The One Thing Jenny Marrs Wants You To Stop Doing When Designing Your Home

Designing an interior can be overwhelming for many. There is plenty of advice from experts and DIYers, but the plethora of options and opinions can make coming to a consensus difficult. While every designer may have their own style, for Jenny Marrs from HGTV's "Fixer to Fabulous," reflecting the personality of who lives in the space is the most important aspect of design.

Making a home work for you is the advice that Marrs says is the most important. "The idea is to look at your home and to determine how you use each space. It's about not feeling like you should get caught up in boundaries defined by whoever and whatever," Marrs says in an interview with Homes and Gardens. There are plenty of home design "rules" that many believe they have to follow in order to design their home properly, but Marrs believes in throwing those rules out the window.

Rules like not combining patterns that clash, not mixing metals, and only using color in large spaces are often given as advice. If breaking these rules creates a home that you live and feel comfortable in, then you should do so. "It's about giving you permission to think through how you use your spaces and to be really thoughtful and intentional about making those spaces work for you and your family," Marrs explains. "It's also about letting go of worldly pressures — most specifically from social media that tells us what a beautiful space should be."

Your home should reflect who you are and what you need. Often, however, many people get caught up in what they "should" be doing in their space. That may be conventional aesthetic rules or how to use and layout the home. For example, as Jenny Marrs states, many people believe they have to use each room as it was traditionally intended.

"For example, someone might say you have to have a dining room, but you absolutely don't need one. If you want to use the space differently, then do that," Marrs explains. However, for some, a dedicated space to eat doesn't make sense with their lifestyle. Perhaps they prefer the informality of sitting on the sofa, eating in the kitchen, or often eating their meals on the go. If a formal dining room doesn't work for your lifestyle and you'd rather use that space as an office, craft room, or library, then feel empowered to do just that.

This could also be said of a guest room, formal living room, or any other space in the house. Just because it's labeled a certain way doesn't mean you have to use the room for that intention. If you don't have a ton of overnight guests or don't need room to entertain visitors, don't hesitate to use the space in the way that will best suit your lifestyle or serve your hobbies.