Common interior decorating mistakes and how to fix them

 

Most homeowners choose to decorate their own homes rather than hire an interior decorator. It’s understandable since hiring a professional decorator can be quite an expense. Here are some common interior decorating mistakes that professional decorators sometimes encounter when they’re called in to fix them.

Not enough color

Many mistakenly assume that a masculine space can’t have any color but that isn’t necessarily true. Black and white color schemes for masculine spaces are a cliché that more decorators would like to see stamped out.

Not enough contrast

Contrast is an essential element of design but too many homeowners think that good design is about having everything match. A better approach is to choose elements that go well together but not match. A great way to include contrast is to combine different textures, colors, and styles into a single space. Have an older home with a lot of antique charm? Try covering them with some modern-looking baseboard heater covers.

Showroom instead of living room

Many people get too caught up in appearance that they forget about comfort. It’s a huge mistake if your living room looks like something you’d see on the cover of a home décor magazine but it’s a room no one wants to be in because the furniture is impractical and uncomfortable. Homeowners should first and foremost think about functionality and comfort and then aesthetics.

Not floating the furniture

In order to maximize space, most people set out decorating a room by placing the major furnishings up against the walls. What you actually want to do is move everything 2 or 3 feet in from the walls. It’s not the most efficient use of the space but it actually make’s the room look better. This technique is called floating the furniture.

Buying too big

Bigger isn’t necessarily better and people who go out and buy the biggest sofa they can fit in the space they intend it for leads to problems with scale. A too-big sofa dwarfs everything else in the space. It’s better to think about scale and pick furniture appropriately sized for the space it will go.

Buying too small

Some amateur decorators think they can trick the eye into thinking a small room is bigger by filling it with small furniture. The problem is that while the furniture may be appropriately scaled to the room, it won’t be appropriately scaled to the people sitting in it. Better to have fewer bigger pieces that are comfortable than more smaller ones.

No personality

Returning to the showroom example, many get too caught up in making a space look like something in a showroom or magazine but it doesn’t really reflect the personality and tastes of the decorator. Even non-professionals should trust their instincts and go with what they like. There will always be those who dislike the design but what matters most is that the person whose space it is likes it.

Buying things you’re not crazy about

Don’t be in such a hurry to decorate a space that you find yourself buying things you can tolerate but don’t truly love. You’ll spend a lot more money in the long run if you constantly settle for pieces that are just so-so. Make sure you love it before you buy it.

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