Have you ever been invited to a home that looks asymmetrical in a lot of ways and the décor just doesn’t make sense? You feel confused and wonder if someone feels that about your home as well.
Despite doing everything in your power to make your home look as welcoming as possible, there’s always something that feels off and out of place. You can’t figure out what it is until a close friend or a family member points it out to you unless, of course, they choose not to do that to avoid leaving you upset.
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Well, let me just tell you that it’s very common for a home to not look cohesive, and that’s completely alright because you aren’t a professional home designer who has to have everything in place. It’s okay to make a few décor mistakes before finally arriving at a layout that looks cohesive.
But how exactly do you figure out the décor problems in your home and work out ways to fix them? Given that not everyone has the luxury of being able to spend a huge amount of money to replace that furniture or buy stylish furnishings, you need to make the most of the resources available and transform your space into a cohesive unit by undoing the decorating mistakes you might have made.
I have rounded up a set of reasons why your home décor doesn’t look cohesive along with some very easy ways to fix these mistakes:
1. Going Too Bold With The Walls
Going bold with a wall of your living room can make it look stunning, but by no means should you paint all four walls in the same bold color. Besides killing the vibe of your space, it might just scare your kids as well as your guests.
The living room shown in the image is a great example of how too much of a good thing ends up disturbing the energy of the entire space. The amount of dark grey used here is so distracting that the guests won’t even care to look at the amazing décor items adorning the floors and corners of this living room.
If you can see too much of a bold color in your living room, change it up to make way for softer tones. If you want to add a soft touch of bold to your living room, paint one wall in a soothing bold color and leave the remaining three in white.
2. Having Too Many Empty Corners
Though it’s great to take the minimalist route and go for a few basic décor items to design your home, make sure that it doesn’t have too many empty corners.
You can see how despite having a stunning sofa set adorning its floors and an amazing fireplace as its focal point, this living room still feels undone and incomplete. With a few budget-friendly décor pieces to grace the floating shelves, a tall houseplant to stand by the empty window corner, a statement area rug on the floor and some good pendant lighting to brighten up the corners, this space can get a stunning makeover that people will swoon over.
3. Mismatched Colors
It’s good to mix it up when it comes to introducing colors in your living room, but make sure that you don’t end up having a mix of shades that make the space look awkward and uninviting.
This living room, for example, has a wall painted in red that seems to be blocking all the light. While the furniture seems out of place and doesn’t go with the color of the wall, the mismatched color palette of this living room takes away from the stunning pieces of potted greenery.
Introduce colors that are soothing to the eye and can make the space look brighter and roomier. If you don’t want to go with unconventional furniture colors, play around with the furnishings instead. Get a multi-colored area rug and pile up on throw pillows that are all different in color. Curtains are also a great way to add color to your living room without spending too much money.
4. Not Taking Risks
The biggest mistake you can make while decorating your home is trying to play safe or going conservative with the décor. Though white is a great color to grace your living room with, don’t be afraid to throw in some fun colors to breathe life into the space. Play around with a statement rug, a few differently colored décor pieces and other furnishings. Bring in a couple of chairs that aren’t the same color as your sofa and include a lot of potted greenery to add a touch of nature.
5. Oversized Furniture
I know that it’s not easy to get a new set of furniture every time you move homes. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that oversized furniture can end up making your space look awkward and uninviting.
I remember how our last sofa set was so big for our small living room that it looked beyond cluttered and ugly. It was a three-piece sofa set, and we had no option but to move one of the sofas to the bedroom to make way for a couple of chairs.
If you think that your sofa is too oversized for the dimensions of your living room, don’t be afraid to do the same as I did. You can even consider buying a nice set of chairs instead of a sofa set to make your living room look airy and clutter-free.
6. Overusing One Color
Never ever make the mistake of overusing one color in any room of your house or you’ll end up killing the entire vibe of the space. Having too much of one color gives nothing but sensory overload and might just repel your guests. Create a color palette for every room and make sure that you follow it when decorating your space.
7. Having Covers On Furniture
Many people have the habit of having their sofas covered with the intention of keeping them clean and shiny. Though it’s understandable, this habit alone can make your living room look unwelcoming. No matter how possessive you are about your furniture, do what’s best for your space rather than tending to your fears.
After years of keeping my sofas covered, I have now uncovered them and am learning to get comfortable with this idea. Though I have to go through the hassle of calling professional dry cleaners to get them cleaned every two months, I like them uncovered as they amp up the look of my living room.
Now that you know about the common décor mistakes that many homeowners make, it’s time to look around and figure out if you have made them as well. And if you have, you know how to go about fixing them. The good part is that most of these décor issues can be fixed easily without breaking the bank.
Happy decorating!