11 Home Decor Mistakes That Make Designers Cringe
If your bed is swallowed up by throw pillows, you've made a wrong turn.
If your bed is swallowed up by throw pillows, you've made a wrong turn.
1. Hanging art at your eye level
According to designer Vern Yip, you should actually hang wall art 60 inches above the floor, which is the average eye level of all people. This makes the display pleasing for all people who enter your beautiful room, not just you.
2. Buying textiles online
Stephen Shubel knows the power of a great print or lush solid — just take a look at this chic room. Though it's tempting to shop the thousands of fabrics available online, he cautions against pressing the "add to cart" button. "I'd never buy fabric online. You need to feel it, look at the colors, see the scale of a pattern," he says.
3. Stubbornly sticking to bad choices
"You have to make compromises when you build a house," says designer Jeannette Whitson. "I wanted antique wide-plank floors for my new home in Nashville, but that was unrealistic for a house this size. I got an end-run of commercial wide-plank white oak for $3 a square foot and had someone hand-brush it with a deep stain. That's the closest I could get." Yet, the result is just as gorgeous as the real deal.
4. Overdoing the accessories
"Have you ever slept in one of those beds with 60 pillows on it?" says Jim Howard. "You need a guidebook to be able to put them back. Good design does not have to be jaw-dropping — it just has to feel good."
5. Succumbing to stress
Redecorating is overwhelming, thanks to the wealth of choices out there. But designers embrace the creative aspects. "Enjoy the process! Have fun. And trust your instincts. Once the fear is gone, the fun begins. If it's not fun, don't do it," says Jeffrey Bilhuber, who designed this modern living room.
6. Cheaping out on paint
Eric Cohler cautions against cutting costs here. "An inexpensive paint job doesn't last more than a couple of years, but a good paint job can last for twenty," he says.
7. Placing sofas across from each other
"One of the five deadliest sins of decorating is a pair of sofas facing each other," says Joe Nye. "That's seldom a good idea, because it creates this alleyway that you have to navigate through." Here, Nye created a casual grouping with a side chair and ottomans instead.
8. Choosing tiny mirrors
"People are afraid of the big mirror," says Annie Brahler. "They think, 'So 1980s…' But there's no reason to be scared. It's great — you double the size of the space. You want two chandeliers in a room instead of one? Put up a mirror."
9. Picking quantity over quality
"Have fewer, but better things," says Suzanne Rheinstein. "Obviously, it's a long process. It's not 10-minute decorating. If you buy one good thing a year, in five years, you'll have five really good things."
10. Placing small furniture in small rooms
"It only emphasizes that the the furniture is small," says designer Ken Fulk, who opted for a larger coffee table in this Victorian parlor. "A large-scale piece gives the room oomph and adds dimension."
11. Forgetting that kids rooms needs to grow
"Children rooms don't need Disney murals and sports figures on bedsheets. They do need someplace for the trophies to be displayed and the hobbies to be reflected, but kids are fickle about what they like. You have to listen to them, but filter it into something that's going to grow older with them," says Betsy Burnham.
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