It can be difficult to find that perfect balance between too much and not enough in your home décor. The objective is to create a space that is interesting and well designed. The Fine Living TV Network's Rick Rifle lends his expertise on how to use contrasting elements to create interest in a space. Rifle also shares tips on how to personalize a space that you will want to live with, as well as the importance of adhering to a theme.

Rick Rifle has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design for Costumes and Sets from Florida State University. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Design for Film and Stage from NYU's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. You may remember Rifle from the TLC Network's hit TV show Trading Spaces. Currently, Rick is a designer on the Fine Living TV Network's Mail Order Makeover.

Finding balance in a space is crucial because you want a space to be interesting, but your eyes ultimately need a place to rest. First, determine what you want the space to be. Do you want to feel relaxed or do you want to feel energized by the space? The way you want to feel in the space should be the cornerstone for the décor.

"It's refreshing not to match everything in a space and to create contrast and surprise," said Rifle. "The best way to inject another element into a space is with features that generate contrast throughout the framework of a room. Baseboards and moldings frame a room and work well when they are a lighter version of the paint on the walls. There should be a hard color contrast from the floors to the walls and then a smooth contrast from the walls to the ceiling."

The point where the ceiling joins the wall is always in your peripheral vision, so use a more subtle paint color to create a transition that does not distract from the room. Additionally, use an area rug to create additional interest between your flooring and your furniture. You can select a STAINMASTER® carpet broadloom design and create custom bound or serged carpet to use as area rugs.

"Texture is another great way to keep a space from appearing monotonous. If you find patterns too distracting, try pairing different textured fabrics of a similar color. Use chenille next to satin to create contrast and break up a space," said Rifle.

When it comes to mixing different styles in a space, things can get tricky. However, if done correctly, an eclectic room can be riveting and unique. Rifle said, "The challenge with mixing styles is to find pieces that fit the space and can co-exist. Whether the piece is contemporary or traditional is irrelevant. If the space is modern, then modern décor will suit it best; however, if you have an ultra traditional sofa you want to use, do it! But give it a contemporary flair. Think outside the box and do traditional-transformed-to-contemporary. A Victorian sofa frame with a modern sleeve makes for an interesting piece!"

Contemporary chairs work well with traditional sofas, but you want to adhere to a theme in your décor. Breaking from the style of a room on a few items can add an element of surprise to the space. However, you do not want to be all over the place, for example, using a different style for each of the chairs, the sofa, tables and lamps, because the room will turn out looking like a cartoon, Rifle advised.

"When you are designing your home, it is important that you ignore what you think something should look like and figure out what it needs to look like. Consider the character, place and use of a piece in your mind's eye before you put it into a space. Make sure that the item fits with the other elements in the room, whether it matches or not," said Rifle.

Rifle recommends starting by considering the items in a room by their shape and silhouette and then echoing that silhouette in all of the items in the room. Although he encourages echoing the silhouette and scale of objects throughout a space, Rifle also concedes that design rules exist so that exceptions can be made. If a piece can stand on its own as a focal point, ignore the rules.

"The overall effect you want to get from the space is that every item in the room has a presence. Think about each individual piece in the room and whether you want it to stand out, harmonize with other pieces in the room, or blend in with the background. Each piece should have a meaning, a purpose and be personal," said Rifle.

Try to find items that work in a space and feel natural there. Before you worry about the details or mixing styles, colors and fabrics, ensure that the shape and size of objects are appropriate for the space. You want the chairs to hold their ground with the sofa in a room.

Regardless of whether you choose to create an eclectic space, a modern space or a traditional space, the most important thing is that you commit to your design. When you know what you want to achieve in the space, set parameters and stick with what you love!

"Make a list of the combinations you like in your décor, make a theme and commit to it! You can blend anything as long as you make it a theme throughout the space. There is always going to be an exception to the rule and we have so much available to us for decoration. Find your own likes and dislikes, make your own style, be brave and just do it," said Rifle.