Get solutions to the challenges that cause many homeowners to put off interior design projects
A huge reason many people don’t get around to tackling a decorating project is because they’re afraid to make a costly mistake. To give you the confidence to start your own dream design, I’ve put together a list of seven major design mistakes that can affect your entire project, along with photos of rooms that do it right. Browse these for guidance and ideas, and then look for an interior designer who’s in tune with your vision and can help make your dreams a reality.
1. Choosing Paint First
While paint is in many ways one of the biggest parts of your design (particularly in terms of pure square footage), that doesn’t mean it should necessarily be the first thing you pick. For example, the well-coordinated furnishings and decor in this room by Design No. 5 could work with a number of paint colours.
Solution: Once you’ve settled on some of your essential fabric furnishings (rugs, pillows, draperies, upholstery), it’s relatively easy to pick a coordinating color from a fan deck or set of paint chips. Finding fabrics you truly love after already committing to a paint scheme is much tougher.
2. Buying Furniture Without Measuring
It’s hard to judge the scale of furniture when it’s sitting on a vast showroom floor. That’s why homeowners are sometimes shocked to find that the beautiful sectional or coffee table they saw in a showroom looks as though it eats up the entire room when it’s sitting in their living room.
Solution: If you know what measurements you’re shopping for, you can let the cold hard numbers guide you when your eyes might be playing tricks. Measure (or even mark with tape) the area available for each major piece so that you can figure out an acceptable size range. Bring these measurements with you when furniture shopping and stick to them. If you fall in love with something out of your size range, ask if it comes in different sizes, or have it measured and bring the measurements home to tape off in your space to make sure it’s a size you are happy with.
3. Never Making a Bold Choice
While nobody wants to spend an extra weekend painting over last weekend’s mistake, being fearful of ever making an adventurous decision can result in a space that feels bland or unsatisfying. In contrast, this bedroom by Slightly Quirky Ltd. shows the excitement that a feature wall and bold accent colours can bring to a room.
Solution: Take a risk every now and then. Rest assured that if you do choose a dramatic wall treatment, you can always layer over it with light and breezy pieces (such as white wall art or neutral-colored furniture) to tame the look until it feels livable. And if you ultimately grow tired of it, you can change it someday.
