8 Common Decorating Mistakes and How to Steer Clear of ThemEugene Chrinian

Are you planning to move into a new home, or redecorate an old one? Read on for helpful tips on how to spot (and avoid) these eight common decorating mistakes:

Poor lighting

Surprisingly enough, many homes are underlit. People often assume that one bulb in the middle of the ceiling provides adequate light for a whole room (it doesn’t), and even when there are enough lamps in a room, they’re not always all turned on.

As a general rule of thumb, every room should have three distinct points of light, not including single overhead bulbs. Typically, the best light sources are indirect, meaning no bare bulbs: use lamp shades and direct spotlights at the wall. Light sources should also be positioned below your eye level when standing. Table and floor lamps that can be used to direct light where you need it are best.

Fear of color

Experimenting with color can feel like a big commitment, which is why many homes end up as just combinations of neutrals, beige, and white. But for a home to truly come alive, color is an absolute must: some experts recommend that 20% of each room should feature real color.

This isn’t as scary as it might sound, and you don’t have to start off by painting your entire living room orange. Try small touches first, like colorful pillows, bright linens, a statement furniture piece, or one accent wall in a bright color. Even little pops of color can make a big difference to the look and feel of a room.

Not enough rugs

Many decorating projects carefully account for everything except what’s on the floor, meaning that plenty of otherwise thoughtfully designed rooms are left with nothing more than bare floorboards.

While newly finished wood floors may be beautiful on their own, they’re much better when complemented by rugs. Rugs add color and softness to a room, and are also important for sound absorption and warmth. Living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, home offices, and even kitchens can benefit from the addition of a rug; just be sure to anchor it properly by choosing a rug large enough to fit under the legs of your furniture with room to spare.

Forgetting about windows

Windows are like art: they’re often beautiful to look at (or through), but they need a great frame to make them truly stunning. If they’re not treated properly, bare windows are little more than visually disruptive holes in the wall.

To address this, it’s a good idea to have either a curtain or a shade, or even both, on every window. Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you have to compromise on letting light in. Window treatments like solar shades or soft cotton or linen curtains both soften the window frame and allow beautiful, filtered light into the room.

Ignoring the entranceway

In some ways, the entranceway is the most important part of your home, as it sets the stage for how you, your family, and your guests will feel every time you step inside. So why is it so often overlooked?

When decorating, be sure to give the entranceway the same amount of consideration as you would any other room. Choose welcoming colors and artwork, provide lots of light, and choose functional furniture and storage pieces to help the area stay organized and clutter-free.

Overmatching

There’s a difference between a room where it feels like everything works together and a room where everything matches exactly. Don’t confuse the latter with the former; rooms with too many matching pieces tend to feel impersonal and unlived-in.

Instead, feel free to mix and match with items that are different, but still complementary. This means choosing pieces not only in different colors, but also pieces with different styles and from different time periods or even from different regions. This will help you create a unified, but interesting room that truly reflects you and your style.

Lack of traffic pattern

Rooms are not just there to be looked at, they’re there to be lived in. But when decorating, many people focus only on a room’s appearance and not on whether it’s a functional space for living.

Traffic pattern is an especially important area to consider in terms of a room’s livability. When deciding how to arrange your furniture, don’t just look at the room; take a walk around it to see how people move through it. To see if your arrangement works, try this test: can you easily vacuum the entire room without having to move anything?

Not considering proportions

A sense of balance is important to a room, so it’s key to keep scale and proportion in mind when decorating and furnishing. This goes for how well your furniture works together as well as for how it fits into the room overall.

For example, it’s best to choose furniture with similar proportions. This doesn’t mean that everything has to be the same size—pieces of different heights are especially good at creating visual interest—but it’s important not to let some pieces, like a big overstuffed armchair, overshadow others, like a delicate antique love seat.