The most common mistakes in interior design

We all want a beautiful and comfortable home. To do this, either we try to find the best ideas ourselves, or we order the services of a professional designer. But the second option does not always guarantee success. Errors occur in both cases.

When creating an interior, you should not focus only on your own feelings, because without knowing the basics of design, the result often does not meet expectations

So, let’s take a look at the most common mistakes in interior design. This will be useful both for designers and for people without appropriate education who want to independently arrange an apartment..

Why do they arise

Errors can occur for a variety of reasons. But we tried to highlight the main, the most typical, occurring quite often.

Cause	How to fix it
Unwillingness to deviate from the canons	Take a closer look at new trends; find examples that you like and see in which direction they are made; there are many compromise solutions where you will not have to go far from the origins, but you will be able to bring something new
Lack of experience	Many designers learn from their own mistakes, and you try to learn from others. Study the most common mistakes carefully and try to avoid them.
Lack of knowledge	Replenish your piggy bank: find trainings, advice from famous designers. Plus, there are design books to help you out..
No planning	Be sure to draw up a design project before starting the arrangement, in which you indicate all the calculations, stages of work and other details..

An interior in one color scheme is far from the best solution.

A lack of taste can be called the reason, but this is doubtful. Everyone has their own taste, and the owner’s vision may not match the designer’s tastes. So feel free to create, but be sure to take into account the experience and mistakes of your predecessors, and try to avoid them..

The most common mistakes

Flaws can arise at the beginning of work (during planning), in the process, at the final stage. You need to be careful at every step. Your main assistant is the plan. He will help keep everything under control, and not miss important moments..

Creative clutter is common in an artist’s studio or studio, but not acceptable in a residential setting.

Often there are bloopers when choosing and combining colors and styles, using furniture, textiles and other details, as well as when zoning a room. We’ve compiled a few of the most common interior design mistakes that are noteworthy. It’s not for nothing that they are so common, apparently little studied..

Beauty or functionality

Many have firmly stuck in their heads that beauty requires sacrifice. We will break stereotypes and determine that this concept is wrong. The main rule: there must be harmony in everything. This also applies to the relationship between beauty and functionality..

Furniture upholstery should match the interior of the room and be well cleaned, because no one is immune from stains

Of course, you have to make the design beautiful and new, but do not forget that upon completion of the work in the room you will have to live and do the cleaning. Think about the future function of the room.

Remember! There must be harmony in everything: look for a compromise.

Is this designer chair really needed if no one likes to sit on it??

You design for people. Think wider and think over all the nuances of using the room (are there children or animals in the house, what temperature regime will reign, etc.). Look for the middle ground between beauty and functionality. It’s hard, but we’re here to learn.

Wrong layout

Sometimes miscalculations are encountered at the beginning of a project. Of course, they can be compensated for in the future, but then you have to sacrifice something, so work planning is a very important part..

Consider all possible layouts and choose the most suitable

It all starts with a pencil. Draw a floor plan, and play with the future layout on paper, and only then move on to real objects.

Space zoning

Initially, decide what zones the room will contain, and divide it accordingly. This is done with furniture or color. Errors occur in both the first and second cases. Study the color coding of the different zones, consider the location of the window, and do not mix several zones where there is only enough room for only one.

The layout should be logical, the kitchen can be connected to the dining room, and the bedroom to the dressing room.

The problem of lack of focus is also common. Remember that there must be a center in the room from which the countdown for the location of the parts is. Focus on one area with a large decorative element or color, and the rest should be complementary and not overlap the main one..

Furniture arrangement

This category is also a way of zoning space. But this is a separate topic that requires attention, since there are still a lot of nuances here..

The residential interior, created according to the principle of “furniture along the walls”, looks wretched and uncomfortable

Furniture should be positioned so that it fully fulfills its functions. For example, placing a bed against a wall is considered a gross mistake. Modern design canons require its existence either in the middle of the room, or off-center, but not right next to the wall..

If pieces of furniture interfere with free movement, redevelop

Piles of furniture are also common. A table, shelves, several chairs, an armchair and a bed. There is clearly half that is superfluous. Use space efficiently and do not clutter it up with large pieces of furniture.

Color errors

So let’s move on to color. This is one of the fundamental factors. After all, a correctly selected color scheme can hide planning flaws or flaws in the configuration of the room. There is no need to talk about a crooked color combination – it can ruin even the most beautiful and fresh design. Now about the most common color mistakes.

One-color interior: light, cozy and … boring. Maybe it’s time to dilute it with new shades.

Solid color design

Current trends are leading to simplification. In the new styles, you will not find floral wallpapers combined with bright textiles and furniture. But in some cases, simplification leads to extremes. And, oddly enough, but there are interiors decorated in the same color. White and gray are now the peak of fashion. Minimalism, loft, techno, hi-tech and other modern trends love it. But there is no need to go to extremes. There are also other colors.

A plain interior must be diluted with bright details.

If you don’t want your room to turn into a solid faceless spot, add some bright details to the main gray or white..

Too boring

Not monotonous anymore, but still too dull. Don’t be afraid of brightness and uniqueness. Many designers are afraid to use red, yellow, purple colors, as they are considered very bright and provocative. Nonsense! Yellow is the color of the sun and joy, orange is the love of life, red is the color of passion and health. They can, and even need to be applied.

Style uniformity gets boring quickly – be careful not to create a boring interior

Look at the psychology of colors, and you will understand that bright colors carry a deep semantic load, so they need to be included in the interior. But the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the picture may turn out to be too variegated. Try to spot bright and colorful details in boring and everyday life..

Very variegated

The reverse side of the medal is an overly striking design. This error is also quite common. Sometimes it happens due to the difficulty of choosing one or two variegated colors. I like yellow, green, red and orange. But you can’t put them all in the big picture. Maybe from artists, but in design it is unacceptable.

Remember! A design that is too bright is tiring.

You can turn any wall into your own art gallery by covering it with paintings, family photos or drawings of your children.

Do not forget that bright colors have a strong influence on the human psyche, and can evoke certain emotions. Of course, red will give vigor and passion, but over time it can tire. Therefore, having painted all the walls in this color, one cannot expect a positive result. Use a selection technique – cover a large area in a bright tone, but not the entire room. Spot coloring the room in variegated colors for a vibrant and uncluttered interior..

Incorrect combinations

Monochromatic, boring or variegated are obtained from the inability to correctly combine colors. There are times when designers refuse to use multiple colors for fear of messing up. Others, on the contrary, apply everything. In both cases, there is disharmony. Therefore, one of the main skills is the ability to choose the right palette..

It’s easier to first find the fabrics that you like, and then choose the shade of the walls.

Explore the color wheel, and familiarize yourself with the rules for combining shades. Whole books are devoted to this. But if you do not have time to study all the details, check out the rules for combining the color you like..

Secondary elements

We’ve dealt with the main elements. Now let’s get down to the details. They also make a significant contribution to the main picture. After all, it is from the little things that a full-fledged interior is created. This category includes vases, paintings, personal collections, textiles, etc. Everything that makes up the background, the background of our picture. You can’t do without these things, but you need to use them skillfully..

Artificial plants are fake, collecting dust and rarely evoking good associations.

Oversupply of parts

We often see such a mistake in interior design as a heap of various elements, be it pillows or armchairs. And if a lot of attention is paid to the correct arrangement of large furniture, then little things are forgotten..

It will hardly be pleasant to constantly rake this collection of pillows just to sit on the sofa.

Modern stores provide the buyer with a huge number of accessories. And few people can resist an accidental purchase. You are looking for a vase as a decor, then you will like another one, and another one. After that, the room will find use for several jewelry boxes, paintings and candlesticks. As a result, you will not get the embodiment of style and comfort, but a pantry in which all rubbish is dumped.

Overdosing on accessories will not benefit the interior

In this case, the main thing is to be guided by a sense of proportion, and remember that the elements of the room must coexist harmoniously..

Lots of spaces

Fearing to overdo it, many designers completely abandon additional details in the interior. There is a sofa, a table, a chair – and that’s enough. Here we get the flip side of the coin – an empty room without zest and accents. It may not look like a solid color, but the effect will be the same..

Each room needs its own focal point, such as a painting on a wall.

Remember, a room without trifles is empty. Match your vase or painting to suit your overall style. Focus on bold cushions, but don’t overdo it: mountains of dust collectors won’t match even the most sophisticated decor. Remember: a sense of proportion works both ways..

Style mismatch

Of course, there are fans of eclecticism, but this trend has long since become a thing of the past. And if you want to restore it at the whim of the landlord, work very carefully. This is not just a mixture of everything in a row, this is the art of selecting incompatible things that, in combination with each other, will create a complete and harmonious picture..

Styles can be popular and trendy, but don’t try to force yourself to follow the trend if outdoor wiring and bare brick make you yearn

But let’s leave the fans of eclecticism, and move on to the bulk. In modern design, there is rarely a mixture of different directions. Often they try to fully reveal one style, completely following its rules..

Stylish interior of a one-room apartment

In this case, the main thing is to really follow the canons dictated by a certain style. Do not try to fit a random thing into an already established picture. Do not take details from different directions, trying to combine them harmoniously. Stop at one thing. Learn the basic principles of the chosen style, and follow them.

Lighting disadvantages

Lighting is a whole art. There is both a practical and a design side to this. There are two types of lighting in a room: natural and artificial. It is necessary to organize both types correctly, and harmoniously fit them into the overall design, making them part of the picture.

Dim lighting can negate any interior design

Natural light decoration

Let’s start with the main thing. There is natural light in almost every room, and it needs to be properly decorated. The most common mistakes are such arrangement of windows that we have either a lack or an overabundance of light. If the second option is not so scary, then the first one is more common and does more harm. Examine the plan of the room and the location of all the details; consider if enough light is getting into the room. If the renovation involves the expansion of windows, or the introduction of new ones – great, go for it. If not, you will have to compensate for the lack of artificial lamps and window decoration..

Window decoration in modern design projects is represented by simple solutions without decorative luxury

Another mistake that prevents natural light from fully fulfilling its function is the wrong decor of the windows. Here, start from the configuration of the opening itself and the general style of the room..

Advice! Don’t leave windows without curtains.

The absence of curtains is relevant in the loft style; in other cases, the windows require a carefully thought-out design

Oddly enough, but bare windows in modern projects are quite common, due to the fact that this is a trend in modern styles. This is a gross mistake. Modern design requires the right choice of curtains and offers a huge variety of curtains. Remember that window decoration is the basis of comfort in the room, and with its help you will be able to add or remove natural light from the room, and compensate for the shortcomings of the configuration of the window and the room as a whole..

Artificial lighting bloopers

As already mentioned, sometimes natural light has to be made up for with artificial light. In some rooms (for example, a bathroom) there are no windows at all, and lamps play the main role here..

Ceiling lamps are used for general lighting, and sconces, table lamps and floor lamps are better suited for highlighting individual areas.

When arranging artificial lighting, be guided first of all by practicality. Arrange lights and switches conveniently for use. Consider which areas require more complete lighting and which may remain shaded. Pay special attention to the placement of lamps in the bedroom and in the kitchen..

In addition to the practical, remember about the design function of the lamps. Match them according to the color and overall style of the room..

Summarize

During the renovation of an apartment, mistakes can be made by both beginners and professionals. Whether you are in the first or second group, be sure to pay attention to the shortcomings made by your predecessors, and try to avoid them..

There are many common mistakes in interior design, but there are also many simple solutions to fix them.

In addition to conforming design to formal rules, remember that it must be alive and in harmony with your inner world. A room is a reflection of the inner self of its owner. So don’t be afraid to experiment, but remember about harmony..