A few small tweaks to your space can make all the difference. Knowing right from wrong can transform a cramped and chaotic space into one that is organized and cozy, can create a sense of order and balance. Read on as we help clarify what’s right and what’s wrong with these top 5 common mistakes.

1. Don’t over-furnish it

It doesn’t take much for a room to turn from well planned and thought out to one that closely resembles a dumping ground of collected furniture and accessories. Your furniture should fill your space and create a space that is both appealing as well as functional. There should be enough space in the room to create movement and flow. A room should never look and feel cramped. If it does, try moving or removing one piece to see if this helps. Shelves are always a great way of de-cluttering:

 

Sometimes it’s not a matter of too much furniture, but the placement of the furniture itself. If after moving a piece or two around, your space still feels tight, then remove a piece altogether. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes. Overly furnished rooms not only make your room seem smaller than it is, but can also make it hard to maneuver around. This tip is extremely important when trying to sell your home as it will turn off potential buyers.

 

2. Don’t try to force-squeeze things that don’t fit.

Like a pair of jeans that are too small, furniture must also fit. Furniture that is too small will make your room seem unbalanced and awkward and might even make it seem more like a dollhouse – this i’m sure is not a look you’re after! Conversely a room whose furniture is too large will also feel unbalanced and cramped.

Before you move your furniture, and certainly before you purchase new furniture – whether sofas, tables, dressers or beds – be sure to measure both the furniture as well as the room, for height, width and depth. Not doing so could end up being a very costly mistake. Get it right the first time!

 

3. Avoid being a clutter-bug!

There’s no need to over-clutter. In terms of accessories less is more, as with furniture. A sense of order balance, calm, flow and movement are essential to any well decorated space. When there is too much clutter there is too much distraction and order becomes discord. Clutter can be easily remedied by removing a few things. Take a look at what you have and divide them into three categories:

 

• The things that matter

• The things that are important

• Those things that you can do without.

• Remove all that you can do without. If necessary repeat until you have removed enough items and order and balance has been restored.

 

4. Don’t be a victim of poor lighting.

Lighting is key. Refer to our recent article on Interior Lighting Tips for 2015. It is one of the most important elements of design. Your space should have as much natural lighting as possible.  Do not block natural light sources with poorly placed curtains and accessories. Even a cloudy day allows for a lot of natural light to pour in. Enhance natural light with the placement of mirrors directly across your source to allow the light to bounce around the room. You will want to add to your overhead lighting.

You should have more than one source illuminating your room. Add proportionally sized and well placed lamps to enhance your lighting when needed. Your lighting should be bright enough to to function under but not so bright that it is jarring. 

5. Warning: Don’t pick your furniture before you pick your paint colours.

Choosing your paint colour before your furnishings (couches, rugs, etc.) It will be much harder to match furniture to an already painted wall than the other way around. We suggest working first with your sofa or sofas. Do bring fabric swatches to your paint store to help select your colour palette. This mistake is common and can create more work for yourself while designing your interiors.

Bring several paint swatches home and test again at home. We also strongly encourage you to test out several shades of your preferred colour on your walls before you start painting them. While paint swatches are very accurate a room’s natural lighting at various stages of the day does change and this will affect the colour of your walls. Leave your paint swatches on for at least 24 hours before selecting your final color.

 

And voila! You are now well informed of what NOT to do when it comes to interior design. Any comments? Leave a post!