Interior design mistakes…sigh. I’m sure we’ve all made them! But it is never a good feeling, is it?
Like that time soon after I got married and we bought two beautiful cream sofa’s for our living room – only to find that that was about the only thing we could fit into our small apartment…with a small coffee table in between! 😂 You see – they looked so gorgeous in a huge big showroom – but not so much in a small living room space!
Or the time when we bought a red Queen Anne lounge suite (I’m a neutral girl through and through!) That red colour stared me in the face for five years…I couldn’t wait to change it!!!!!!
Luckily most decor stories have a happy ending though… Just like the gold mirror that I bought to go in my red lounge… I still have it and love it! 😉
So – let’s look at those common interior design mistakes that are so easy to make… But with a little bit of thought and planning – are so easy to avoid!
The best thing you can do to avoid making some of these mistakes is to plan your space. With a little bit of thought and planning it is so easy to avoid making these mistakes!
Easy interior design mistakes to make
Measure your space – and then measure again!
Nothing is worse than an over- or under sized piece of furniture or rug…like my story above proves! Especially for a big piece which is often quite a financial investment and often can’t be replaced for a long period of time!
Take time to choose the right paint colour
I think this is a very common paint story – you see a stunning painted space (whether a room in real life, or inspiration from a magazine or online) – find out what paint colour they used, and go out and buy the exact paint to paint your room. Only there’s a snag – you end up terribly disappointed with the end result, as it looks nothing like the picture or room you had seen!
The most important thing to remember about paint is that the colour looks different in different spaces – so it is super important to first buy a couple of paint sample options – and paint swatches on your wall first! Tip: If you don’t want to prime the space before painting – rather paint boards with the different colour samples and place them on the wall to see how the colour will look in your space. That way it is easy to remove when you have chosen a colour and want to start painting! It is important to see what the colour looks like in your space. Often paint looks lovely in natural light, but with artificial light not so much. I promise that if you do this step it will save you money in the long run – and paint that you can’t use!
Decorating in a hurry
It can be so tempting to try and decorate a space in one go – the thought of one shopping-spree and completed room is very appealing, isn’t it? However, the best spaces take time to put together. A space must feel loved and lived-in. Often that means mixing and matching pieces, and combining old with new and this process takes time! So allow yourself time to live in your space and see which pieces you really love and what works together!
The importance of lighting
Before purchasing a light fitting for a room in your home – consider the height and size of the room! Nothing worse than an over-sized chandelier in a dining room, or a tiny light in a study! Make sure that there is ample light for the space – sometimes you can add more light by including standing lamps or even table lamps – but think about your lighting while planning your furniture layout.
Tip for the size of a chandelier in a dining room: Length of one wall of dining room + length of other wall of dining room = size of diameter for chandelier!
Too many accent walls
Accent walls can make an interior amazing – but use them with caution. Unless they actually add to your space – they can be rather distracting, and a total design fail! Save them to highlight a feature, or downplay a wall with a TV – if other objects form the focal point of the room, then avoid them, as your eye isn’t going to know what to focus on when first entering the room.
Let’s talk about window treatments
For window treatments I personally feel that less is more. I like a clean, uncluttered style – but obviously this depends on your personal taste. However, there are some good rules to remember when thinking about window treatments!
- Make sure that your curtains aren’t too short – this is easy to do when purchasing pre-made curtains. That’s why it is important to measure your drop before you shop!
- Don’t hang curtains to low! Your room will look bigger when your curtains are mounted a bit higher – and you lose less light from the window. Win-win! (The same goes for blinds!)
Some other smaller points on interior design mistakes
Fill your walls with purpose – give careful thought about where you will place your art or images. This can easily change the whole feel of a room. Remember not to place your pieces too high – eye-level for most art is perfect!
Mirrors are one decor item that could be considered the exception to the rule… because there’s always one, isn’t there? On the most part, mirrors should rather be over-sized than too small! 😉 If you feel that one mirror is too small for a space, why not consider adding more? Two mirrors, or an uneven number (3 or 5) is good!
If using a second-hand piece of furniture – make it your own! Don’t try to decorate your space around the piece, but rather let the piece fit into your space. This could mean painting it, re-upholstering it or any other number of options – but making it your own is a must!
And lastly – only keep and use decor items and furniture in your home that you LOVE…this is the secret to loving the home you are in, and loving the process of decorating it!
Hope these tips have been helpful – if you have any other tips I’d love to hear… Leave them in the comments below!
PS: Until next time – let’s hang out on the ‘Gram!
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