Designers Are Outraged: These 5 Mistakes Are Making Your Home Look Cheaper Than a Barn
Are you spending thousands on renovations, but your guests still look askance at your curtains?
You may be making fatal mistakes that have ruined even Beyoncé's budget.
Designers shudder when they see these mistakes, but they keep quiet so as not to lose clients. It's time to call them out on it.
Mistake 1: Decor that screams, "I'm desperate!"
A stack of pillows on the sofa, figurines from Turkey, framed photographs on every inch of the wall - this is what the apartment of a person who is trying to hide emptiness behind junk looks like.
Overloading with decor is the main sign of an amateur. Instead of a dozen trinkets, choose 2-3 strong accents: a painting with a bright abstract plot, a vintage vase or an unusual lamp.
Empty walls are not the enemy. They give the eye a rest and highlight the details that are truly worthy of attention. Remember: if you can’t call every object in the room “story,” it belongs in the trash.
Mistake 2: A rug that cuts into space
A small rug in the middle of the living room is like socks with sandals. Yes, it is comfortable, but it looks funny. The rug should be large enough to fit the front legs of all the furniture in the area.
If your budget doesn't allow you to buy the right size, it's better to skip the rug altogether. A bare floor looks more modern than a patchwork rug that resembles one from grandma's closet.
Mistake 3: Cheap lamps
A chandelier with plastic "crystals" is a sure way to turn a dining room into a canteen. Cheap lamps give themselves away with a yellowish light, flickering shadows and a crackling sound when turned on.
It is not necessary to buy a designer chandelier for half a million. It is enough to choose a laconic lamp made of matte metal or glass with warm light (2700-3000 K). And yes, table lamps are not a trifle. A funny lampshade with a flower pattern will cross out all the elegance of the interior.
Mistake 4: The “little bit of everything” style
Provence with high-tech, Scandinavian bedroom with African masks - such a mix is possible, but only if you are the Steve Jobs of design. Ordinary mortals turn an apartment into a junk shop.
Decide: either you like minimalism with concrete walls, or classics with stucco. If your soul asks for eclecticism, combine no more than two styles through common elements. For example, industrial lamps and wooden furniture in a loft. But don’t even think about putting a bean bag chair next to grandma’s sideboard.
Mistake 5: Red pillow on a gray sofa
Accent colors are like pepper in soup: a pinch enhances the flavor, but a handful kills it. A bright pillow, vase, or blanket can liven up the interior, but only if they do not conflict with the overall palette.
Red on gray is classic, but if your sofa already has a geometric print and your walls are striped, this red will be the last straw. Choose one accent color and use it in 2-3 places, no more. For example, blue pillows on the sofa and the same blue frame for the mirror.
