5-design-mistkaes-to-avoid-when-planning-a-room-debi-collinson

5 Design Mistakes to Avoid when Styling a Room

Adding design accents & accessories to your room is like the icing on a cake or adding jewelry to an expensive designer dress. You want to do it with intention, a plan, and you don’t want to over or underdo it. There are 5 common mistakes homeowners make when styling their room and makes their room feel off. Fortunately, there is a solution to each one of these common mistakes.

Design Mistake #1: No Inspiration piece or Focal Point

One of the challenges alot of homeowners face is that their room does not have an inspiration or style to it.  They decorate a room but don’t start with a plan. They buy a stunning piece of artwork they see on their travels and put it up on their wall. 

They buy a matching sofa set and rug from a big box store that shouts “big box store.”  Their furniture and accessories accumulate overtime as they see items that they like and add to the room.  It becomes a bit of this and a bit of that.  Or they buy the current accessories from a popular home décor store OR some people put off buying accessories because they don’t know where to start.  For most people, this method becomes a bit of a hodge podge and when you step back and look at the room, it feels off.  It doesn’t flow.

Solution: Start with an Inspiration Piece

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It could be something natural like a breathtaking view of the mountains or lake if you’re that lucky.  It could be an element in the room like a fireplace, stunning light or a kitchen countertop.  It could also be an accessory like a beautiful piece of artwork or a piece of amazing furniture that starts as your inspiration piece.  Once you start with your inspiration piece, you build from their using the design principles below.

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Photo: etsy.me

If you’re not so lucky to have a natural focal point in your room to be a jumping point for your design, you can create a focal point with a stunning piece of artwork, light fixture or rug for example. In our picture above, this beautiful artwork is the jumping point for the design and color scheme in the room.

The best designed rooms start with a design plan that incorporates the homeowners interior design style, color scheme, and starts with an inspiration piece or a focal point.  If you don’t have a natural focal point like a stunning view or fireplace, pick a stunning piece of artwork or a drop dead gorgeous statement rug as your inspiration piece

Design Mistake #2: Incorrect Use of Colors

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When colors are thrown together with no thought as if they “belong together” colors can compete with each other as opposed to compliment one another.

Colors have a significant impact on the look and feel of your room. Colors can be dramatic and bold, or calm and serene.

Solution: Come up with a color scheme for your room and your style

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Photo: Bouclair

This room above is well put together because its using one of the color theory principles of ‘complimentary colors’ where its using two opposing colors on the color wheel.  This makes the space feel calm and serene. The colors being used here are blue and brown (brown is a shade of orange) which is opposite of each other. Color theory is a course all on its own but when the colors in the room are harmonious and complimentary, its a significant starting point to a well designed room.

Design Mistake #3: Picking the Wrong Furniture

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Photo: Foyr.com

A common mistake alot of homeowners make is the furniture is too matchy matchy. They buy the SAME furniture pieces in the SAME color for a room in different sizes. Even though this room above has an amazing city view, it looks boring because the furniture is all the same style, color and size.

Pick furniture that is interesting, fits your room and makes a statement!

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Photo: Crate and Barrel

Photo: Crate and Barrel

In our room above, styled by Create and Barrel, it looks amazing how they styled the space using a neutral sofa to start, and then carefully selected interesting furniture accent pieces and home décor to give the room variety and interest. Notice the textured rug detail that makes a soft and subtle but interesting statement.

 If you’re designing a room from scratch, start off by picking a neutral sofa piece that will be a staple for the room. Next pick your accent chairs and ottomans that compliment BUT DO NOT MATCH the sofa. Then you can add interesting coffee & end table pieces that are interesting and fit into your interior design style.
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 If you want some pop to your room, pick a sofa in an accent color and then plan the rest of the room from that starting part. A red couch is not technically considered a focal point, but it can be if that’s the star of the room.

Another big challenge homeowners make when styling their room is picking furniture that is too big or too small for their space. Both of which present different challenges as the room feels off and does not flow. Also homeowners often stuff their rooms with too much furniture to accommodate alot of guests which makes a room uncomfortable. There are other alterative furniture solutions to accommodate an overflow of guests.

Design Mistake #4: Home Décor is Poorly Styled

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Homeowners often either over accessorize their room and add to many décor pieces, OR the opposite. They don’t accessorize enough and the room ends up looking bland and boring.

Another issue with accessorizing is homeowners go to their favorite home décor store where they buy so many accessories from the store that their room ends up looking like an ad for Target, or gasp, Ikea.

It can seem tricky when you’re accessorizing a room to get the right look. What shapes belong together? Is it too much or too little?

Solution: Choose accessories with variety in size, color & texture

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Normally I’m opposed to choosing furniture that’s all the same style and fabric like the homeowners picked in the photo above, but it works here for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the furniture itself is different, a sectional and a chaise lounge. The furniture design may seem simple but in this situation it definitely works as it doesn’t compete with their stunning view.

Next they picked a variety of accent pieces in accent tables, ottoman, and the rugged artwork leaning against the wall. The color scheme also works well. Its similar to the color scheme we picked above, and it works. Blues and beiges compliment one another well. They kept repeating the colors successfully throughout the room.

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Photo: Crate and Barrel

It may seem overwhelming to know where to start when adding accessories to a coffee table or bookshelf.  There may be a tendency to go to a home décor store and buy all the latest trends but rooms that are styled well, reflect the personality of the homeowners.  Pick items from your travels or that have some special meaning.  Its alright to add some ideas from a home décor store but its all in moderation. This room in the photo above from Crate and Barrel is very well styled.  There are several groupings of the accessories on the coffee table, with different shapes, styles, sizes and interest. The table on the far left shows a grouping of three items, an odd number which is more interesting than even numbers and the vases are of different shapes and styles.

Rooms that are styled well reflect the personality of the homeowners and their interior style. They have the right balance of accessories and accent furniture to make the room stunning yet functional for the homeowners.

Artwork can be instrumental in making your room well styled when there’s not alot of other design features in the room that you can pull from.  It can make or break the style of the room.  Ideally you want to decorate a room with artwork in mind and build from there. 

Artwork is quite often one of the focal points in a room.  It can make either a positive OR negative statement.  Obviously the goal is to make it a positive one. Picking the right piece of artwork for the room takes time and should not be rushed. 

It’s best to choose your artwork at the beginning of the design process and build your design from there. It’s difficult, but not impossible, if you have styled your room and leaving the artwork leaving it to the last.  You may spend time searching for that perfect piece or pieces, but once you have found it, it will be worth the search.

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5-design-mistakes-avoid-how-to-fix-them-debi-collinson

Artwork can be a very personal design choice. It also sets the mood for the room. Look at our rooms above. The rooms are identical except for the artwork and the color choice of the wall. The room to the left is dramatic and moody whereas our room on the right is calm and serene. Both pieces look great and totally work for the space. Its just a matter of personal preference.

The rule for artwork is that it should be 2/3’s the size of the piece of furniture that it is hanging above, like a couch for example or credenza.  To hang artwork above a sofa, the bottom of the picture should be anywhere between 6 – 12″ with the 12″ being the maximum amount you want to go.  More than that, the picture will be too high when you’re sitting down. You ideally want to be able to see the picture comfortably while sitting. The height of the picture also needs to be in proportion to the height of the wall.  If the picture is too narrow, it gets lost among a big wall.

Design Mistake #5: Lack of Textures

A room can feel flat if there is no texture with the furniture and accessorizes in a room.  Making sure that there are textures in accessories, cushions, and furniture will add style to your living room.

Solution: Style with a Variety of Textures in Accessories & Furniture

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This room above is styled perfectly! It has an industrial loft feel to it, and the long wall art is the perfect focal point for this room bringing your eye up to the exposed pipe and brick. The furniture is the perfect size for this room and it definitely did not come out of a big box store! The colors in the room tie nicely together as the wall art is the anchor.

And can we talk about the great use of texture?? Starting with the textured upholstered couch, textured pillows, faux fur throw, textured rug and rugged coffee table, the elements of the room are pulled together perfectly to create a stunning living space that any homeowner would be proud to have.

Rugs can be instrumental when styling a room. They can also be focal points in the room when you pick a style and pattern that is interesting and commands attention.
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Photo: Studio McGee

In this photo above, styled by Studio McGee, they have the perfect balance of textures with a textured credenza, rug, stunning coffee table and textured cushions.  The vase with greenery even adds texture giving this room has alot of interest for the eye.

Artwork can be one picture or a combination of pictures. In the picture above we see that Studio McGee selected  a set of 4 prints at the appropriate size that filled the wall above the credenza beautifully. 

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Rugs can also be instrumental when styling a room. They can also be focal points in the room when you pick a style and pattern that is interesting and commands attention.

In our home to the right, the rug is the item that pulls the room together in style and color. All the colors of the room are in the rug.

Notice the great use of texture in the rug, and the throw cushions. Another, well thought out design plan.

Photo: halfwaywholeistic.com

Learning to style a room and finding the right accessorizes takes time.  Don’t rush it and don’t be afraid to try different scenarios until you come up with the look that you love. It will be worth it!

Need help choosing colors?

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It can be overwhelming choosing colors for your home but I can help you take the overwhelm off you with my Whole House Paint Color Palette.

After receiving payment, your pictures and your thoughts, desires and plans from your questionnaire, I will develop a whole house paint color palate.

You will receive colors from you preferred paint color company, detailed instructions including real life pictures of how and where to use these colors. This product is digital PDF product. Click here to learn more.

Check out my Custom Whole House Color Palette here
debi-collinson-interior-stylist-color-expert-real-estate-investor

I help busy homeowners, just like you, to style their house to make it a stunning retreat, where they can live and enjoy their home.

Hi! I’m Debi Collinson. Designer. Color Consultant & Real Estate Investor. 

I conducted my first color consult at the age of 7 lol for my dad. I grew up looking at blue prints, going on construction sites and helping my dad, an Engineer|General Contractor and Co-Owner of a Design|Build|Engineering firm pick out paint colors for his buildings. Since 2006, I have been helping hundreds of clients to homes to make them look like they belong in a magazine page whether the client is styling to stay or staging to sell. 

In my spare time, LOL, I buy “fixer uppers” to fix up & either sell for a healthy profit or to rent. I’m currently looking for my 10th “fixer upper.” Sign up to receive my e-mails of how to make your home stunning, how to pick the best colors for your home, and how to add value to your home all at the same time! Check out my full bio including credentials here.

 

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