Audrey
The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard has predicting home renovation expenditures are expected to rise from $332 billion to $337 billion in the latter half of 2021.
Homeowners take pride in renovating and decorating their personal spaces. However, one small mistake can easily wreck a home’s design.
So, how can you avoid these common mistakes?
We’re here to fill you in. Keep reading below to learn 10 interior design mistakes to avoid at all costs.
1. Matching Everything
There’s no need to design a room centered solely around one color. Without a few contrasting colors or textures, a room can easily grow boring to the eye.
While you may be tempted to paint all your kitchen cabinets, woodwork, and dining sets the same colors, it will soon grow dull and lifeless. Mix it up with a complementary color or even a neutral color or texture.
2. Accumulating Electronic Clutter
The easiest way to kill the perfectly cultivated atmosphere of a room is by cluttering it up with cords and cables. This is why you need a cable tray, cord collectors, and electronic storage containers.
Not only are tangled cords and cables an eyesore, but they can also be incredibly dangerous. The last thing you want is a pet chewing on a cord or a loved one tripping over a loose cable.
Managing cords is especially important in rooms like the living room and office spaces. Managing electronic messes will lower the stress in the room and draw the attention back to the actual design elements of the room.
It also prevents needless clutter. With tidy storage containers, you’ll never have to wonder where you left your headphones or phone chargers.
3. Using Artificial Dressing
There’s nothing wrong with using greenery to brighten up your home! In fact, plants and flowers can add a fresh element to your home without breaking the bank.
However, if you plan to bring a bit of the outdoors into your home, make sure it’s genuine. Artificial plants will cheapen the appearance of a home and hurt more than help.
4. Prioritizing Style Over Substance
Sure, you want to fill your home with pieces that speak to you and draw out your personal style. However, stop to consider the practicality of a piece before investing in it.
An all-white sofa can open up a living room and help create a minimalistic look. However, if you actually use your living room, you may find it challenging to keep it looking pristine.
Your home is meant to be lived in, after all. So, choose your furniture and floorplans with both style and function in mind.
5. Not Having a Focal Point
Ideally, each room in your home should have a main focal point. It should grab the viewer’s attention, whether it’s an elaborate light fixture, a dining table, or an antique china closet.
Without a focal point, there is nothing to draw in the viewer’s eye. It may sound counterproductive, but a focal point will actually make the accent pieces stand out as well.
6. Dismissing Dimensions
It’s easy to fawn over furniture and make impulsive purchases. However, these snap decisions can lead to awkward floorplans. Before you make any big interior design choices, be sure you have a strong sense of each room’s dimensions.
If you find a piece you love, look up its dimensions as well and confirm it will fit by using measuring tape. Even its printed dimensions are small enough to fit in a room, it can still be clunky in execution.
Don’t limit your measurements to horizontal pieces either. The last thing you want is an awkwardly tall lamp that nearly crests the ceiling.
7. Misusing Color
The misuse of color on walls is one of the most common interior design mistakes that new homeowners make. While you may be drawn to rich jewel tones and glamourous paint shades, consider your space first.
Using dark colors in small rooms only makes them feel more confined. If you want to open up space, it’s wise to paint or paper the walls in lighter shades. Don’t worry though—you can still incorporate those dark shades through furniture and accent pieces!
8. Not Communicating with Fellow Planners
If you’re designing your home with a partner or roommate, it’s critical that you communicate. A design can be completely derailed if you both have different visions that end up clashing.
If your ideas truly don’t come together, find a way to divide the design work in a way that gives you both an opportunity to show off your personalities without disrupting the flow of the home.
9. Using Poor Lighting
Even the most elegant light fixtures lose their impact without the proper bulbs. Many freshly-bought homes are fixed with harsh white lighting.
However, most interior decorators recommend swapping out cool white bulbs for warm white bulbs. Warmer whites will create a cozier atmosphere and minimize the harsh lighting that cool bulbs cast.
Additionally, don’t use more lighting than necessary. Utilize the natural light in your home as much as possible by making windows easily accessible.
10. Designing a Showroom
While it’s advised to draw inspiration from your favorite home decor stores, there’s no need to follow their design recommendations to a T. Copying a magazine design will completely strip your room of any charm.
Make sure that your room is reflective of your own style and personality. It doesn’t have to be a cookie-cutter room to have appeal.
Avoiding Interior Design Mistakes
It can be easy to make interior design mistakes in an attempt to replicate your favorite design styles in your own home. But with a careful eye and planning, it’s easy to avoid these common mistakes when decorating your own home.
Looking for more? Check out the rest of our website for more home design tips and tricks and up-to-date news on all things real estate!
