Recently I caught a re-run of a special that had appeared on
HGTV a while back. A panel of decorators discussed the 25 biggest decorating
mistakes people make. From least offensive to most, here’s the experts’ list.
25. ‘Contour’ toilet rugs
24. Too many photos displayed
23. Ignoring your entry way/foyer
22. Exposed cables—of the media variety
21. Out of place, themed rooms (a Bali bedroom in Alaska would be a no-no)
20. Outdated hardware and accessories
19. Lop-sided furniture arrangements
18. Keeping something you hate
17. Too formal décor (spaces shouldn’t be uninviting ‘museum
rooms’)
16. Uncomfortable dining chairs
15. Lack of a traffic pattern through rooms
14. Making everything matchy-matchy
13. Following ‘fads’
12. Furniture that’s too big for a room, making it cramped
11. Too many colors or patterns in a room (they suggest, a
safe bet is to stick to one large pattern, one small and a stripe or plaid)
10. ‘Floating’ area rugs (the front feet of the furniture arranged
around the area rug should be placed on the rug to anchor it)
9. Improper lighting (they stress the importance of having
dimmers on overhead lighting)
8. Artwork hung too high
7. Tacky couch covers
6. Up-against-the-wall furniture arrangements
5. Ignoring window treatments
4. Fear of color
3. Knick-knack overload
2. Too many pillows on sleeping or sitting surfaces
1. Fake flowers
If you’re like me and are guilty of a few of these faux-pas,
don’t worry, even the expert panel confessed to having some of these no-no’s in
their own living spaces! So what do you think…did the decorators forget
anything?
Pillow-overloaded bed image courtesy of The Mall.
