Decorating Mistakes: Chameleon Design Shares What NOT to Do
You don’t have to be a professional interior designer to understand and apply some basic principles of that will help you create a comfortable home with style. By combining personal taste and individual style you can achieve an interesting decorating look for almost any room. But there are some things you should just never do. We’ve put together a list of the top things you should NOT do when decorating a room:
Mixing Too Many Styles
The biggest mistake we see people make is trying to change styles within one residence. If you want to have a beachy house, have a beachy house. Don’t do a mountain decor theme in the den and switch to a beachy look for the living room. This may seem like a good idea in theory but it actually prevents your home from having any kind of flow. People don’t realize it but they love the look of model homes because there is always style and consistency throughout. If you consider this when decorating your own home you’ll undoubtedly be happy with the results.
Choosing Furniture That Doesn’t Fit
You wouldn’t wear clothes that don’t fit properly so why would you choose furniture that doesn’t fit your home? Before you shop for furniture, make sure to measure your space, think about where you’re going to put the piece, and take notes. Resist the temptation to buy a too-big sofa, thinking you can put it on an angle if it doesn’t fit. Write down the measurements and stick to your plan. It’s just as bad to buy pieces that are too small, thinking you can add more pieces to fill the space. Plan out your arrangement, think it over, and then find the pieces that are just right.
Fixating on the Small Things
People often fixate on little things instead of looking at the bigger picture. The proper way to go about decorating any room in your home is to make a plan including only the bigger decisions and make that your blueprint. The little things are easy and will come naturally once the overall look is in place. If you need help with the major choices, a simple consultation with a designer can help you build those parameters. A little goes a long way and will help you to stick to certain rules.
Pushing All the Furniture Up Against the Wall
Sometimes people think that a room will look larger if the middle of the floor is open, but the opposite is actually true. Unless you’re going to have a dance party in the middle of your room, move the furniture into groupings in the center. Arrange a sofa with a table behind it, away from the wall with a walking space behind. Show off the back of the sofa and arrange decorative items and a lamp for reading behind it. Move chairs out of corners and you’ll have a more open, airy look in your room.
Getting Too Attached to “Things”
Some people get too attached to the “things” they have in their lives. You may have spent a lot of money on something or it may represent a special time in your life that you want to remember, but no matter what reason you may be hanging onto any particular item, if it disrupts your decor, get rid of it! Remember the wagon wheel coffee table in When Harry Met Sally? Take a picture if you want to remember it! And the same goes for collectibles. Whether you collect knick-knacks from travels or fine pieces of sculpture or one-of-a-kind hand-blown glass, you shouldn’t put everything out at one time. Do your best to select only the most important pieces, either in monetary or sentimental value, and get rid of the rest. If you can’t bear to throw the pieces away, put them away and rotate the items on display. Less really is more!
Doing Artwork Wrong
A common mistake that people make is putting up smaller scale artwork in each room of the home. If you invest in bigger pieces they will actually help your room come together!