How to avoid poor decor choices

Happy Spring! I can’t tell you how excited I am for warmer weather in New York. With a new season, comes new decor – or so some of us believe anyway. For those of you that have subscribed to my seasonal box – I hope you enjoy your spring box as much as I enjoyed creating it for you! Thank you so much again for subscribing and for choosing ReHome Interior! Let me know if you’re excited about our fall box in the comments 🙂

So regardless of whether we are switching up our decor for a new season or not, we have all made poor decor choices, probably more than once – am I right?! I wanted to share a few tips on how to avoid making poor choices in your decor since it can turn out to be a difficult task, whether you own or rent. Although there is no one rule of thumb when trying to put together the design in a home, as every design could and should be unique to the individual’s taste and style, there are, however, a few decor decisions that one could avoid entirely when picking them out. I have outlined a few below that just might help.

1. Don’t overwhelm the theme

Avoid overwhelming the room with a particular color scheme or pattern – it can make the living space appear dull and basic. Add small alternate designs to accentuate the default theme of the room instead. Try mixing up multiple-styled decor pieces around the room you’re decorating to give it a variant and dynamically aesthetic undertone. I’m into mixing metals lately, which I believe is becoming a trend!

2. Strategic TV Set-up

The TV is always an integral part of the living space, but as much as we can be tempted, this electronic gadget should not become the center of attraction in the living room. Before anything, a proper design structure around the TV area should take up center stage, then the TV can be added. This will ensure the room has a better look and sets out a point of focus.

3. Furniture placing and balancing

I recommend my clients to try not to place furniture so far up against the wall. This usually makes the living space appear drably and without form – I think there should always be space around the sofas! It would not only make the room look more comfortable, but also add a portable touch to it. The furniture layout is also very important to the overall look of the living space. This may sound obvious, but placing large furniture in small spaces can amount to giving the room an awkward feel, same with having small furniture in a large space – not to mention you’ll either have too much or not enough space as a result. The trick is to have proportionately sized furniture that fits just right, giving it a balanced feel. The arrangement is also key – like going for a circular arrangement in small spaces for example. I also recommend striving for portability when picking out and placing coffee or center tables.

4. Always test out paint colors

Super, super important to have paint colors tested properly before application. We all know color shades might appear different in the paint swab than it does when eventually applied to the walls. Take the time to test out different paints colors in small areas on the desired space – this will save you a whole lot of trouble, time and money!

5. Effective rug choices

Run away from placing small rugs at the middle of a large living space. We don’t want an unbalanced, clumsy look! If you are a rug lover, as I am, you’ll have to go for large enough options that will fill the space within the furniture. When working on a tight budget and a small rug is all that is accessible, the trick is to pull the furniture closer to brush slightly off the rug and you should be good to go!

6. Avoid loosely hanging curtains

Curtains are a crucial addition to completing the look in a space and this single most important window accessory must not be overlooked when picking out your decor. I recommend completely avoiding curtains that hang halfway to the ground – eek! Do your homework (and proper measurements) and go with a large enough curtain that takes up the entire vertical length of the wall from ceiling to floor.

7. Flower placement

You all know how I feel about artificial flowers and plants – love them! Add a sparkle in and around the living room with one or two (or three 🙂 ), they can be real too of course, depending of your preference. I honestly believe there is almost no spot in a room where a plant cannot fit nicely. However, setting up too many can also overwhelm a room, so again, find your balance. It is advisable that big plant vases be placed unconsciously from plain view in key intersections of the room. Depending on the space, sometimes the plant sprout (s) should be the only visible component.

8. Photo galleries

Avoid placing too many photo frames on tables (center, end, or coffee tables). Although this used to be a thing, it has fallen out of style and if you’re going for frames, the quantity should definitely be considered. Photo galleries are

more in style nowadays and can add a focal wall point to a space, as opposed to hanging w

all art. All photo frames and galleries should be placed neatly and stylishly on walls, leaving only a frame or two on tables, if it’s an absolute must. Remember, adding photo galleries is an alternate option to adding large pieces, like artwork, that will stand out in some key wall space in your home – don’t overpower the walls by adding both to the same area.

9. Multiple lighting

Lighting can seem like a simple task, but from my experience, it almost always ends up being more work than you’ll expect. I’m probably obsessed with fixtures and in a perfect world, would love if I can use multiple lighting! Like in all aspects of interior, balance is key when it comes to lighting selection, not to mention finding a functional option to make that part easier! My recommendation? Avoid installing settled lighting everywhere, one would do. Also, don’t hang your fixtures too low, your lighting should not be used to obstruct views.

I hope you find this blog informative and useful! Do you have any tips on avoiding poor decor choices? What is your absolute decor don’t? Comment below!