Let’s talk about 5 big decorating mistakes and ways to fix them! We all make them but the magic lies in how to correct them or how to avoid making mistakes in the first place. Here are 5 of the most common decorating mistakes we make and ways to fix them.
Undoing some decorating mistakes are easy but some are hard to correct without costing a good deal of money! Let’s just face that fact head on and move on! Right?
Today, I’m calling on both the StoneGable home and the Tanglewood home to give you examples! Both homes are “StoneGable-ed” as a friend recently said but they are unique in the colors I chose for each! I love that I can show examples using both of our most recent homes!
Ready to talk about 5 common but BIG decorating mistakes that you can avoid making? And if like me, you already have made these mistakes so I’ll show you how can fix them.
THE NUMBER ONE DECORATING MISTAKE… THE WRONG PAINT COLOR
Choosing the perfect paint color is not an easy task. But most of us know rather quickly if the paint color we have chosen is all wrong for a room.
THE MISTAKE…
I think choosing the wrong paint color is probably the most common mistake home decorators make. UGH!
And it can be both costly and
Here are my quick tips for avoiding this mistake…
- choose a color from inspiration you find in your room
lean about the anatomy of a paint strip- discover the importance of the tone, tint, and shade of a color
- know if the color you choose is warm or cool
- paint lots of strips of different paint on a wall you are thinking about painting
- note how the color strips on your wall react to sunlight and artificial lighting
- if the color on your wall is very dark or a bright color, paint the wall white before adding paint strips to the wall
THE EASY FIX…
Go see 6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT PAINT COLOR. This post expands on the tips above and guarantees paint color perfection! And you can see the colors I used at our StoneGable home.
For our Tanglewood home, we chose Benjamin Moore Simply White. Look for a post about why we chose this beautiful white soon!
CLOSE COUSIN OF THE BIGGEST DECORATING MISTAKE: TOO MANY COLORS
The rooms in a home should flow together and make a beautiful and seamless transition! And one of the biggest ways to do that is to keep the
THE MISTAKE…
Painting rooms in your home too many colors!
This decorating mistake can make an entire home look disjointed and confusing. No matter how much you might try to make a home look cohesive it won’t!
THE EASY FIX…
Choose a paint color that will work in most of your home. And get to it!
Also, you can choose a few paint colors, but build a color palette for your home around them and stick to those few colors.
Here are my best tips concerning painting rooms in your home…
- always pick out paint color with all the other colors of a room in mind
- keep is simple! It’s hard to choose paint colors that work with a whole house
- if you paint other rooms in your home other colors make sure they all work together and are a shade (black paint added) or tint (white paint added) of one main color
- all the trim of a home should be painted the same color, period!
And again, read and reread 6 TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT PAINT COLOR
CHOOSING A RUG THAT IS TOO SMALL
I cringe when I see a small rug that is too small trying to pass as a great way to bring a room together. NEVER use a rug too small for a room. It screams “I’m a decorating mistake“!
THE MISTAKE…
Using a rug that is too small for a space.
Oh, goodness! I’ve made this decorating mistake a few times! So learn from me!
Many rugs in magazines and on blogs are really too small! They look lovely because the design around them is perfect. And they are shown in a “beauty shot” that does not show the entire room. If a wide shot was taken of the room the rug would show up as a glaring mistake!
A rug should fill a good deal of the floor space in a room. Don’t be fooled into thinking a rug looks fine only under a coffee table or a little bigger than a dining room table. And please make sure a rug sticks out on all sides of the bed it sits on and has lots of rug showing!
THE EASY FIX…
A great way to fix a rug that is too small for the area is to put a larger very neutral rug under it. Like sisal or another natural fiber rug that fills
Here’s a very informative post about HOW TO LAYER A RUG LIKE A PRO.
And always, always, always know the return policy of any online rug you buy! So, if it is not perfect you can send it back.
CURTAINS THAT AREN’T HUNG HIGH ENOUGH AND DON’T FALL TO THE FLOOR
You might take a second look at the curtains in your home. If your curtains are not hung as high as they can go on a normal height window and room then they aren’t creating beauty in a room!
And on the other side of the decorating coin are curtains that do not touch or trouser crease or puddle a bit on the floor!
THE MISTAKE…
Low hanging and high water curtains
This is a big decorating mistake and the beauty of a room will be hurt by this, big time!
THE EASY FIX…
Repeat my curtain mantra…
HANG EM HIGH AND SWING EM LOW!
You don’t need expensive and heavy drapery anymore! They are very very dating. Go for a simple straight curtain that hangs as high up to the ceiling as possible and
ANOTHER BIG DECORATING MISTAKE… TOO MATCHY MATCHY
Okay, don’t get mad at me for this… especially if you are over 50. But I can’t stand matchy-matchy furniture. It screams, “I bought the entire set all at once at the store because I am not creative enough to do it myself”!
I know you are not like that my friend. But that’s not what your furniture is telling everyone! Shame on it!
Way back when it was the style but not anymore. Actually, it’s not been the style for a couple decades or so.
I was a matchy-matchy buyer once too! My dining room table and chairs and buffet all matched and so did my bedroom suite ( OR set). When you see or hear the word “suite” (or set) it is a dead giveaway!
At the Tanglewood house, we don’t have a formal dining room but we are match-less here too! And very minimal. How freeing!
THE MISTAKE…
Furniture bought for a whole room that matches!
THE QUICK FIX…
Buy individual furniture pieces you love for a room and coordinate them! A little difference adds interest and life to a room!
I had a beautiful and way too expensive mahogany dining room set. Over 7 years I broke up the set to create a more contemporary mix and match look.
First I repaint and reupholstered the chairs and then I purchased new neutral head chairs. Next, the buffet was painted. After that, I replaced my oriental carpet with a pretty indoor/outdoor rug in a big geometric pattern. The mahogany table was finally replaced with a concrete-topped table with classic legs and the painted buffet went and a new white buffet came to live in the dining room.
With every step of the makeover, I liked my dining room more and more. And the key to replacing matchy-matchy furniture are the words “over time”. It took seven years of little changes for the dining room to look as it does today!
If you love the set you have then that is wonderful! But if you have any matchy-matchy furniture you are feeling stuck with begin changing things out a little at a time!
My furniture is no longer matchy-matchy and I love being free of that “all one color wood” look!
By the way, this is not a quick fix but it is one that won’t ruin your budget!
And on another note, here is where the white buffet from our dining room made a home at Tanglewood!
ONLY ONE SOURCE OF LIGHTING
Oh goodness, this is a no no! Most overhead lighting is ghastly on its own!!!!
Even if you have the prettiest chandelier you should still have some great table or floor lamps.
THE MISTAKE…
Only using overhead lighting is a decorating faux pas!
Overhead lighting is hard on the eyes and throws off harsh shadows. It is not a light becoming to humans!!!!!
THE EASY FIX…
We don’t necessarily have to get rid of overhead, but do add more lighting to work with it!
Think of light zones in a room. You want to overlap pools of light given off by lamps. Make sure there are no dark areas or corners.
And remember you don’t need to use the same wattage in every lighting fixture in a room. Put lamps on dimmers so you have pools of soft overlapping light in a room.
If you have made any of these decorating mistakes you are in good company!!! And if any of these mistakes are living in your home, now you know how to fix them.
Decorating is not a contest or a race. You don’t get a blue ribbon or trophy. It is individual and personal and a big wonderful learning adventure!!!!! Embrace it! Embrace all your wins and decorating mistakes because they have helped to make your house the home you love!!!!
You might also like…
- RULES FOR MIXING DECOR STYLES
- ELEMENTS OF DESIGN- COLOR
- WHAT IS TRANSITIONAL STYLE
- LIVING ROOM LIGHTING IDEAS
I love your decorating style and your advice. I was curious what you used for the lids that you have hanging on your wall in your dining room. Are they casserole lids? I would also love to know where you got them.
They are antique chamber pot lids. LOL!
Yvonne, both beautiful photos and great insights for decoration. Thank you.
Would love guidance on choosing lamps for a sofa table. Information such as height, heft, matching or not, shade size, and shade shape. I have two matching candlestick lamps 26” tall. Ugly but unsure of how to choose.
Hi Karen, can you send me pictures of your sofa table and its dimensions. I need a bit more information to help you. Send your info to stonegable333@gmail.com
Hi Yvonne, I am reading your posts for more than a year. What I absolutely like is that round mirror. Since I’ve seen it the first time I am looking for it everywhere in the internet but can’t find at least a similar one. Can you help me?
Hi Heike, I found it at HomeGoods years ago. Sorry I can’t help more.
Seems I am not the only one, see the comment underneath… : – )
Where did u get that 2 arch half mirror on the wall ?
Hi Pamela, I found that mirror at HomeGoods.
Where did you find the geometric doormat that you have just inside your front door. I love it!
I found it on Wayfair. It is no longer there. Sorry!
Just curious if you have a source for that awesome wicker trunk? I ordered me one the other day and from my pics, mine looks just like yours!! Got it to store throw pillows in for my living room. Would love to know where you got yours and if mine is the same as yours, sure hope so!!
I found mine at Pottery Barn
Hello
Do you have the resource available for your living room rug?
Love it!
GB
Yes Gina you can see it here:https://rstyle.me/+HsiXMInJqK-c2O1OPmRoUw
I’ll raise my hand and proclaim myself guilty of having a matchy matchy bedroom. I have figured out a way to solve the problem without buying new items. Our master bedroom has a sleigh bed, a gentlemen’s armoire, a dresser with mirror, and a matching side table, along with a brass/glass table on the other side of the bed. I decided to update the look by taking the dresser and placing it in the guest room. It’s still readily accessible, but it eliminates that matchy matchy look, and it freed up space in the master bedroom. Another decorating mistake I see a lot is some homes are loaded with too much decor “stuff”. Like a lady going out with every piece of jewelry she owns, these blog homes are simply dripping with too much clutter, like they are trying too hard. Try rotating decor items in and out for the seasons instead of putting out every decor item you own.
Oh! I know lots of homes whose decor is very tasteful!
Yvonne,
What type of rug do you advise for bedrooms? My walls are accessible beige but my comforter is a print. Would you recommend jute/sisal or something else? I want to keep the rug neutral……. I am loving all of the updates in your new home.
Marjorie
I love the rug in your living room shown on the first picture of today’s blog post. Can you tell me your source? Thank you.
Your non-matchy rugs work together so beautifully! Will you share the sources for the dining room and dinette rugs? Than you, Yvonne!
Hi Sharon, you can see my dining room rug here:https://rstyle.me/+-UX8bAV_8h20_no9ILyvTQ
and here is the great room rug:https://rstyle.me/+HsiXMInJqK-c2O1OPmRoUw
Thank you so much!!
Absolutely love your neutral pallet! I do love adding color in season, but for everyday decor, love the neutral! So me! I would like to know, where did you find that gorgeous huge triple tier floor tray??? LOVE!!
Hi Sheila, I found this years ago at a vintage shop. Sorry I don’t have a source!
That was a great find! Just lovely!
Well Yvonne I may have a decorating problem. I decided to cover up the mirror on the back of mostly glass China cabinet in my northern exposure dining room with porches on both ends of very large room which includes the kitchen. I bought some medium blue fabric to bring more of that color into the room. I knew going in that the mirror reflected lots of light but thought I would give it a try. Well moved everything out of cabinet, sewed a piece of fabric and put everything back. BTW, the cabinet is filled with crystal and white dishes. I think it is not right but am going to live with it for a while. Didn’t want white since I have white dishes but think I should have gone lighter???? Thanks for listening. If I knew how to upload pictures to your blog, I would send before and after.
Hey Vicky! Did you think of using a peel and stick wallpaper? So easy to use and can be peeled off without ruining a wall or a mirror in your case. Maybe the problem also lies in the way the dishes and crystal are displayed. Try stacking dishes and topping them off with a cut and saucer or a small pitcher. You don’t have to use every dish in your china cabinet now. Just some. Store the others elsewhere. Also think about leaving some empty space between them. I use an imaginary grid when I want to style shelves. And really that is what a china cabinet is. Here is a post that might be helpful:https://www.stonegableblog.com/step-by-step-shelf-styling-how-i-do-it/
I’m now looking at my home through a different lens–Thank you! Could you share where you found the beautiful standing wooden lamp in your living room please? Thank you!!
I found that lamp at Kirkland’s.
Here you go, Jill!https://rstyle.me/+GSHbfNygj8n4z3uSOobyUQ
Your home is beautiful. Can you please share where the rug in your living room is from? The one with the cat laying in front of fireplace! Thanks so much!
Hi Margaret, I just got this rug. Yo can see it here:https://annieselke.com/Rugs/Shop-Rugs-By-Size/All-Rug-Sizes/10%27-x-14%27-Rugs/Kali-Woven-Jute-Rug/p/DA1044
Raising my hand over 50 and matchy bedroom set…trying to figure out what I can paint change up ect that the hubby will agree too ugghhh. It is like a puzzle
Guilty too! We lived with hand me down bedroom furniture for the first 30 years of marriage. Only when we could afford it, we looked at new cherry wood furniture. During a Presidents Day sale, my hubby was off work – I had to work and I told him, I only want the bed and the nightstands. He bought the entire set! And it is massive! Thank goodness for our very large bedroom! I don’t have the heart to break it up or paint it. I still love it though.
I was so loving your choice in drapes and wondered if you would pass along where you find them?
Hi Susan, the curtains are from Ballard Designs. Hope this helps.
Great ideas. Those of us with old baseboard heating cannot hand curtains to the floor. They must be several inches above the baseboard or rad. What you advise in these situations…I am thinking of just using blinds but I LOVE textiles!
I understand that problem An! I would rather see a nice Roman Shade on a window. It will look much nicer than “high water” curtains. Hope this is helpful!