
💛 Layers make a home feel warm and collected, but you still want to see the furniture underneath them.
Less is More
💛 Editing doesn’t mean your home needs to be bare. We love homes that feel layered, collected, and lived in.
💛 The goal is simply to make sure everything you have out is contributing something. A collected home tells a story. A cluttered space can make it harder to notice the story at all.
Don’t Confuse “Less” With Minimal
💛 The next time a room feels almost right, resist the urge to immediately shop for something else.
💛 Take a step back. Look at the whole space. Find one thing you can remove, and then look again.
💛 Just like that last piece of jewelry, you might be surprised by how much better everything else looks without it.
✨ Sometimes one less piece is all a space needs. Amy shares how stepping back, editing what you already have, and giving your favorite pieces room to breathe can make your home feel more intentional and beautifully put together. Sometimes, less is all it takes to let the pieces you truly love stand out.