Decorating your home is a fun and creative process, but it’s easy to make mistakes that leave your space feeling less than ideal. From mismatched furniture to poor lighting, even small errors can impact the look and feel of a room. The good news? Many of these decorating mistakes are easy to avoid or fix with a little planning and know-how.

Here are 10 common decorating mistakes and practical tips to help you achieve a more cohesive, stylish, and functional home.

1. Ignoring Scale and Proportion

Why It Happens

It’s hard to judge the size of furniture or decor until it’s placed in your space. Choosing items that are too large or too small for a room can throw off the balance and make it feel awkward.

How to Avoid It

  • Measure Your Space before you shop. Take note of dimensions and account for clearances needed for doors, walkways, and other furniture.
  • Use Painter’s Tape to map out where furniture or decor will go. This gives you a visual guide to see if the size feels right.
  • Opt for a mix of heights and sizes when choosing decor, such as pairing a large couch with smaller side tables and floor lamps to keep things balanced.

Quick Fix

If a piece is too big, rearrange the layout to create balance or move it to a larger room. For smaller pieces, accessorize with taller decor like vases or lamps to help them fit proportionally.

2. Overcrowding the Space

Why It Happens

It’s tempting to fill every corner with furniture and decor, but too much can make a space feel cramped and chaotic.

How to Avoid It

  • Stick to function-over-form principles. Think about what you need in the room to make it comfortable and practical.
  • Follow the "less is more" philosophy by leaving some negative space to allow designs and colors to shine.

Quick Fix

Declutter by removing one or two non-essential pieces of furniture or decor. Focus on creating open areas to give the room breathing space.

3. Poor Lighting Choices

Why It Happens

Lighting is often an afterthought, but it’s one of the most critical elements in a room. Relying on a single overhead light or choosing the wrong bulb temperature can leave a room feeling harsh or uninviting.

How to Avoid It

  • Layer your lighting using a mix of ambient (like ceiling lights), task (desk lamps or under-cabinet lights), and accent lighting (wall sconces or string lights).
  • Stick to Warm or Neutral Bulbs in living spaces and bedrooms for a cozy atmosphere. Use brighter, cooler bulbs in kitchens and workspaces.

Quick Fix

Add table and floor lamps around the room to supplement overhead lighting. Dimmer switches can also be a game-changer for setting the mood.

4. Choosing Paint Colors First

Why It Happens

It’s easy to start with paint, but this can limit your options when selecting furniture, decor, or artwork that complements the room.

How to Avoid It

  • Start with larger items first, like rugs, sofas, or accent chairs, and build your color palette around those pieces.
  • Once you have your furnishings in place, choose a wall color that pulls the room together.

Quick Fix

If you’ve already painted the walls, use accessories, pillows, or artwork that incorporate the paint color to tie it into the room’s design.

5. Hanging Art at the Wrong Height

Why It Happens

Many people hang artwork too high, leaving it disconnected from the room’s furniture or overall design.

How to Avoid It

  • Hang artwork so the center is at about 57 inches from the floor, which is eye level for most people.
  • When hanging art above furniture, leave 4–6 inches of space between the bottom of the frame and the top of the furniture.

Quick Fix

Reposition your artwork to bring it closer to eye level, or add additional pieces to create a cohesive gallery wall that fills the space.

6. Overlooking Rugs

Why It Happens

Rugs are often an afterthought or chosen in the wrong size, which can make a space feel ungrounded or awkward.

How to Avoid It

  • Choose a rug that’s large enough to fit under all the major furniture pieces in a seating area, like your couch and chairs. A good rule of thumb is to ensure at least the front legs of each furniture piece rest on the rug.
  • Use rugs to define areas in open-concept spaces.

Quick Fix

If your rug is too small, layer a larger, neutral rug underneath to extend its footprint. For oversized rugs, move furniture to anchor the edges.

7. Ignoring Functionality

Why It Happens

Sometimes we prioritize aesthetics over practicality, leaving us with a beautiful space that isn’t comfortable or functional.

How to Avoid It

  • Consider your lifestyle before making design choices. For example, families with kids or pets might opt for durable, easy-to-clean materials.
  • Focus on traffic flow by ensuring there’s enough space to move comfortably around the furniture.

Quick Fix

Assess what isn’t working (a stunning coffee table that’s too low, a chair that’s uncomfortable) and replace or modify with functional alternatives.

8. Forgetting About Texture

Why It Happens

Rooms that rely on a single material type or finish can feel flat and lack dimension.

How to Avoid It

  • Mix materials like wood, metal, glass, and fabric to create visual interest.
  • Incorporate soft textures through throw pillows, area rugs, or curtains, and balance them with sleek, polished surfaces for contrast.

Quick Fix

Add throws, pillows, or a woven basket to bring texture into the space instantly.

9. Not Creating a Cohesive Style

Why It Happens

It’s easy to fall in love with individual pieces, but if they don’t work together, the room can feel disjointed.

How to Avoid It

  • Identify a clear style or theme for your space before you shop. Whether it’s modern, coastal, or industrial, knowing your aesthetic will help you make more cohesive choices.
  • Use a color scheme or consistent material (e.g., wood tones) to tie the room together.

Quick Fix

If you have mismatched pieces, use accents like throw pillows or table decor in a unifying color to bring everything together.

10. Not Personalizing Your Space

Why It Happens

Focusing too much on trends can result in a space that doesn’t feel like you.

How to Avoid It

  • Incorporate personal elements like family photos, travel souvenirs, or handmade artwork to add warmth and personality to your home.
  • Don’t be afraid to break trends that don’t align with your tastes. The goal is to create a space you love.

Quick Fix

Swap out a generic piece of decor for something sentimental or meaningful. This small change instantly makes the room feel more inviting.