6 decorating mistakes that make your space look dull
Design: Time & Place Interiors / Photo: Angela Newton Roy
Interior design is highly personal. It reflects each of our varied backgrounds and individual aesthetics. Still, it’s worth getting a professional opinion on your space every once in a while. Does it flow cohesively from room to room? Do the color choices evoke the right vibe? Can it be spiced up with accessories?
I see a lot of spaces by doing interior design consultation visits at my clients’ apartments. While each inevitably has its own particularities, a handful of design issues come up again and again. I’ve rounded them up in a summary of common interior decorating mistakes that bring a lackluster feel to your home. When these problem areas are tweaked, a space looks classier and feels refreshed.
If you’re starting to feel self-conscious about your home as you read this, please don’t worry! Design is a skill like any other, taking an experienced eye to refine. So if you need help, reach out.
Mistake #1: Relying on overhead lighting
A vintage Mid Century chandelier by Gaetano Sciolari. Design: Time & Place Interiors / Photo: Angela Newton Roy
Lighting makes or breaks a space. Even if you have great furniture, bad lighting can undermine the effort through poor ambiance. Never rely solely on overhead lighting: recessed lights leave a dull, washed out effect, and can cause headaches. Instead, employ different light sources for various purposes, like floor lamps, table lamps, pendant lights, and wall sconces. Also, make sure the light bulbs’ color temperature is consistent between light sources (e.g. warm vs cool), and always use a dimmer to control output.
Mistake #2: All furniture is new production
An antique Mongolian sideboard is balanced by contemporary artisan accessories. Design: Time & Place Interiors / Photo: Angela Newton Roy
Your space will look bland if all your furniture is from large-scale, cookie-cutter retailers. Even if you love a modern, clean style, it can be highly effective to balance your contemporary design with a few aged accents. A space that incorporates vintage can still look sleek, especially with Mid Century, Postmodern, or Bauhaus styles in the mix. In fact, the most tasteful homes display styles from different eras, allowing the homeowner’s good taste, rather than trends, to dictate the design. A mix of old and new, high and low shows that you’re unafraid to express originality.
Mistake #3: Scale and balance are off
A vintage Mid Century metal wall sculpture fills out the space of a fireplace niche. Design: Time & Place Interiors / Photo: Angela Newton Roy
Getting scale right is critical for your interior design scheme to feel pleasing to the eye. Without it, a space can’t sing. A common mistake is using rugs that are too small; a larger rug will make a room feel more spacious and luxurious. Another critical issue is nailing down proportions, such as matching a sofa’s length to the right size coffee table, hanging artwork so it fills up a visual space appropriately, or styling tabletop accessories with enough vertical balance between objects.
Mistake #4: Art is mass produced posters
Artwork by Esther Rosa, Flow Like Water series, acrylic on canvas. Design: Time & Place Interiors
Art enlivens a room, giving it personality and distinction. While most people appreciate the need to add art to blank walls, too often they resort to mass produced giclée prints — which are essentially posters that have been photocopied on a high definition printer. For a space to feel refined, at least the main areas should have original art: the piece above your living room sofa, or the one hanging above the sideboard in your dining area. Galleries in New York neighborhoods like Chelsea, Soho, Tribeca, and the Lower East Side are great sources of real art, as are auctions and vintage design boutiques.
Mistake #5: Hardware and fixtures are generic
A faucet by the Italian brand Fantini, with Murano glass handles. Design: Time & Place Interiors
Rudimentary fixtures like faucets and door handles are a dead giveaway of a space that’s too basic. To raise the sophistication level of your home, upgrade to solid materials and quality design whenever possible. Swap out your door handles for a higher end lines, your cabinet pulls for hand forged metal, and your bath accessories for sleek, brand name looks. You’ll enjoy them now, and eventually they’ll help increase the resale value of your apartment.
Mistake #6: Textiles are synthetic
Mohair throw and pillow by the Spanish mill Mantas Escaray, with textile wall art and vintage Persian rug. Design: Time & Place Interiors
There’s no substitute for authentic texture for enriching the tactile and visual experience of your environment. Whenever possible, the fabrics in your home should be natural fibers: that includes rugs, furniture upholstery, throw pillows & blankets, and window treatments. Synthetics like acrylics not only evoke “knockoff” status; they also tend to be treated with offgasing chemicals that are harmful for indoor air quality. Better alternatives include naturally water repelling wool rugs, pillows fabrics like cotton velvet or tussar silk, mohair throws, and linen shades.
Do you need an interior designer’s expert eye?
Time & Place Interiors specializes in revitalizing spaces with a combination of vintage + modern design. Founder Ksenya Malina plans and executes on interior design solutions that bring character and good taste to her clients’ elevated urban lifestyles. To discuss your personal interior design needs, use the link below to schedule a free 20-minute information call with Ksenya:
