Before we delve in, let’s get one thing nice and clear: Design is highly personal. It’s your choices to make, your colors to choose, your things to pick out, and your style to create. There is not one same rule that everyone should follow. In fact, there are almost no rules to follow. You might find plenty of articles trying to tell you what to do. But, that’s just that. They’re trying like an old kindly friend and you can take these only as your options. Your home should look just as unique and different as your personality. Despite having no rules though, there can be mistakes that should best be avoided when creating your dream interior. Sometimes, you won’t even notice that you’re making them. So, let’s talk about these common decorating mistakes and see what we can do about them.
1. Don’t Let Someone Make The Choices For You
Your home is yours. If you need help or advice, you can always ask and consider the opinions of your family and friends. But, in the end, the last say comes from you. Remember, it’s you who’ll be living in that space, not them. You should make choices that make you comfortable and make the space feel more like home to you.
2. Don’t Settle For Blah
If you love red or gold, who says you can’t use them to paint your home? Remember, it is your home. So, if you have a soft spot for bold colors or victorian style, go for it! Choose colors and things that express your personality and find a way to use them in your home. Keep in mind though that you’ll have to live with your choices day in and day out for quite a while. So, make ones that are worth it.
3. Don’t Decide on Colors in the Store
On your first visit to a store, you go there to see your options, never to buy immediately. Ask for samples of fabric, paint, or carpet first to see what they’d look like in your home. Check them out in natural light and then under fluorescent lights. Remember, they can look vastly different in different lightings.
Similarly, don’t just choose colors from a paint chip. Again, you might not know how it’ll look on your whole wall. So, purchase a quart of the color you’d like to try and paint a small section of your wall with it. If you don’t want to do it directly on the wall, paint a piece of cardboard and stick it on your wall. You can also purchase quarts of different colors you’d like to compare.
3. Don’t Paint First
Paint is available in thousands of different colors and you can change them anytime you want. So, choose your most expensive pieces first. Then take samples of these to the paint store with you. That way, you’re sure that they match.
4. Don’t Ignore the Psychology of Color
The psychology of color exists for a reason. You can’t expect to create a soothing and relaxing atmosphere in a room when your colors are clashing in the wrong way right? Select a color scheme that would help you achieve the tone you want. Also, don’t forget that colors have undertones. These subtle differences can have a huge effect on the tone you want to create. So, make sure you choose coordinating colors with the same intensity to achieve the best results.
5. Don’t Push All Furniture Against the Walls
Sometimes, the size and layout of the room make this hard. But, try to pull pieces into the center of the room for a warmer, more intimate, and welcoming feel. This is particularly important in common areas such as living rooms.
6. Don’t Opt for Style Over Comfort
There are millions of beautiful interior pieces out there. But, when you sit on them, you might find your back aching or your butt getting sore. Remember, your home is meant to be a place for relaxation and comfort. There will always be pieces that can offer both.
7. Don’t Build Barriers
Feeling nice can be quite hard when you keep bumping into things or stubbing your toes on furniture. So, avoid putting chairs or tables in front of doorways and archways. Leave room for easy access on pathways in, out, and through any room.
8. Don’t Buy Too Short or Too Long
Measurements are very important in design. You don’t want to end up buying too small area rugs that make your living area look awkward. Similarly, you don’t want drapes that hang a few inches too short. That’s why before buying anything, make sure you take the right measurements first so everything would fit in place.
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