6 basic mistakes to avoid when decorating your home

Izelle du Pisanie Izelle du Pisanie
Bajo comercial convertido en loft (Terrassa), Egue y Seta Egue y Seta Living room
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Decorating our home is a big undertaking and we always want to make it a beautiful place. Whether for our own comfort or to show off to our acquaintances, it is natural to want to create a look that is beautiful and that will be talked about.

One of the first steps we must take is to observe, study and analyse current trends to choose the solutions that best combine with our property and our needs. Then we can look for materials and accessories that suit the space that we decide to create. These materials and accessories must be chosen carefully and we must take into account their properties.

Today, we would like to share with you the most common mistakes made when decorating, so you can avoid falling into these pitfalls when you're going through the task of decorating or remodelling your home.

1. Buying all things at once

Buying everything at once is a big mistake, yet it is normal that emotion beats us and under its influence we decide to buy furniture, accessories and materials ahead of time. It is much wiser to make these purchases gradually as you are decorating your home.

It makes no sense to buy items as important as a sofa or table ahead of time because they are elements that strongly mark the personality of a space. It is better to be patient and buy little by little what you need to observe with your own eyes the effect that everything has on the space, avoiding surprises were some elements may cause an entirely different effect than what was intended. Acting slowly means you can adjust as you're creating.

2. Not prioritising light

Another major mistake is to forget about illumination, either through ignorance or laziness. This will subtract importance from your features and thus subtract from the environment you have created. Just look at the impact of lighting on the bathroom in this image. 

Lighting is not only a practical matter, it is also an important decorative element. Often we see well-designed interiors which, nevertheless, lack interesting lighting and therefore lose a lot of charm. The lighting has to fulfil its practical function and ensure a pleasant atmosphere, and therefore it’s not enough to buy a nice lamp that ultimately will not combine with the rest of the environment or give the right light to fulfil the necessary function in a given space.

3. Where is the art?

Interior design is an art, and as such includes fine art to highlight its beauty.

Furniture, carpets and lamps are important and deserve special attention, but this does not mean it can replace artworks. A beautiful painting or sculptures are very important elements that must be chosen carefully. We recommend that you choose these in the end, allowing much time to make sure you pick the right one.

4. Keeping it all in one style

It’s not an easy choice to pick only one material for all of your decorations, but what would you choose? Wood, metal, stone, glass, leather…

The possibilities are wide and it's a shame to focus on one element and discard others that are also beautiful and have their advantages. Some interiors that only focus on one material fail to obtain the best results. Sometimes an appropriate combination is much more effective than the easy option of betting on a single material.

Wood and stone are natural materials that will always give a rustic and warm feel to an interior and this combination leads to spectacular projects. Metal, on the other hand, relates to an industrial style and glass is typical of modern interiors, which in turn can easily be combined with other materials. Leather is a very special, and combines beautifully with both warm and cold materials.

5. Fear of daring trends

Another common mistake is to be afraid of bold solutions and trends. On many occasions, we keep walls painted white for fear of adding a more defined and bold colour. Fear of the possible results may lead to inertia and procrastination when it comes to giving your home an individual look.

It is true that trends in magazines may seem too bold and don’t agree with your personality, but remember that you do not have to follow them to the letter. This means you can introduce fashionable elements gradually, and when you get used to them, be more daring!

6. Lack of creativity

Another mistake is to not experiment with the resources you have around you and especially thinking in a very rigid way. For example, no-one said you can’t use faux antlers as a container for storing cutlery instead of a tray. Dare to play with the items you find and find them new uses for your items. Nothing is more original than what’s inside you. You will give your interior the best original touch by expressing what’s within.

In all cases, the important thing is that you dare, experiment, paint, add, short, experience! If something goes wrong, you can always mend it until you find the right solution.

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