Decorating is hard, whether you're a professional interior designer or a first time homebuyer. The key to having a beautiful home is in the details. While you don't need to have a home full of decor and furniture, a polished room is essential to both you and your guests' comfort. Here's five decorating faux pas that you can fix now to make sure that your home is living up to its potential.
1. Brighten up your rooms
Exposure to natural light is beneficial to both mental and physical health, so we're always drawn to rooms with plenty of windows. On the flipside, we've been in too many too-dark homes with haphazardly placed lighting. Lighting is so important in setting a room's ambience and mood. Make sure your chandeliers or hanging light fixtures aren't hung too high or too low.
In general, a room should have three light sources, ranging from desk lamps, floor lamps, or overhead lighting. Set your light switches on a dimmer and head on over to the nearest lighting source to pick up basics that can instantly update your style.
2. Make sure your artwork is on point
Art on display reflects a homeowner's personality and character, and can bring impact and focus an otherwise plain room. Crooked artwork in instantly noticeable to a casual observer and can really affect how a room feels. Scale and hanging height is also incredibly important as well - make sure that the piece isn't too big or too small for the space where it is being displayed, and as for height, start at eye level. When you're ready for placement, be sure to use a level and removable hooks, just in case.
3. Avoid bland rooms by adding color and greenery
We admire cohesive designs, but when a home is too one-note and matchy matchy, it can quickly get boring and overwhelming. Refrain from buying too many furnishings and decor from the same collection (and if you've done so already, try moving them around to different rooms), and bring in plants and a touch of greenery to create instant liveliness.
4. Buy classic investment pieces - save the trends for the decor!
While we thought chevron was cute seven years ago, it's not for us anymore. For investment pieces, always choose classic styles that can match well with any decor choice. Is it too late and you already have that chevron rug? Anchor them with plain decor and other furnishings to minimize its effect. And for the farmhouse trend that's so popular right now? Before adding shiplap to your walls, try going with a chalkboard sign and wire baskets first.
5. Push your furniture away from the walls
Contrary to popular belief, putting large furnishings, like couches and beds against walls may not be the most optimal use of your space. In fact, it makes the center of your room look smaller, as if it's being encompassed by all the larger pieces. By strategically placing furniture at an angle, you can actually make a room seem larger. Try rearranging the furniture so it promotes good traffic flow and has good function. If you find yourself hopping over the ottoman or needing to raise the tv volume up to max to hear, you might want to move a few things around!
