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Are you thinking of maximizing your space while tapping into your aesthetic and promoting good flow?
Most likely, you already know what your design tastes are; however, getting them right is easier said than done.
How you envision something does not always translate to how it will look in execution.
Because, for every good design, there’s been an interior decorating mistake that has been made.
Most people decorate their homes, not because they have a specialty, but because of passion.
And you know, human beings are subject to errors.
But with a bit of education, you’ll be the forthcoming magazine-worthy interior designer in a blink!
This article rounds up some possible interior design mistakes that could be making your home look cheap.
Can you guess what they are?
Read on to see if you got them right!
1). Copying Another Person’s Exact Décor
You don’t want visitors to come to your home and say, “Wow, this house looks like so and so’s place,” do you?
A home should be a place of free expression.
You will be committing the biggest interior design mistake if you keep on copying other people’s creative work.
No matter the amount of energy and dedication you put in, a copy will never be as good as the original piece.
It will always be a step behind or even worse, especially if you don’t master the look correctly.
And it will always look like a cheap imitation.
Of course, everyone always needs the inspiration to do something great.
But, while that may be true, good designers don’t copy ideas. Instead, they steal.
That’s more intellectual.
2). Investing in Cheap Furniture/Décor Items
It is a significant investment to buy a house.
Also, converting that house into a home is another huge milestone, and investing in the correct décor is part of the process.
As anyone could expect, decorating a home is very expensive. But that doesn’t suggest you should opt for cheap furniture/décor items.
On the contrary, they will always look cheap irrespective of how much you try to fabricate them.
You don’t need to buy everything at once.
Therefore, put your money where it counts and pay a little more for these splurge-worthy furniture and décor pieces.
3). Not Leaving Enough Negative Space
Just because something will fit in your space doesn’t mean you should buy it!
It is a forbidden interior design mistake to use your main space for storage.
Mind that a home that lacks enough storage space is an excellent example of a cheaply designed home.
Every room needs to have a considerable amount of white space to create a more balanced look and direct your visitors’ visual flow to some aspects of your home design.
Too much white space can make your room look empty, while too little can make your space look cluttered and cheap.
4). Exposed Codes
If you have a mounted TV with many cords hanging down, your space is looking cheap.
Exposed wires and cables may not seem like an interior design mistake, but they can seriously impact the visual appearance of your room.
Remember, a chaotic space can engender a cluttered mind.
On the contrary, the more structured and open space feels, the better energy can flow.
Therefore, you should be ruthless if you fancy a voguish and clean-cut style. It will be worth it in the end!
5). Overusing Metals
Metal is among the five elements of Feng Shui that contribute to balance and harmony in a place.
It is an element of precision, simplicity, and clarity.
You can incorporate it in your home through color, shape, and material.
However, in an area like a bedroom or living room, where warmth is critical, you should avoid overusing metal furnishings.
They create a cooling effect, which is not homely at all.
Therefore, if you are embellishing your home, stick to one or two accent metals in addition to your dominant metal to avoid your room looking busy, divided, and cheap.
6). Bad TV Placement
Why don’t you want to mount your TV?
In the past, TVs used Cathode Ray Tubes, which had large color guns; hence, they were big and heavy.
Therefore, the only option for enhancing the viewing experience was placing them on TV stands.
However, flat-screen TV technology has eliminated CRTs.
Since modern TVs are and still becoming thinner and lighter, you have no excuse not to mount them.
Don’t allow your beautiful home to look cheap and basic.
Pick the best spot on a blank wall and fix your television.
7). Wrong Size Lighting Fixtures
Lighting may be the last thing that people often think of about their homes.
But, nevertheless, it influences the general look and feel of a space.
Therefore, lousy lighting equals bad/cheap design, including picking the wrong sizes for the accessories.
Not all lighting is created equal. A minimal fixture in a large room will make the space look dim.
Also, a jumbo fixture in a small room will be too bright. Therefore, always put proportion into play.
8). Fake Plants on Top of Kitchen Cabinets
Okay, I get it that probably your life is already filled with a lot of artificial decor stuff.
So, you might be thinking that incorporating some faux greenery on top of your kitchen cabinets is a bright idea.
Sure, artificial plants benefit décor, especially if you don’t want to take responsibility for the real ones.
But do NOT place them above your kitchen cabinets.
They will make your space look cheap because they collect dust and will eventually look more fake.
9). Unbalanced Furniture Layout
Traditional house designs would have all your chairs placed against the wall.
However, times have now changed.
So, unless you’re stuck with a small living room, bring your furniture off the walls and angle them towards one another to create a unique layout.
Then, anchor all your furniture in an area rug of the correct size and shape and create some flow around the space.
That way, you will have created a more conversational area and eliminated giant empty spaces at the center that often makes a room look cheap.
10). Using Animal Prints for Décor
Art uses visual shapes/forms, colors, and lines, to breathe life into space and remind us of our humanness.
However, it is exceptionally subjective because everyone has specific tastes and preferences.
Therefore, I feel that there should be rules that you must abound too, disregarding what style you are decorating.
For instance, animal prints are cute, but they are too common and ancient, and so, they make your house look cheap.
Try to be diverse and not follow trends because, in a short time, your home will be outdated.
11). Mismatching Hardware
Small items like drawers pull, doorknobs, cabinet-door handles are the jewelry of every home.
They don’t take much space but can bring a massive dose of style and sparkle to the overall tone of a room.
Of course, one way of infusing a little personality while adding style and dimension to space with minimal expenses is mixing hardware finishes.
However, blending them is an art — you need to be conversant with how to do it and where to put a limit.
Mismatched hardware often creates a cheap look.
Recall that visual appeal is admirable but not visual clutter.
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