Some home decorating rules can help you design a dream living space while others place unnecessary limits on your creativity. Hoping to avoid the latter? Feel free to bend - or even break - these four outdated rules.

Myth #1: White walls make a space look larger
Truth: Maybe. But they also make a space look boring! Cool colors, such as pale to medium blues and greens, work wonders to open up small spaces. If your goal is to create a warm, comforting room that wraps you in rich color, try a deep red, sapphire blue or grand gold.

Myth #2: Furniture looks best when lined up against the wall.
Truth: Almost never. Spend some time experimenting with furniture placement. After all, rearranging furniture is the fastest and most inexpensive way to update a room. Try moving furniture away from the walls and placing pieces in conversation areas. A love seat set on the diagonal adds flow and movement to a room. Swap pieces in and out of rooms to create new looks, and don't be afraid to play with unusual furniture combinations.

Myth #3: Everything in a room should match.
Truth: Matching furniture sets, fabrics and even color schemes are things of the past. Feel free to combine different styles and feelings in a room, as long as you keep a common thread (a color or pattern, perhaps) running through your design scheme. The only thing you may want to coordinate is the formality level of furnishings.

Myth #4: Don't display personal or family photos in public spaces.
Truth: No house is a home without the people in it, and what better place to show off your loved ones than right where every visitor can share in your joy! Homes decorated without personal touches feel sterile ... and that's not the environment you want to create for you and your family, or present to your friends.

        About Our Expert
Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant. Visit her sites, The Budget Decorator and The Garden Glove, for more home and garden ideas.