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Top 5 Mistakes New Home Decorators Make

March 29 2017

Between choosing the perfect wallpaper, measuring your room and scaling your furniture, there’s a lot of room for error when it comes to decorating your home. For those who are new to decorating, or are self-taught, there are definitely a few general dos and don’ts when it comes to revamping your interiors.

We chatted to our in-house stylists and decorators about their experiences, and what mistakes they see most often when it comes to new home decorators…

Top 5 Mistakes New Home Decorators Make

1. Buying too much at once

This is one we see quite frequently. People get over-excited and enthusiastic at the prospect of creating a new haven for themselves and their families. They often go on a bit of an impulsive shopping spree, without thinking too much about how the pieces will work together, and whether or not they’ll fit the chosen space.

We recommend creating a wish list, or even a Pinterest mood board that includes your dream homewares and furniture. Seeing them all in one place will give you a much better idea of how they work together. It will also help you determine if they’ll all fit in the space you’ve chosen.

Our experts suggest buying one or two investment pieces (more on these below) and then building your decor around these.

2. Not buying investment pieces

An investment piece is usually a piece of furniture or art that you’ll use as the focal point of a room. It generally costs a fair bit, but the idea is that it’s an investment. You want this piece to last a lifetime, or at least a good ten years.

Buying a clever investment piece means you can update the room with decor as the trends come and go, but you can do so around your key investment pieces. This method allows you to stay on trend but also grounds your interior with classic style.

3. Not thinking practically

Another common mistake we see is people decorating for the life they want as opposed to the life they have, which often leads to some really impractical design choices.

For example, purchasing a huge dining table when there’s only two people living in the apartment, or purchasing display units when you actually need more storage space.

Think about how you use your space, and design your decor and aesthetic around that. If you don’t, the space won’t be the haven you intend it to be.

4. Hanging art in the wrong place

While selecting a gorgeous and complementary piece of art is challenging, so is knowing how and where to hang it.

Firstly, it’s important that decorators aren’t to precious about where they choose to hang their art. The temptation can be to place it pride and centre of the room simply because it cost a lot of money or you’re head over heels with it.

Before you hang your artwork, be sure to consider other places in the room – would it look better off centre, or on another wall? Would it actually complement another piece of furniture?

These are all things to consider before you start hammering nails into the wall.

Another common error people make is hanging their art too high. Most interior decorators opt for eye level, or even a touch lower.

We recommend using removable hooks to help you determine where the best place to hang your art is before committing.

5. Having one source of light

Lighting is a major factor when it comes to interior design, it impacts the ambiance and the entire aesthetic of a space. We recommend layering your lighting.

Have a general light overhead (though make sure this is soft – overhead lights run the risk of being unflattering on the room and harsh on the eyes). Then layer this lighting with other lights such as floor lamps or even white fairy lights.

Light in any interior should be soft and layered for making your interiors look their best.

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Have you learnt any hard lessons while decorating? Why not share them in the comments below!