Interior Design Faux Pas -- Easy to Make, Easy to Fix
It happens more than you might think. You wake up one day, 3 or 5 or 10 years after having bought your first home, and for the first time you actually SEE each room for what it is. Maybe you never got around to finishing (or starting) the DIY projects that you had planned. Maybe your tastes have changed dramatically, but in the midst of your busy life, you hadn’t even noticed that your home decor doesn’t match the life you live or the person you are.
You set off to the internet to try to organize some of your ideas, but sooner rather than later you are in information overload. Eventually, you throw up your hands and head to the store, and when your first room is complete, for some reason, it doesn’t exactly fit your vision.
Chances are, you haven’t completely missed the mark. It is terribly easy to make interior design mistakes, but more often than not, they are also easy to fix.
8 interior design faux pas that are easy to make, but that can be fixed:
1. Furniture that Fits
Large furniture can look grand and expensive, especially on the showroom floor. Unfortunately, when we get it home, it is often much too large for the space. This will make the room feel small and overcrowded. Make sure to measure your space and consider the type of items you are looking for in advance. It helps to do this while you have access to the space!
2. Less is more (we’re talking accessories, picture frames and clutter):
One of the most common faux pas is clutter. Forget the visitor who is overwhelmed because there is too much going on, YOU have to live in this space day in and day out. Create a space that is relaxing and clutter free.
First, eliminate accessories that aren’t meaningful and arrange what’s left in a purposeful way. Utilize bookshelves and display a collection of accessories in a tray or bowl on the coffee table.
Next, move some of your picture frames from the table surfaces and create a gallery wall. An expertly arranged gallery wall will create a point of focus in your room. This will eliminate clutter simultaneously!
Finally, never leave appliance cords in view. Always direct them through the wall or use a neutral cover to hide the eyesore.
3. If you don’t love it, leave it.
Too often we are plagued by the excess of “things” that we don’t need or want. Purge items that are not meaningful or essential. This is your space, it should be what you want!
4. Matchy matchy is not the answer.
You shouldn’t attend at a wedding in the exact color as your date, and the same applies to the color and furniture used throughout your home? Too often we purchase furniture sets and use the same fabrics or textures throughout an entire design. We think that we’re making the room feel cohesive, but in reality it will feel cookie cutter and bland. Reveal some character by choosing shapes, textures and color schemes that complement each other.
5. Trends will always fall away.
It’s easy to get caught up in the newest trend, but it’s unrealistic to redesign each year with each new trendy idea. Create a classic look with your design and incorporate new trends with accessories you can swap in and out.
6. Room Arrangement.
The instinct will always be to line your walls with furniture so that the floor space looks larger, but this can be dangerous territory, and it will actually make your room look more compact. Pull couches away from the walls in some places. Use area rugs to define seating arrangements, and incorporate a sofa table to distinguish where the space begins.
7. Patterns on patterns on patterns.
We love pattern mixing, but creating balance is important. A mixture of a few pattern accents will work well together if they are paired with equal amounts of solid pieces.
8. Going overboard with a theme.
A beachy feel doesn’t have to mean that picture frames are lined in sea shells and the lamp is shaped like a sea shell and the carpet has sea shell indentations. We get it, we’re at the beach. Instead, choose colors, artwork and textural elements that suggest beach rather than scream it. Small accents will do the trick.
