Interior Design Mistakes We Should Really Avoid In A New Home

After months of research looking for that perfect spot, you’ve finally got yourself a place of your own. We can imagine all the excitement you’re going through right now. Your palace; ready to be fitted the way you want. You have so many plans to implement. Maybe you even have plans to design a home office. But wait! Don’t be too hasty. There are plenty of things to be careful of when designing a home. Let’s go through some interior design mistakes we should really avoid so we have a first home both welcoming and comfortable.

choosing luxury over functionality

We often watch our friends, family or even celebrities spend loads of money on lavish articles. Of course we look at their designs for inspiration and direction. But it is good to keep our own limitations in mind. One such issue is the budget we are working with and one of many interior design mistakes we want to avoid is unplanned purchasing decisions.

The bulk of our budget should really prioritise necessary furniture and equipment in your most important rooms first. Your beautiful apartment in Banani should be as functional as it is luxurious. Focus on the bedroom as that should be the most comfortable spot for you. Think about what your kitchen requires. The living room should be setup in a comfortable and welcoming manner; both for guests and for when you come back home after a long day. Create a checklist of the essentials first. Do your research and find competitive prices; you may find a few stylish articles at really good prices if you look hard enough. After this, if your budget allows, you can think about home décor ideas to have a lux life.

Leaving no room to breathe

During the execution of a good budget, we may find more than we’d hoped for. To resist the urge to purchase all of it is a must! This monster of interior design mistakes to avoid is cluttering the place with your favourite things.

We recently had an article on how to make any room look bigger where we discussed the impact of clutter. It creates an uncomfortable environment, so let’s calm down a little. We also want the right amount of furniture to be able to move around easily. A room full of beautiful artefacts can end up being nothing but an inaccessible storehouse. Plan the layout of rooms so that everything you love fits snugly with enough leg and head space to relax.

breaking the bank for style

The style of a home is a reflection of its residents. Therefore, we look for the most stylish articles within our budgets. This can be tricky and many times we just look away thinking something is too expensive. People often forget a minimalist home design can be great too. But of the many interior design mistakes people often make, believing style is expensive is a big one. However, we’ve found that to be only ever so slightly true.

You can always re-purpose old furniture and equipment you brought with you with a little maintenance. Or look to the secondhand market when designing a home. It is a treasure trove we often overlook. The possibilities and exclusiveness of the pieces here are immense. Sometimes you may even come across a timeless article that no one noticed. A little change in upholstery can do wonders and save a lot of money.

There are also tons of DIY instructions available that can create an incredible looking apartment; all well within a tight budget. Of course you’ll require a lot of elbow grease, but it can be quite fun if you do it with friends and family. A little wood work, some paint, and a personal touch can create beautiful articles you can proudly show off.

ignoring the impacts of colour

So much of our time is spent on the items we want, what they look like and how much they cost. But overlooking colour and its effects is one of the biggest interior design mistakes possible. There are two factors to keep in mind about colour that can affect designing a home; ‘how much colour to use’ and ‘do the colours complement each other’.

The walls, the ceiling, the bed, the curtains… even the kettle of tea on the stove; colour can change everything about a home. People love to choose colour schemes for the home. Sometimes we want everything to stand out and we can end up using too much colour. A defined colour tone is a great idea and helps us coordinate the house. An excellent tool designers like to use is the 60/30/10 rule. This is where they choose a dominant colour for larger surfaces like walls and use this colour across 60% of the house. A secondary colour, used in 30% of the home, is for smaller articles. The remaining 10% is ascents and border management. All this comes together to give the impression of a well-planned out home. Colour also has massive psychological effects on us, so it’s best to use colours we like or that soothe us.

Forcing the design

Again, inspiration is wonderful. But there should be a limit to how much you take away from a great idea. But one of the gravest interior design mistakes we have seen (or have even committed ourselves, in the past) is falling in love with an idea and trying to force it to work.

The space you have to work with, the floor-plan of the place, the natural lighting available and even the climate of the locale can become factors of designing a home. What works at your friend’s house may not be suitable for your place. Perhaps they have a quaint little dining table for two against a large window. You may try to replicate that feeling only to remember your window is too small to provide the same view or amount of light that made their setup look dreamy.

Sometimes we get furniture that is well within our budget, and fits our overall room plan perfectly; only to realise the room is way too big for the plan and everything now looks out of place. ‘What happened?’ you may ask yourself, and then recognise that you had passionately planned out a beautiful room in your head without thinking about the room itself. It sounds odd, but it happens. It is an entirely avoidable designing mistake, but somehow it creeps up on us.

Designing can be fun and especially exhilarating when the place is new. But we can get carried away with it sometimes. Or maybe we just overlook little things that could have made everything a lot more affordable and comfortable. We hope this guide keeps you away from design flaws and helps you stay on track with achieving that beautiful first home. We would love to know about your first experience; what interior design mistakes did you make, or did everything go according to plan? Tell us your stories in the comments section below!