What the Pros KNOW

In her new book, creative director and decor expert Dara Caponigro peeks into the playbooks of some of the best interior designers working today, analyzing their moves and showing you how to make them your own. Here she teaches you seven winning decor plays to try at your house.

- Dara Caponigro

No 1 USE THE CEILING

With its creamy white plaster walls and ruffled slipcovers, this Seattle living room by designer Jeffrey Bilhuber looks all buttoned-up traditional-until you look up. "The pink [Setting Plaster by Farrow & Ball] is such a surprise," says Dara Caponigro, chief creative officer of FS&CO (aka Schumacher, the storied fabric and wallpaper company) and coauthor of Decorate Like a Decorator. "It's elegant and romantic without being saccharine." A ceiling is a chance to use a more daring color than you might on walls. Just remember: Because it gets less light, a color used on the ceiling will likely read more true to the chip than it would on a wall. In other words, what you see on the paint chip is what you'll get.

STYLE MAKER

HOUSE RULES/ RULES TO BREAK

Before working at Schumacher, Dara Caponigro was editor of Domino and Veranda magazines as well as an author of design books.

MIX STYLES

"Add modern, clean-lined lighting to a room with antiques to avoid the 'historic house' look."

LIMIT SYMMETRY

"It's pleasing to the eye and creates a sense of order, but it can also make a room feel stiff. When you pair things, throw them off a bit. For example, if you have twin bedside tables, don't match the lamps."

DON'T FEAR A WHITE SOFA

"Do they get dirty? Yes, but slipcovers are a wonderful solution. Wash and dry the fabric before you have them made so you can wash them without worrying about shrinkage."

NEW ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER