When I’m making over a space, there are certain style mistakes that I notice immediately. Some are more blatant than others, but when you’re used to assessing different elements in a room, they all become extremely noticeable. This is a list of common style mistakes I see in homes, and the bottom line to fix them.
Everything Is The Same Color
This first mistake drives me a little crazy. Sometimes people really love a certain color, or they just aren’t totally sure what other colors compliment their favorite shade. As a result, they end up buying everything the same color and there is no variation.
Let’s use the color teal as an example.
You paint an accent wall in your living room teal. Alright, pop of color, good for you! But then you buy teal throw pillows for the couch. And a teal rug for the floor. And you have a teal blanket on the chair. Teal and teal and teal and teal. It’s too much!
Teal is a bold color, and so pairing it with more muted or neutral colors will still allow it to be the focal point, without making the room feel too overbearing. Colors like grey, cream, brown or gold tones, and even a soft muted pink will look beautiful with teal.
The lesson learned here should be not to buy everything 1 or 2 colors. Look for complimentary shades in your accents that will highlight your favorite color.
The Décor Is All The Same Height
This next style mistake may not be as obvious to you. You may look at a room and feel like something is off or missing, but struggle to put your finger on it. There’s a chance that most of, if not all, of your furniture and decor hit at about the same height in the room. This keeps the eye moving at the same level and doesn’t add dimension to the space.
Take a quick survey of your room. Is the furniture different sizes and heights? Do you have a hanging plant or some art on the wall? If you answered yes to these questions, then you’re on the right track! If you said no, then hanging something on your walls could be a simple fix.
This brings me to my next style mistake.
Not Hanging Any Art On The Wall
Take advantage of hanging art because it draws the eye up to where you have it hung. I like to hang art a little higher than you typically see it in people’s homes because it draws the eye up and gives the illusion of higher ceilings. Trust me- try it.
Art can range from prints, to photographs, to physical pieces so there is something visually appealing for everyone!
Art helps to frame out your room and bring cohesion to your space. It is also a great way to show off your personality or what subjects you are passionate about. I personally like simple prints and singular line art because it adds to the space, without making it look too busy.
The lesson here is that art is the icing on the cake. The room is bland without it.
Incorrectly Furnishing The Room
If you have art on the wall, but something still looks missing, you might not have furnished the room well. I firmly believe you don’t necessarily need all the standard furniture for a room. I write about that here in my moving mistakes blog. https://thisgirlathome.com/mistakes-to-avoid-moving-into-a-new-place/
You do, however, want to make sure that the space in the room is adequately filled with appropriate sized furniture. I’m not sure whether people don’t read the measurements (actually I’m certain people don’t read the measurements) or whether they just have trouble visualizing the layout of their space, but I see rooms that have poor layouts because of furniture size. I created a design board below to show you what I mean.
This room has plenty of space, but the furniture is packed into one side, while the other side of the room is mostly empty. The side table is shoved into the corner because there isn’t adequate space on the back wall for it with the sectional.
Moving the sectional to the right wall or moving the chair out of that area would open the space.
The lesson here is to always check the measurements and make sure the room is filled, but not cluttered. Your furniture should be placed around the room to avoid one side becoming too furniture heavy.
Nothing Matches
I’m not talking about the art of eclecticism. I’m talking about mismatching that cheapens the look of your space. For example, you have a maple mid-century style tv stand, a grey sofa, a dark brown chair, and a cherrywood book case.
What’s wrong here is that there is absolutely no cohesion. The wood tones are different, the furniture styles are different, and the fabrics are different. You don’t need everything to match perfectly (remember mistake #1) but you do need your decor to have something in common.
The lesson here is to find a commonality amongst your decor. A color family or a furniture style should be enough to keep your room looking put together.
Theme Room Decor
This design faux pas might be one of the most common. An example of this decor mistake is the beach bathroom. You know what it is, we have all seen it. It may even be in your house. It’s the bathroom that has the beach waves and sand shower curtain, the seahorse soap dispenser, and the ocean view framed art on the wall.
There might even be a little vessel holding some sand from a trip. I get it- you love the beach. I do, too. But, you can get the beachy vibe without going overboard- see what I did there?
When everything is a part of a clear theme, it doesn’t look sophisticated. Maybe you love the beach because of the tranquility it makes you feel. Use that for inspiration for the room, instead of being so blunt with the décor.
Light blue accents, a shell art piece, or a candle with a beachy smell can all give the room the feel you want, without it looking like a kid’s bathroom.
The lesson here is to keep the theme decor to only 1 piece. The rest of the room should invoke the look you want without being so obvious.
Each of these tips is fairly easy to implement, and they can all make a big impact on your space.
If you put these tips to use, you can avoid making these style mistakes in your home. You’ll have a balanced and inviting home you’ll want to show off to others because of its sophisticated style.