By Michael Mariotti
Whether you're anticipating hiring an interior designer to update your living space, or if you're thinking about doing it yourself, here are the top five mistakes interior designers see most often when they're consulting with new clients.
1. Too many collectibles in one room that are covered with dust
Although you may adore and treasure your Star Wars collection, your grandmother's spoons, or your bobbleheads, most interior designers would ask you to choose two or three collectibles to display in your main living area, and then store the rest in another part of your home.
Most of your friends or family members will know about your love for your collections, but not taking proper care of them and letting them collect dust is not a welcoming sight when visitors arrive. You can avoid making this design mistake by displaying your collectibles in moderation. The public areas of your home should not look like a shrine or museum filled with items that only you appreciate.
2. Paper memorabilia posters that are taped to the wall
While it might have been popular in the 60s or 70s to tape posters on your walls, unframed posters belong in the bedrooms of teens who are expressing their individuality as opposed to affixing a paper poster in your living room.
If you're totally into traditional art pieces, movie stars, vintage-style cars, or certain types of photography, that's okay. Just remember to take the time to get the posters laminated, framed, and mounted on the wall when the artwork compliments the room's colors or theme.
For example, if you love jazz, and you've collected a poster or two of a famous jazz musician, then get the poster framed and then mount it on the wall in the same area as your baby grand piano. Then the poster becomes a tasteful accessory to the focal point of the room.
Definitely you do not want to display beer company label posters, babes in bikinis, graffiti, or graphic art that screams male teenager's room in your main living space. Interior designers are not suggesting that you lose your individual taste in posters; rather that you consider if it's appropriate for the room you're redesigning. If it's appropriate, then have the poster framed before hanging it on the wall.
3. Furniture that's obviously too large for a small space
When you live in a small apartment, condo, or home, you'll always want to take a bit of extra time to get the room organized and create the illusion that it is balanced, visually. When you're looking at furniture to buy, think about where the piece will be placed, and how its size compares to the room's dimensions and layout.
For example, if you're shopping in a warehouse-type store, everything will look small compared to the immense size of the showrooms. So, make sure to take a tape measure along to measure the furniture so you can compare the dimensions with your room's measurements. When your piece of furniture is delivered, it would be a shame if the furniture didn't fit through the door or along the allocated wall that you had intended.
Likewise, even though you may truly want a 52-inch flat screen TV hanging on the wall in your living room or family room, it would be an impractical purchase if it expands over half the wall, or if the wall wasn't large enough to accommodate the TV. If the size of the room you're redecorating is too small to handle the oversized furniture or accessories that you're intending to place in that room, then you will have to think hard about your furniture choices, and perhaps you'll have to downsize.
4. Using your patio furniture inside the house
Maybe you picked up a quaint bistro table and two chairs awhile back and have recently decided to bring them into your kitchen. While the idea sounds practical in a monetary sense, it's not the best choice of furniture to display in your kitchen. The same is true for lawn chairs and plastic stackable chairs. They belong outside, and not in your kitchen, family room, or living room. In addition to the furniture feeling uncomfortable to sit in, perhaps you just need a little nudge to help you along in the interior design planning aspects for your home. Home and garden magazines can get you started, and then you can consider talking to an interior designer to learn about the suggestions he or she might have to decorate your living spaces.
If you feel that you don't have a flair for knowing how to decorate a room, then you might wish to choose furniture that has simple designs, is comfortable, durable, and will last for at least ten years.
5. Not wanting to part with sentimental keepsake items
Although you may have items in your living space that are not part of a collection, you still might consider them as a sentimental or keepsake item. It's certainly fine to want to hold onto your most prized possessions. However, it will definitely help the interior design of your home, condo or apartment, if you look at the items closely and ask yourself if those items were left over from your teen years, or when you lost or broke up with the love of your life. Sometimes it's difficult to have someone tell you to put your sentimental items in a shoe box or a storage box, just to get them out of the way. But, when you strive to have a simple, functional, and interesting home, you might want to consider only displaying one or two keepsake items in the public areas of your home.
The bottom line is that if for some reason you have decided that it's time to redecorate or to call in an interior designer, that's okay. Just make sure you are ready to hear the suggestions that will be made to you, especially in regards to minimizing your living space, and eliminating a lot of personal items that you've always had on display.
Whether you're anticipating hiring an interior designer to update your living space, or if you're thinking about doing it yourself, here are the top five mistakes interior designers see most often when they're consulting with new clients.
1. Too many collectibles in one room that are covered with dust
Although you may adore and treasure your Star Wars collection, your grandmother's spoons, or your bobbleheads, most interior designers would ask you to choose two or three collectibles to display in your main living area, and then store the rest in another part of your home.
Most of your friends or family members will know about your love for your collections, but not taking proper care of them and letting them collect dust is not a welcoming sight when visitors arrive. You can avoid making this design mistake by displaying your collectibles in moderation. The public areas of your home should not look like a shrine or museum filled with items that only you appreciate.
2. Paper memorabilia posters that are taped to the wall
While it might have been popular in the 60s or 70s to tape posters on your walls, unframed posters belong in the bedrooms of teens who are expressing their individuality as opposed to affixing a paper poster in your living room.
If you're totally into traditional art pieces, movie stars, vintage-style cars, or certain types of photography, that's okay. Just remember to take the time to get the posters laminated, framed, and mounted on the wall when the artwork compliments the room's colors or theme.
For example, if you love jazz, and you've collected a poster or two of a famous jazz musician, then get the poster framed and then mount it on the wall in the same area as your baby grand piano. Then the poster becomes a tasteful accessory to the focal point of the room.
Definitely you do not want to display beer company label posters, babes in bikinis, graffiti, or graphic art that screams male teenager's room in your main living space. Interior designers are not suggesting that you lose your individual taste in posters; rather that you consider if it's appropriate for the room you're redesigning. If it's appropriate, then have the poster framed before hanging it on the wall.
3. Furniture that's obviously too large for a small space
When you live in a small apartment, condo, or home, you'll always want to take a bit of extra time to get the room organized and create the illusion that it is balanced, visually. When you're looking at furniture to buy, think about where the piece will be placed, and how its size compares to the room's dimensions and layout.
For example, if you're shopping in a warehouse-type store, everything will look small compared to the immense size of the showrooms. So, make sure to take a tape measure along to measure the furniture so you can compare the dimensions with your room's measurements. When your piece of furniture is delivered, it would be a shame if the furniture didn't fit through the door or along the allocated wall that you had intended.
Likewise, even though you may truly want a 52-inch flat screen TV hanging on the wall in your living room or family room, it would be an impractical purchase if it expands over half the wall, or if the wall wasn't large enough to accommodate the TV. If the size of the room you're redecorating is too small to handle the oversized furniture or accessories that you're intending to place in that room, then you will have to think hard about your furniture choices, and perhaps you'll have to downsize.
4. Using your patio furniture inside the house
Maybe you picked up a quaint bistro table and two chairs awhile back and have recently decided to bring them into your kitchen. While the idea sounds practical in a monetary sense, it's not the best choice of furniture to display in your kitchen. The same is true for lawn chairs and plastic stackable chairs. They belong outside, and not in your kitchen, family room, or living room. In addition to the furniture feeling uncomfortable to sit in, perhaps you just need a little nudge to help you along in the interior design planning aspects for your home. Home and garden magazines can get you started, and then you can consider talking to an interior designer to learn about the suggestions he or she might have to decorate your living spaces.
If you feel that you don't have a flair for knowing how to decorate a room, then you might wish to choose furniture that has simple designs, is comfortable, durable, and will last for at least ten years.
5. Not wanting to part with sentimental keepsake items
Although you may have items in your living space that are not part of a collection, you still might consider them as a sentimental or keepsake item. It's certainly fine to want to hold onto your most prized possessions. However, it will definitely help the interior design of your home, condo or apartment, if you look at the items closely and ask yourself if those items were left over from your teen years, or when you lost or broke up with the love of your life. Sometimes it's difficult to have someone tell you to put your sentimental items in a shoe box or a storage box, just to get them out of the way. But, when you strive to have a simple, functional, and interesting home, you might want to consider only displaying one or two keepsake items in the public areas of your home.
The bottom line is that if for some reason you have decided that it's time to redecorate or to call in an interior designer, that's okay. Just make sure you are ready to hear the suggestions that will be made to you, especially in regards to minimizing your living space, and eliminating a lot of personal items that you've always had on display.
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