6. Having Only One Light Source in a Room
A minimalistic approach is the best way to go in many aspects of interior decorating, but sticking to the bare minimum when it comes to indoor lighting isn’t such a great idea. Instead, layer different lamps and lights in every room, combining wall lights, standing lamps, and even chandelier lights together.
This will add an unexpectedly pleasant ambiance to each room and will give you more control of the lighting situation in your home. Apart from that, we recommend opting for daylight bulbs instead of bright white ones for most spaces in your home, as the latter make the room less cozy.
7. Including Colors That Are Too Contrasting
The art of color matching is key when it comes interior decoration. A room where all pieces contrast each other will appear garish and gaudy, and each of these items comes off as eyesores. The room above, for example, lacks cohesiveness because it combines cream colors and earth-toned items with electric blue, green and purple.
Switching up or removing some of the bright colored items, such as the table lamp, the chairs, and even the painting would hugely improve the appearance of this room.
8. Matching Furniture and Colors Can Make the Room Look Too Museum-Like
Just like extreme contrasts are a big interior design mistake, so is a room that looks too matchy-matchy. So, if matching your couch or one of the armchairs to the curtains can make your interior nice and cohesive, matching the couch, the armchairs, the curtains and the rug will make your room look washed out and, frankly, boring, just like the example above illustrates.
A good workaround trick is to use the items of the same color family, but varying textures. This will be able to add a bit of interest to even an all beige room. But color isn’t the only thing you should pay attention to, as having the furniture from the same set, too, can make the room look more like a catalog or an office waiting room than a comfortable living space.
To prevent this from happening, resist buying a whole set of furniture and try to incorporate pieces of various ages and shapes, as well as those made of different materials in one room.
9. Having a Rug That’s Too Small for the Room
Another item that can throw off the proportions in your room completely is the rug. Even if it’s just a tad too small, it can visually shrink the room. Just look at the example above – the Turkish rug in the middle of the room makes the sofas and the space between them a lot smaller.
In this case, and many others, it would be much easier to forego the rug altogether, especially since these can be very expensive. If you do insist on having a rug in your home, make sure it covers the space underneath all the legs of the main furniture in the room.
10. Hanging Curtains That Are Too Short
A final remark in this article is related to drapes and curtains.
It’s no secret the vast majority of people intend to make the rooms in their home appear more spacious, but a detail as small as curtain length can undermine those intentions in an instant. Make sure that the curtains in each room reach the floor, as even slightly shorter drapes or curtains can create the appearance of a lower ceiling and a living space that looks cramped and unfinished.
