Most common interior design mistakes

We live in an age where homeowners are trying to design their home by themselves, without the help of design professionals. Which is a good thing, because who knows your house better than you? But there is a downside: making mistakes is inevitable. Many times while flipping through design ideas, you may find something which may look great in the living room and then bring it to your home, without making a plan or thinking it through too much. Simply said, decorating your home is all about bringing a touch of your own style and design, like color, scale, lighting and many other things. So it’s important to consider the effect that each and every element will have in your space.

Given the considerations, many people end up making at least one or more of these common mistakes when it comes to interior designing. Let’s check them out, so you don’t make them yourself.

Bad lighting

When it comes to lighting up their homes, many people only rely upon overhead lighting alone, which can prove to be a huge mistake. If you don’t want your house to look like a hospital ward, a godd idea is to layer the different types of lighting together. This includes recessed lighting, whereas floor lamps and pendant lamps are great for ambient lighting. However, don’t forget to incorporate task lighting for the study room and the kitchen. Also, adding some dimmers and warm lighting also adds a great feature to your home. Don’t forget to make sure that lighting casts a proper shadow, which is vital to effective illumination.

Lack of colour

As we see today, neutral palette is the trend which is being adopted by many people. But this could easily turn into a very boring décor. Neutral furnishings, walls and accessories are a safe choice, but it may lead to creating an uninteresting space in your home. This doesn’t mean you need to paint everything in a vivid color or start upholstering bright prints or your house will look like it was painted by children. But by keeping the room décor neutral and adding an accent color can surely help to light up a space and make it more vivid. You can decide to incorporate colors in many different forms: a colorful rug, a vibrant array of accessories, bold artwork or saturated textiles.

Too much furniture

When you get to choosing furniture, you may tend to overdo it without considering the sense of the actual space. If a room is overcrowded with furniture, it will never feel spacious enough, no matter how you arrange it. Your pieces should be aligned in such a way that it creates an appealing arrangement to fulfill your needs of function and comfort. If you feel the room is getting cluttered, then you may consider removing a piece of furniture or two. Another viable option is rearranging the pieces to change the look of the room.

Scale in interior design

One of the most common mistakes that people make in interior design is scale. It takes a talented eye to decorate the room with an impeccable scale. People may either end up placing too many small things in the room, which will not be easy on the eye, or people may end up cluttering the room with too many large objects, which makes the room stuffed and small. The solution is to create a mixture of different shapes, heights, and sizes. Incorporating the right scale in your room will help to make it a successful design.

Hanging art

Everyone wishes to make the place feel their own by adding a personal touch. This personal touch can mean hanging your own paintings or even your child’s artwork on the walls. The main trick here is to know how to hang the art properly. To ensure there are no mistakes or ugly nail holes to fill, you should trace and cut out the frames outline on paper. Simply tape the paper cut-outs onto your wall, trying numerous placement options until you reach the perfect outcome.

Buy fabrics and textiles later

Another common mistake is choosing the paint first. Put the paint brush down and first pick out the room’s fabrics and textiles, like curtains and rugs. Why? Because it’s much harder to find the textile than it is to find the color of the paint. Keep a budget in mind and look for samples of pillows, rugs, fabrics to find what you love and then pick out the paint shade for the textile.

Forget to add a focal point

Every room needs a focal point to allow the eye to rest at one place. You can even have two, if the room is large, for example the living room. In some rooms, choosing the focal point will be very easy (the TV in the living room). In other rooms, finding the focal point might be a more difficult task. Some examples of a focal point may be a fireplace, a gaming table, a large painting, or even a coffee table that encourages guests to sit and converse.

Hanging on to heirlooms

Sentimental pieces can add a story to your home, but think wisely before incorporating any heirlooms in your design. Decide if the piece fits in a particular room or if you can find an alternative place for it. The second thing that you need to consider is whether you can repurpose the piece in another way. If neither of these alternatives fit then it may be time to reconsider placing the heirloom.

Undisguised storage

Be careful of open storage like open shelves and baskets, unless they are placed in enclosed spaces. It is difficult to keep them looking tidy, so consider keeping them hidden. Many magazines and books often showcase this look to add a unique feature to your home, but you can easily go wrong with it and make it look untidy.

Wrong window treatments

There are many different ways in which window treatments can go wrong. Window treatments help you regulate the amount of light that enters the space. Take into consideration what you want from your window treatment to make the right choice. Some mistakes in choosing the size of the curtains may be going too long or too short, which may be hung incorrectly.

Getting caught up in trends

Being too much in the moment is also a huge interior design mistake. Something you may enjoy now may end up being a huge mistake later on. Instead, to go with something simple and classic and then try out with a few trendier pieces which are easier and cheaper to replace. Choosing the things that you love is never a mistake. Just make sure that you really do love it and are not buying it because you think it’s cool right now.

Matching furniture sets

Too much of matching is never the right way to go. It is also too predictable and boring. You can create an eclectic design as a reflection of your personality and dress up your home with brands from different brands and stores. Just keep in mind to not overdo things.

Getting the wrong sized rug

Be very careful when choosing rugs. Too big and it swallows up the room, too small and it doesn’t help in anchoring the space. If you have a large room, you may want to place all the furniture on the rug. If the furniture is against the wall, consider having two front legs of the furniture on the rug. For a tighter space, a rug can be placed just below the coffee table or the center table.

So, here was a list of some of the most common mistakes that people make when it comes to interior design. Take note and save yourselves from making these blunders.