Common Decorating Mistakes: 8 Decor Mistakes I Made in My Home

Have you ever poured your heart and soul into decorating your home only to realize afterward that it's not quite what you imagined it would look like?

Well, today I'm going to get a little bit personal and share my top oh-no moments from renovating and decorating my own home, so you don't have to make the same mistakes that I did.

Discovering these common decorating mistakes will help you create a home that's practical and one you truly love.

1. Sheepskin rug

The first mistake I want to talk about is this sheepskin rug that I got for our TV corner. I got this rug after I saw an image in a book I have. It made the whole space look so plush, and I thought that this was exactly what we needed.

The problem that I have is that it is a maintenance nightmare. You can't vacuum it, and the fluffy texture traps every speck of dust like a magnet. Over time, it has gotten more and more knotty.

2. Wool rug with tassels

So the second item I regret buying is this very thin wool rug with tassels that I got from Ikea.

While this rug looks very nice and feels high quality because it is real wool, it is quite thin, so it does move around a lot and sticky tape really doesn’t stop it, making it a tripping hazard.

3. High-maintenance finish

I wanted to get rid of this old-fashioned yellowing wood floor that we already had in this apartment, so we went ahead and stained parts of the apartment with black floors. It was cool at first, but after living here for two years, I have to tell you that the upkeep of these floors is insane.

You can see every single piece of cat hair, scratch, and speck of dust on this floor. You have to be super careful which is difficult because it's a floor and you walk on it.

4. Overly white flooring

In our bedroom, I experimented with a white-colored wood floor, because I wanted it to be bright and modern. However, this is a bit problematic because white wood does not actually occur in nature, so after we painted it and put wax on it, the floor looked really fake.

In the end, we had to re-sand it. So I guess the lesson is that if you're not quite sure how to re-stain wood, try to find a color that is more natural and closely mimics nature.

5. Looks over comfort

In our living room, I originally wanted to create a more grown-up and formal atmosphere, so I arranged two sofas to be symmetrical around the fireplace. It looked very magazine-ready, but it wasn't very functional.

We realized that we didn't use the space very often because it felt so formal, and we humans feel so much more comfortable when we're sitting down with our back toward something like a wall or a piece of furniture.

I rearranged the furniture in this large, open space so the sofas had their backs against the wall. It doesn't look as chic anymore, but it does feel so much more comfortable to relax now.

6. Cold, monochromatic colors

I've always been a massive fan of black and grey monochromatic colors because they can be really captivating, striking, and modern. However, after living with an all-black and grey scheme for two years, I realized that it makes the room feel a bit cold and not at all cozy.

So choose your color wisely based on the feeling you want to create in the space.

And if you want to make your home feel very relaxed and comfortable, then steer away from the very serious colors.

7. Lots of small decor

I've never been a fan of minimalist interiors because I think they lack personality and look a little bit bare and sad. So this mindset combined with social media has brainwashed me into thinking that more decor meant a more homely and cozy space.

So of course when we finally got our own home, I started buying knickknacks and trinkets and decor pieces to try to fill up the emptiness because I thought this would make it feel a bit more lived-in and cozy.

However, all that clutter ended up making the room feel a bit visually busy. Keeping things clean was a nightmare, and it was impossible to achieve visual harmony all the time with so much little stuff competing for attention.

So now, I focus on having bigger statement pieces with more intentional placements. When you're not sure, it's always better to use the same amount of money to buy one large statement piece rather than five little pieces of decor. It'll make your home look more expensive, and it is easier to clean and maintain.

8. Underestimating storage needs

And the last mistake I want to talk about is underestimating the storage needs of every single room. In the office at home, I planned a wall of sideboards to hold all of our documents. But very soon, it became apparent that this was not enough because the surfaces became overflowing and clutter became the norm.