Avoid Common Pitfalls for a Cohesive Look
You’ve bought the expensive artwork and painted the walls in the latest trending color, yet something still feels off. Often, we make home decor mistakes without even realizing they’re blunders in the first place.
Broaden your horizons, step up your decor game, and let go of common mistakes to set up an inviting and sophisticated environment.
Ignoring Scale and Proportion
To set up the perfect feel for your space, you have to be careful about scale and proportion. Scale refers to the size of objects while proportion is more about focusing on the relationship between the sizes of the different items.
A smart furniture placement strategy involves following the 2/3 rule. The rule states that for a harmonious and balanced area, make sure the furniture only occupies 2/3 of your space and no more.
Cluttered Spaces
If you want to set up an aesthetic and sophisticated space, the hoarding habit will need to go. Nothing can destroy a good setting more than unnecessary decor items that clutter a space and don’t serve any aesthetic purpose.
The safe choice is to go for a few standout decor items that help you create a focal point in the room.
Following Trends
The worst thing you can do for your home decor and personal space is to follow trends on a whim without prioritizing your tastes and preferences. If you want a space that truly feels like yours, you need to stop chasing every other trend out there.
A living room full of Instagrammable decor items usually gives off bland vibes with little to no personality.
Matching Everything
Are you someone who’s afraid of thinking outside the box and always follows a set theme for their living spaces? If yes, you’ll have to drop the habit because that’s exactly what is ruining your decor aesthetics.
You don’t want to have a place that feels monotonous with everything from the sofa to your flooring in the same pattern. Go for complementary but different hues and decor elements to create a visually appealing environment.
Neglecting Functionality
A few pieces can be purchased for decor purposes only, however, if your entire home is filled with impractical items that don’t make your life easier, this will eventually give you a headache. Set up functional items everywhere.
This would involve assessing how each space is being used. For instance, if you’ve got a big family, your kids will spend most of their time in the living area, hence, it needs to have durable sofas and chairs that can withstand wear and tear.
Furniture That Doesn’t Fit
Furniture is the most important decor component and if you end up compromising on it, you can say goodbye to dreams of having an elegant and sophisticated area. Never, ever purchase furniture that wouldn’t fit your space.
This includes furniture pieces that are too large, small, bulky, or simply the wrong style.
Lack of Personal Touch
An expensive cabinetry in the living room doesn’t make your house a home. A space that you can truly call your home is set up when it’s full of personal items and decor pieces that reflect your true personality and likes.
A cherished family photo wall with pictures of your friends and family adds the perfect personal touch and is a great conversation starter.
Cheap Items
A common misconception is that cheap items refer to low-priced products. However, this is not always the case.
Cheap items can also be those decor accents that are low in quality and these can be both expensive and budget-friendly. Steer clear of poor-quality items as they won’t be able to stand the test of time and end up giving your home a tacky feel.
Ignoring Traffic Flow
Arranging furniture in a disjointed way with no regard for the traffic flow can lead to an uncomfortable living situation. If your furniture is creating obstacles, the simple task of moving from one area to another can feel cumbersome.
Position your sofas and chairs in a way that fosters communication while also allowing people to move freely.
Empty Corners
While you don’t want every room to be filled with unnecessary decor, it’s important to not have bare corners either. Empty corners can make your room feel less inviting and incomplete.
To fill up a bare corner, the best option is to liven it up with green plants. A simple potted plant fixture can instantly liven up your space like no other.
Inconsistent Decor Theme
Often we tend to simply wing it when it comes to our home decor theme. But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do.
Instead, it’s recommended to have a detailed theme with every little aspect covered. An unplanned decor theme ends up looking out of place and overwhelming.
Start by defining a central design, complementing it with a cohesive color palette, and tie everything together by using decorative accents.
Using Small Rugs
Rugs are a valuable decor element and they can easily make or break a room’s aesthetic. Too small rugs fail to do their job of anchoring the furniture arrangements.
Always opt for a large rug that covers a good floor portion. When choosing rugs, assess your floor space, and consider the room’s layout, and the flow of movement.
Overlooking the Ceiling
Ceilings have great potential as they can play a great role in the overall aesthetic and feel of a room. Don’t make the mistake of leaving your ceiling bare with no decorative fixture in sight.
You can paint the ceiling in a fun paint color or create a focal point with a fancy and sophisticated chandelier.
Disregarding Color Psychology
Did you know colors can affect our moods? It’s true and you should keep this factor in mind when painting your walls and setting up colorful decor accents.
Warm colors like red and yellow can create a sense of excitement and energy while muted blues and neutral tones have a calming effect on the mood. To find out more about this correlation, click on “The Impact of Color on Mood in Home Decor“.
Investing in Outdated Decor
If you’re a sentimental person who has a hard time parting with decor items and furniture, the chances of your home being full of outdated decor are high. However, this is a great decor mistake that ends up ruining your home’s visual appeal.
Refresh your decor and let go of heavy drapes and ornate furniture that belong to a previous era. To get more information on out-of-fashion items, check out “Outdated Home Accessories That Need to Go“.
