Decorating your home is fun. Little tweaks here and there have the power to completely change the feel of a space. But it’s quite easy to fall into the trap of getting carried away and not thinking things through. Here are five common décor mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.
Going overboard with knick-knacks
Knick-knacks give a space character. They tell stories of travels and memories. A home without them feels incomplete and sterile. But too many knick-knacks can make a place feel chaotic and messy. No, you don’t need to throw your knick-knacks away, but sometimes it’s better not to display them all at once. Also, when you group your knick-knacks with intention, you add a more unified feeling to the room. Gather your collectibles and sort them according to their colors, shapes, and sizes. Because these objects will sit together, they won’t make your space seem cluttered by being spread out in random places.
Décor decoded: Five decor mistakes that everyone makes
Not paying attention to proper lighting
How uplifting and cheery or dull your space feels depends on proper lighting or lack thereof. Add multiple types of lighting, like table lamps, overhead lighting, and floor lamps to ensure ample illumination to brighten up your space. You can also add fixtures in interesting shapes and textures to regular light bulbs to make them stand out. It would be a major décor faux pas to do up your place and not pay attention to lighting it up properly. Also, during the day, open the curtains and let in natural light to make your home feel bright and breezy.
Mixing and matching too many patterns and textures
Don’t get us wrong, we think mixing and matching patterns and textures is a great way to give your home a comfy and lived-in vibe. However, just like knick-knacks, the problem starts when there’s too much of it. When decorating with patterns it’s important to determine what kind of look you want your room to have. Floral patterns will give your room a feminine vibe while animal prints will give it a glamorous and eclectic feel. Think about the overall look and what kinds of patterns will work with it. Try sticking to two to three patterns or textures at the most to avoid making your space feel haphazardly put together. Vary the scale of the patterns: Go for one large, one medium, and one small.
Hanging art in the wrong place
A common mistake a lot of homeowners seem to make is hanging art too high. The general perception was that art should always be hung at eye level. However, everyone’s ‘eye level’ is different because we are all different heights, so that rule doesn’t really apply too much anymore. Today as a general rule of thumb though, if an artwork is hung above furniture, it can be four to six inches above the piece. If it’s going above a sofa or console, the piece should be approximately two third the width of the furniture. Large artworks and frames are also better than small ones, even if your space is small.
Getting caught up in trends
Being too of-the-moment is the biggest mistake you can make while decorating or sprucing up your space. It’s always a good idea to go simple, classic, and neutral on the bigger pieces, and then you can always accessorize with a few trendy smaller pieces that are easier – and cheaper – to replace or switch out. Choosing things you love is never a mistake. But just make sure you really love it and you’re not buying it because you think it’s cool or in trend right now.
