Introduction
Hey everyone, welcome back to my website! My name is Borcd Panda, and today I’m going to be sharing with you some common interior design mistakes that you might be making in your home and how you can fix them. If you’re looking to improve the look, the feel, and the functionality of your home, this article is just for you. If you enjoy reading and find this article helpful, make sure you give it a big thumbs up and hit that share button. Letβs go ahead and jump right into it!
Furniture Legs and Design Style
Choosing the Right Furniture Legs
Now, something that can completely throw off the style of your home are your furniture legs. If you’re trying to go for a certain design style, make sure that you maintain that design style with your furniture legs. The legs and feet of furniture really show you a lot when it comes to the style of that piece. Tapered legs look very mid-century modern, chrome legs look very modern, and ornate legs and feet look very traditional. If you’re mixing too many different style legs around your home, it’s going to create a messy look, and it’ll be really hard to tell what design style you’re going for.
How to Pair Different Furniture Pieces
Another thing you can do that actually makes it a lot easier to pair different furniture pieces together is choose furniture with distinct leg styles and beside it choose furniture that does not have legs or feet, that sits right on your rug or flooring. That’s going to give you that balance, and that way there won’t be two different leg styles competing against each other. If you carry this idea around your home, all of your furniture will really come together nicely.
The Importance of Paint Finish
Choosing the Right Paint Finish
Choosing the wrong paint color is one design mistake, but choosing the wrong paint finish is a whole other problem. I think if you’re choosing the wrong paint finish around your home, you’re making a huge design mistake. There are about five different paint finishes that you can choose for your home: flat matte, eggshell, semi-gloss, and gloss, and they are all used in different ways to add functionality to your home.
Best Paint Finishes for Different Areas
If you’re choosing paint for a kitchen or bathroom, absolutely stay away from all of the matte paint options. Those are not going to hold up well with any kind of moisture, and you’re going to end up with a streaky look if there ends up being any moisture on the wall. So, usually, you see those semi-gloss and eggshell finishes in bathrooms and kitchens because they’re very easily wipeable.
You can clean upβthey donβt mark and scuff the same way as the more matte paint finishes. Eggshell is going to be your safe zone for almost every single space because it has a little bit of that sheen to it to give it that durability, but overall, it has a pretty matte look.
Gloss Finishes and Wall Texture
High gloss finishes do bring out a lot more detail and imperfections, so if your walls are not completely flat, if you don’t really love the texture in your walls, go with a more matte paint finish because it’s going to kind of blur the look of the texture that you do have and make it look a lot flatter. So, if you have a more glossy finish on your textured walls, you’re really going to see it a lot more.
Overuse of Patterns
Balancing Patterns in Your Space
A bold design mistake you might be making in your home that’s actually making your space feel loud and chaotic and a little bit messy is using too many patterns in one space. I love using patterns across my entire home in various waysβlike rugs, wallpaper, throw pillows, and blanketsβthat is all okay, but if you bring all those different elements into one space and they’re all patterned, it’s just way too much. Everything starts to compete against each other, and you don’t know where to look first. You need to break up your patterns with solids and textures that will create some balance in your home.
Using Solids and Textures to Break Up Patterns
Patterns are a great place to bring together color palettes because you can accent those patterns with solid colors and textures that really work well with the patterns. For example, if you have a patterned accent chair, I would not be layering in a patterned pillow and a pattern throws blanket and putting it on a patterned rug. That is all way too much. You need to pick that one key pattern piece; if that’s going to be your accent chair, then layer in solids and textures to help bring it together nicely.
Functionality and Design
Merging Function and Style
One of the best things you can do to your home is make sure that it functions for you and your family the way you need it to. I think a huge design mistake is disregarding function and really just only focusing on style. Very well-designed homes always focus on form and functionality equally. It’s very important to merge the two so that you end up with a space that looks pretty and really works well for your lifestyle.
Creating Functional Spaces
If you’re someone who comes through your front door daily with bags and shoes and all of your things, make sure that you have a piece of storage in that space so that you can hide all of that clutter away. Make sure that you’re thinking about your daily life and how you use your space so that you can integrate pieces that will actually help and add functionality to your home. This is very important to keep in mind, especially when you’re shopping for your new pieces.
Lighting and Atmosphere
Importance of Layered Lighting
Now, if you’re just relying on the overhead lighting around your home, you’re making a huge design mistake. Always integrate lamps, floor lamps, task lamps, wall sconces, picture lightsβanything that will bring in atmosphere and warmth to your home as well as functionality. These lights are going to help bring together spaces, create a grounding point, create different zones around your home, and add a lot of warmth and comfort.
Importance of Proper Lighting
Enhancing Your Space with Lamps
It’s pretty off-putting being in a space that doesn’t have enough lamp lighting. Just by adding in lamps, you will totally change your space. Bring in small lamps into your kitchen, bathroom, entryway, bedrooms, and living roomsβliterally every space you canβto really bring your home together. Without lamp lighting, your home will feel very cold, dark, and almost incomplete.
Choosing the Right Wall Art
Orienting Your Art to Fit the Space
Now, when you’re choosing wall art around your home, make sure that you’re choosing the right orientation for your wall. If you have a long, narrow space, make sure that you’re choosing wall art that is actually in that portrait position that spans the length of your wall. If you choose a long, wide horizontal piece in a long, skinny space, it’s going to throw the entire space off. Really work with the parameters you’re in and highlight the walls in the direction they’re moving in.
Horizontal Art for Wide Spaces
If you have a long horizontal wall that you’re looking to fill with art, the worst thing you can do is put something that’s in that portrait position in that long space. It’s really going to make it feel narrow and incomplete, and it definitely doesn’t look right. So, go for something that has the same orientation as your wallβgo for something long and horizontal that really fills the space nicely.
Combining Multiple Art Pieces
Of course, if you’re not finding the perfect piece that fits your wall, make sure that you’re bringing in multiple art pieces that are again moving in the right direction in your space. I have a lot of height in my living room here, so I brought the wall art up and followed the angle of the wall so that it really works with the space.
Hanging Wall Art Above Furniture
Correct Spacing for Art Above Furniture
When it comes to hanging wall art above a furniture piece like a nightstand, dresser, sideboard, or entryway table, make sure that you’re hanging that wall art or mirror about 5 to 10 inches away from the top of that piece. Thatβs going to give you the correct spacing that wonβt look too far away or too close to that piece, and it will actually make it look like you’ve styled both pieces together.
Avoiding Art That Looks “Floating”
If you get any further than 10 inches away from the top of your furniture piece, itβs going to look like it’s floating, and your piece of art or mirror will be hung way too high. Bring your items closer together so they look like they’re styled intentionally.
Conclusion
Alright, so that’s it for today’s article. I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and I hope this gave you a better idea on how you can improve the look of your home. Let me know down below in the comments if you’ve been making any of these design mistakes in your space and if you plan on making any changes.
Engaging with Your Audience
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Love you guys so much, and Iβll see you in my next one. Bye!