Journal

7 Most Common Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid

January 22, 2018  |  how to get started, inspiration, interior design, style, trends

You can usually tell right away when you’ve walked into a home that’s been professionally designed by an interior designer. You get a sense of everything being in its place and it just feels very put together. Usually, this will prompt you to think about all that they’ve done right, and all that you’ve been doing wrong when it comes to accessorizing your own home. When an interior designer works with you to style your home, there are a few things they take care to avoid. Here is how your interior designer avoids these 7 most common interior design mistakes.

  1. Overly coordinated: It’s okay to have a central style or atmosphere to your room, however, you have to be careful not to get carried away with it. Just because you love the color blue, it doesn’t mean that every single element in the room needs to be blue. Choosing pops of accent colors, patterns, shapes and textures are key to creating visual interest. For example, choosing a complementary color to blue, such as a shade of yellow or even a soft green, can really add dimension to your space. The same thing goes for patterns. If you love florals, that’s great! But, you don’t want everything to have a floral theme or pattern to it. If you do this, then nothing stands out and your room becomes either overwhelming with pattern or stagnant.
  1. Choosing too many accessories: You know the feeling you get when you walk into your grandma’s house and there’s just knick-knacks everywhere? Every bookshelf, wall and surface seems to be covered with some sort of decorative or nostalgic element and it can feel very overwhelming. While you may love your grandma, interior designers suggest keeping it minimal when accessorizing a space. A bookshelf should mostly showcase your book collection. But, you can also add a couple of decorative bookends, small vases, or collected objects to give it some visual interest.
  1. Grouping decorative elements in even numbers: Most people assume that a pair feels balanced, and it can, if you’re using bookends on a bookshelf. But it’s a pretty standard rule in interior design to group things in threes or fives. Doing so allows more variation in height, size, shape and color. It tends to feel more balanced in a way, even though it’s technically not.
  1. Using fake florals: We can be honest here – fake flowers are easier to take care of! However, they do not look (or smell!) the same. A fresh bouquet of flowers or greenery in a pretty vase can really brighten up the room with a seasonal touch. The same thing goes for fake fruit bowls. Fill them up with real fruit and you not only have a beautiful centerpiece for your dining table, but healthy snacks on hand!  
  1. Having little to no personality: An interior designer always makes sure to incorporate the client’s personality into their home. Whether it’s displaying children’s artwork in a mixed media wall collage in the living room, incorporating your mother’s antique china into a dining room, or making space for your beloved records collection, a good interior designer knows exactly how to do it tastefully.
  1. Ignoring trends: You’ve probably noticed that the Pantone color of the year for 2018 is a bright, vibrant shade of purple called Ultraviolet. Personally, you might not enjoy the color purple. In fact, you might hate it and avoid it at all costs. An interior designer, however, might inspire you to change your mind. It is their job to take the current trends, no matter how crazy, and transform a space from dull and drab to beautiful and welcoming. So, if your interior designer suggests a color in your space that you might originally cringe at, give them a chance first. You might be pleasantly surprised with what they come up with!
  1. Relying too much on trends: Or, maybe you’re the opposite and you love the color of the year so much that you decide to purchase a new purple sofa, coordinating armchairs, throw pillows, vases and a rug – all in ultraviolet. And while you’re at it, why not update all of your light fixtures to brass, because you’ve heard that’s also a trend. You get the picture? An interior designer’s creative eye knows how to select the right trends for your space, and how to properly pair them together to create something beautiful and harmonious. Balancing your home with beloved old pieces and newer, trendier ones will keep your space looking fresh and timeless.

If you’re noticing some of these interior design mistakes in your own home, it might be time to consider the help of an interior designer. Contact us at Amy Youngblood Interiors to get started today!

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