How to Fix 5 Decorating Mistakes

Decorating can be tricky but with the right knowledge, beautiful rooms can be created. We narrowed down 5 of the most common decorating mistakes we see and how to solve them.

Source: Amy Kartheiser Design

1. Anti-Social Seating Arrangements

Furniture arrangements should encourage conversation. Think of your furniture as people and have them face each other as if they are talking to each other. Also, keep furniture from being pushed against all the walls. Think about it, you wouldn’t have a conversation with someone while sitting on opposites sides of the room and yelling from far away. Keep it cozy and comfortable while encouraging interaction.

Source: Kate Marker Interiors

2. Not Letting Things Go

This is something we see ALL the time. Clients come to us and want to their rooms to reflect their inspiration photos, however, they insist on keeping existing furniture or decor that doesn’t fit in with their inspiration. We understand that most of these items are usually sentimental or recently purchased and they really want to MAKE them work. The problem with this is that if you don’t really love an item, your eye will always, always, ALWAYS notice it first, even if you redecorate the entire room. Our advice is to stop working around those pieces and let them go. Why? Because when you try and work around a piece you don’t love you will most likely end up spending more money decorating around it and still not absolutely love the room. TIP: If the item is sentimental or a gift, put it in a room that gets minimal traffic.

Source: Jenn Feldman Designs

3. Only Thinking Small

Decorating is all about using variations of different sized items to make a room interesting which leads us to our next decorating mistake: filling a home with too many small items like picture frames, candles, small figurines, and so on. It is easy to go shopping all the time and justify spending money on small items like these but the problem with this is that the result is a home filled with decor that is all miniature. Collections of small items have their place but the best way to decorate is with items of various sizes. Make sure to shop for bigger pieces (accent furniture like benches, bookcases and ottomans, large artwork, sculptures, lighting, floor plants, etc.) to break up the collections of smaller decor around the room.

Source: Studio McGee

4. Not Seeing the Big Picture

Before filling up the next empty wall with yet another picture frame, take a good look at the room as a whole. When all the walls in a room have the same thing on them, it doesn’t create interest or dimension in a room. Switch up the decor with different shapes, textures and sizes and remember that not every wall needs something. It is important that the eye has a place to rest to allow the focal points in the room to actually be focal points and not feel claustrophobic by the surrounding wall decor.

Source: Brown Design Inc.

5. Choosing Paint Colors First

Decorating a room is often done in stages and choosing paint is usually one of the last steps. Why? Well, paint is one of the most inexpensive parts of a room and has the most options to choose from in a store. Also, choosing paint first can make you feel trapped in your shopping decisions because you will be so concerned about matching everything to that specific paint color. Gathering furniture, artwork and textiles and then choosing a paint color to complement the items you chose makes the decorating process so much easier. In summary, make a plan. Choose the most expensive furniture and finishes first, pick an overall color scheme next and then choose paint.

Source: Alyssa Rosenheck