9 Home Decorating Mistakes You Need to Avoid

The common home decorating mistakes we’re all guilty of.

Home decorating mistakes: been there, done that.

Decorating your home can be an overwhelming and often confusing process. From choosing the right patterns to sourcing furniture that’s just your style, one wrong move and you’re on track to committing a “decor faux pas”.

But fear not! We’re all guilty of making a decorating mistake here or there, and the trial and error is what makes it fun, after all.

We’re covering 9 common home decorating mistakes to avoid so that you can have a beautiful and relaxing space.

Not accenting

Too much of one color can make the room you’re decorating look sterile and flat. Adding accents to a room can help the room look complete and well rounded.

When decorating, choose a themed palette of about four colors, one or two of which will be your accent colors.

You can accent a room with colors and patterns, so consider some of these common home decor items when trying to figure out what you should accent:

Photo frames
Pillows
Mirrors
Vases
Trim on furniture

No symmetry

One of the worst home design mistakes is a lack of symmetry. Any room you decorate should have a focal point with even surroundings.

First, determine what the focal point of your room is. That can be the fireplace, that can be the TV (although a television as a focal point isn’t recommended), or that can simply be the center of the room.

Once you’ve determined your focal point, arrange your furniture to surround that area accordingly. This helps create balance in a space and is much more pleasing to the eye.

Overdoing it on the home decor

If your walls are covered in photos or you have more throw pillows than seating room, then you have too much happening on the home decor front.

You don’t want to overdo it when it comes to decorating. In this case, less is more.

Pick out a minimal number of items to decorate the space and avoid excess items that aren’t necessary.

Open shelving full of items

Having too much open shelving can make your space look overwhelming if the shelves are covered with knick-knacks and various household items.

Open shelving works well when there are select items placed on the shelves – not everything you own.

If you have a lot of things you need to store away, opt out of open shelving like bookshelves or racks, and instead try out cabinet units or hidden storage. This helps you hide any visible clutter and neatly tucks away any eye sores.

Lack of lighting

Lighting plays a huge role in making or breaking a space.

Natural light instantly makes your room more airy, warm, and inviting.

If the space has no access to natural light, brighten up the area with lamps and other lighting methods like string lights, mirror lights or wall sconces.

Choosing style over function

Sure, that dainty dining chair with no backing is beautiful, but how long will you be able to sit on it before feeling a sore back creep up?

When choosing home decor and furnishing, avoid prioritizing style over function. The aesthetic of your space definitely needs to come together, but the furniture needs to be practical and liveable as well.

Look for furniture that matches the theme of your space, but is also comfortable and sustainable.

When decorating, look for items that make it easier to live in your home, not more difficult.

Bulky furniture in small spaces

Having the right sized furniture in a room is a crucial element when decorating any space.

For smaller rooms, gravitate away from larger, bulkier furniture. Instead, pick out pieces that are true to size for the room, and don’t create an overwhelming feeling as soon as you enter it.

Boxy furniture with wide dimensions can take up a lot of space in a small room, so look for pieces that are more compact or incorporate materials like glass to provide more visual depth.

Too many colors and patterns

A lack of color in a space may cause it to look sterile, but having too many colors can be just as big of a faux pas.

Keep it minimal when it comes to the amount of colors and patterns you’re choosing when dressing a room, to avoid it from looking tacky or cheap.

If you need help with this, try out the 60-30-10 rule to help keep the aesthetic balanced.

Same shaped furniture

Another one of those home decorating mistakes that are a little less obvious: same shaped furniture.

When you enter a space, there should be a natural flow and structure to it.

If all the furniture in a room has a similar shape, it can lack dimension.

Create contrast by decorating your space with different shaped furniture.

For example, when decorating your living room, avoid a square-cut couch, square end tables, and a square coffee table. Though it may not look terrible if all the furniture is the same shape, if you were to try an oval or circular shaped coffee table in this instance, you’ll see the room come together more nicely.

With all home decorating mistakes come solutions!

Decorating your home is all about trial and error, but most importantly customizing it to create a space for you.

As you try out different styles and techniques, you’ll quickly learn which home decor ideas aren’t quite for you, and which ones are right up your alley.