We are all culprits of spotting something beautiful and thinking, "this will look great in my house!" only to get home and find that we made a wrong decision. Interior design needs more mastery. If you want to do it right, you must resist the impulse to buy every pretty thing you see. A small detail might ruin the whole picture of your home. Here are some of the interior design mistakes to avoid:

1. Picking a Dark Color Scheme

Using brilliant colors makes your space look and feel bigger. Using too many dark colors makes your home look dull and compressed since it is perceived to absorb light. Living in a small space is even worse since the windows are much smaller, equally limiting the amount of light reflected into the room.

Solutions

• Consider adding bright accessories like throw pillows, more colorful curtains, and throw blankets to brighten up your space.

• Use glossy paint on your walls and ceiling to enhance brightness.

2. Poor Lighting

Light plays a huge role in the ambiance of your room. Most homeowners only use overhead lighting for all rooms, which may not reach the darker corners of the rooms, especially in a large, open space. Harsh lights can also have an unpleasant effect since they negatively impact the occupants; fluorescent lights can bother eyes and cause headaches.

Solutions

• Use overhead lighting in functional areas like the bathroom and laundry room.

• Replace harsh lights with soft and warm bulbs to make the rooms more inviting. Alternatively, you can also settle for dimmers with settings that you can control to suit your mood.

• Add recessed lighting in the closet and kitchen cabinets.

• Maximize natural light across all rooms by keeping your windows clean and removing barriers from the windows.

• Add reflective mirrors to bounce light across the room.

• Use decorative lighting like floor lamps, ceiling fixtures, and wall lamps.

Remember that the lighting fixtures' shapes, layers, and arrangement equally play a role in the light intensity. An electrician has the expertise you need to advise, select, and install the best lighting fixtures that blend well with your home.

3. Using an Undersized Rug

Rugs can easily displace the visual interest of a room if not chosen well. As stated earlier, impulse buying can misjudge the right size, especially if you have not noted the room's measurements.

A perfect rug should bring in the perfect touch creating warmth and balance. It is not right to use small rugs in large spaces since it makes the room appear smaller and floating in the room. On the other hand, a large rug can also make a room feel smaller.

Solutions

• Always measure your floor space first to determine the area in which your rug will fit.

• Consider your furniture placement first. This ensures that you choose a rug that fits right under several pieces of furniture.

• Choose neutral colors and patterns that do not collide with your home's theme color.

4. Adding Too Much Décor

Covering every area of your home only results in unsightly clutter, and nothing stands out as special. Works of art are beautiful, but when put in excess, wrongly scaled on the wall, and having different colors only distorts the image needed.

Solutions

• Do not cover up every space in your home to give the eyes a break.

• Scale and measure your paintings to ensure that they properly fit on the wall.

• Hang a few pieces of artwork and ensure that they are harmonious, complementary, and reflect your personality.

• Ensure that the artwork follows a particular color scheme.

5. Purchasing The Wrong Furniture

There must be good harmony between the large and small pieces of furniture in your home. The wrong furniture size can spell a disaster for your home, especially when trying to arrange the details. Using overstuffed furniture in a tiny room also makes it feel cramped.

Solutions

• Consider aesthetics like balance, color, shape, pattern, weight, and comfort before purchasing furniture.

• Combine furniture of different heights and proportions.

• Do not get carried away by impulse buying.

6. Using Outdated Accessories

Accessories give your home a finished look, and they will reflect your personality and style. No matter how new your home looks, outdated accessories will not display much change to your home. These could include old doorknobs, furniture, window treatments, cabinets, faded throw pillows, etc.

Solutions

• Upgrade your window treatments by getting rid of curtains. Consider using shutters, shades, and blinds.

• Upgrade the accents like lighting, cabinets, throw pillows, and visual details.

• Add finishing touches that reflect your personality and style.

7. Not Having a Focal Point

Each room must have a natural point of interest once you get into it. The focal point helps you arrange your space around a central object. For many living rooms, a fireplace or television acts as the focal point. However, it can be hard to get a focal point, especially for small spaces.

Solution

• Depending on the room and the size, ensure that you find a focal point for it. You can either use a piece of art, furniture, or mirror to act as the main point of attraction.

8. Not Hiring a Professional

Ensure that you budget for this as you plan to have an interior design makeover. Large interior projects require the right expertise to be planned and executed as needed. Allow them to stress over your home's final look to give you the perfect finishing you deserve and avoid making costly mistakes.

Summary

Decorating your home should not be a stressful engagement with this knowledge in mind. Get the right professionals to help you out, and do not be afraid to try out new things.

Author Bio: Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beach goer operating out of Southern New Jersey.

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