Common Mistakes People Make When Designing Their Home

Very often people think that designing a home is an easy job as all they need to do is watch a couple of DIY videos on YouTube or a popular home renovation show on tv. However, the truth is you need a keen eye for detail and extensive knowledge about the field to design a space.

Several people choose to design their home on their own and end up cluttering their house with numerous items instead of making their house look beautiful. This generally happens as people aren’t aware of the nuances of interior design.

This lack of awareness generally leads to making errors that could prove to be costly. To help you make aware of such errors, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes people make when designing their home.

1. Choosing furniture that’s too big or small for the room. Do not ignore scale and proportion! It’s very important to determine scale and proportion when designing a room. The scale is the size of things, and proportion is the relationship of those sizes to each other and the room as a whole. Make sure you add the right furniture and select key pieces of furniture before adding accessory pieces.

In a small room, you may need to forego a side table or other accessories. Leaving out unnecessary furniture goes a long way in ensuring you don’t feel closed in. In a large room, the challenge is to avoid creating too wide a distance between spaces. For example, consider human scale as you position conversation areas. A very large room with furniture spread out creates an awkward sense of spaciousness. Instead, imagine family and friends sitting in space and place furniture at a distance that allows for human movement and so that two people can have a conversation.

2. Buying rugs that are of the wrong size or orientation. A few inches make all the difference between the rug pulling the room together or chopping it up. Opt for the larger option, especially if you're between sizes, or buy a custom rug from a designer. Use painter's tape to mock the rug placement before you buy.

3. Not testing out paints before purchasing. It is very important to test out your paint color choices before taking the dive. Avoid too much intense color. Swatching is key to finding the perfect color.

You simply cannot just purchase your favorite color you see at the store! This is because every color can look different in any room. Test out various swatches on different walls and compare how they look under certain light, it can change drastically. We would recommend that you see the colors in morning light and also in evening light, in each room.

4. Hanging art incorrectly. You can literally turn any wall of your home into your own personal art gallery. Everyone should display some form of art in their home, whether it is a rare oil painting or a cherished drawing from your child’s pre-school days. The roadblock that most encounter is how to correctly hang art.

The best way to ensure there are no mistakes, and nasty nail holes to fill, is to trace and cut-out the frames outline on paper. Simply tape the paper cut-outs onto your wall, trying numerous placement options until you have the desired outcome.

Have fun with your arrangements, playing with size, color, and texture, remembering to avoid the number one mistake that most people make... hanging artwork too high.

5. Going overboard on matching. It can be easy to fall into the trap of buying the same furnishings and start matching everything. This can make a room feel overwhelming, what you should do is mix up accessories to add character to each room. This will bring uniqueness.

6. Not buying fabrics and textiles first. A common mistake that most clients are guilty of is painting first. Put that paint brush down! You need to pick out the room’s fabrics and main textiles, such as rugs and curtains first, simply because it’s much easier to find paint to match fabrics while it is much harder to find a fabric that you love, that also happens to match the paint you have already put on your walls.

Look through samples of fabrics, rugs, pillows, etc. Find what you love and then once you are happy with your design choices, pick out a paint shade or shades from the chosen textiles. Now you can pick up the paintbrush.

To rule out these and other mistakes, reach out to Parsons Interiors.We enhance the beauty and comfort of your home by providing you with the top-notch interior design services. We strive to bring your ideas to life. To learn more about the services that we provide, please click here. If you have any questions about designing your home, get in touch with us by clicking here.