10 Mistakes To Avoid When Decorating Your Home

Nobody is born an expert and while some choose to focus on interior design as a career, anyone has the potential to make their home look lovely without a lot of technical knowledge. However, some decorating mistakes happen too often and are done by too many. In the spirit of encouraging such DIY projects, we’ve compiled a list of 10 mistakes you should avoid when decorating your home.

1. Ignoring the foyer/ entrance

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The entrance hallway or foyer is a much more important area than some think. It should be a welcoming space where guests are greeting, the first thing you see when you come back home and the area that creates the first impression. So don’t ignore it and choose to make a statement. Perhaps a stylish console table complemented by a mirror or a large vase would look lovely.

2. Being too formal

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This is a mistake seen all too often in living rooms. The living room is not supposed to be formal but rather comfortable and inviting. You can make it welcoming and elegant at the same time by picking pieces of furniture and accessories that balance each other out through their shapes, textures and colors.

3. Matching everything

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Though you may be tempted to do this, avoid matching everything in a room’s décor. A balanced décor also includes contrasts and it’s often very refreshing to play with various different features, shapes, colors, textures and materials.

4. Buying furniture that doesn’t fit

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Sure, you want your living room to be as comfortable as possible and to accommodate as many of your friends at once as possible but this doesn’t mean you should get a huge sectional or sofa that pretty much overwhelms the entire room. That’s not a wise decision and you should try instead to alternate your sitting options. There’s nothing more disturbing than furniture that doesn’t fit.

5. Staying too neutral

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Neutral colors are really popular. They’re a safe choice when you don’t want to risk painting your walls a bold shade or when you don’t want your furniture to be the center of attention. But using only neutral colors in a room’s décor is not a great option. Adding a touch of color to a plain décor totally changes the ambiance and makes everything fall into place.

6. Ignoring windows

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Have you ever noticed how much the ambiance and the décor change when you suddenly hang curtains in a bedroom? Window treatments play an important role in the overall aspect of the room and this can be applied to any space. Sure, sometimes the best approach is the simplest one and that’s not always the case.

7. Having uncomfortable dining chairs

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A dining chair that’s not comfortable, even if it looks really great, is not a good option. Comfort is important, both for you and your guests and the dining area should be a really calming, balanced and inviting space.

8. Keeping something you hate

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Everyone realizes at some point that they have things in their home that they don’t like at all, either because they’re ugly, unpractical or because it’s linked to a bad memory. There’s really no point in keeping that item simply because you feel like you have too. It’s best to get rid of it.

9. Using cliché artwork

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Your artwork and basically anything that you use as an accent feature in your home should stand out and represent you or your family. So cliché elements don’t help at all. All they do is say you’re boring and you lack character. So pick something unique. Make something yourself and think of what represents you, no matter how strange it may seem.

10. Using an untested wall color

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The paint color you see in the can is not always the same one when you finish painting your walls and you realize it too late to make it matter. It’s best to first test the color on a small portion and see how it works with your lighting, furniture and everything else.