DECORATING YOUR HOME CAN BE SO MUCH FUN BUT THERE’S  A LOT OF MISTAKES THAT CAN END UP COSTING YOU SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, HEARTACHE AND MORE MONEY.

1. I CALL IT MATCHY MATCHY–   MATCHING EVERYTHING IN A SPACE IS A HUGE NO NO.  YOU DONT NEED TO HAVE ALL MATCHING FURNITURE TO MAKE A ROOM COME TOGETHER. ON THE CONTRARY, MIXING STYLES, COLORS AND TEXTURE GIVES YOUR SPACE A MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE AND INTERESTING LOOK.

2.   RUSHING TO DECORATE– I’VE BEEN GUILTY OF THIS MYSELF AND HAD TO LEARN THE HARD WAY.  BUYING THOSE THIS WILL DO FOR NOW PIECES END UP COSTING YOU MORE MONEY.  JUST WAIT AND LEARN YOUR SPACE. GREAT DESIGN TAKES TIME.

3.   AVOID CLUTTER– SOMETIMES WE GET TO FOCUSED ON ADDING MORE AND MORE DECOR, TURNING OUR ROOM INTO A CLUTTERED MESS. KEEPING IT SIMPLE WILL MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK LARGER AND LESS CLUTTERED. SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE.

4.  USING TOO MANY COLORS-  DECORATING WITH TOO MANY COLORS MAKE A HOME FEEL CLUTTERED AND MESSY.  THE COLOR PALETTE YOU USE IN YOUR HOME IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU. STICK TO 3 TO 4 COLORS THIS WILL HELP CREATE A HOME THAT FLOWS FROM ONE ROOM TO THE NEXT.

5.  RUG SIZE– FINDING THE PERFECT RUG IN THE RIGHT SIZE CAN BE VERY TRICKY.  GENERALLY, YOU WANT TO FIND THE BIGGEST RUG FOR YOUR SPACE. I BELIEVE THE LARGER THE RUG, THE BETTER!  THE ENDS OF YOUR RUGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE FLOATING UNDER YOUR FURNITURE BY A FEW INCHES.

6. WRONG SIZE CURTAINS– YOUR PANELS SHOULD HANG RIGHT ABOVE THE WINDOW CASING AND YOUR CURTAIN ROD BRACKETS SHOULD BE PLACED 5 TO 6 INCHES OUTSIDE THE WINDOW FRAME. WHEN IT COMES TO THE LENGHT OF YOUR CURTAINS, THEY SHOULDNT BE MORE THAN AN INCH OFF THE FLOOR. I PERSONALLY LIKE MINE ALMOST TOUCHING THE FLOOR.

7. ART HUNG TOO HIGH– THE RULE OF THUMB IS TO HANG YOUR ART AT EYE LEVEL.  57″ TO 60″ FROM THE FLOOR TO THE CENTER OF OF THE ARTWORK DEPENDING ON YOUR CEILING HEIGHT. ONCE YOU’VE FIGURED OUT THE HEIGHT THAT WORKS FOR YOUR HOUSE, BE CONSISTENT TO CREATE FLOW THROUGHOUT YOUR SPACE AND HOME.

8. DONT OVER FURNISH YOUR ROOM– ITS SO EASY TO FILL YOUR SPACE WITH TOO MANY PIECES MAKING IT FEEL CRAMPED.  REMEMBER YOUR ROOM SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO CREATE MOVEMENT AND FLOW. SOMETIMES REMOVING ONE PIECE OF FURNITURE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

9. DONT INGNORE YOUR FOYER– THIS IS THE FIRST THING YOUR GUEST SEE WHEN THEY WALK INTO YOUR HOUSE. DECORATE THIS SPACE BY CREATING A WARM AND COZY WELCOMING FEELING.

10. NOT TESTING YOUR PAINT CHOICES FIRST– THERE NOTHING WORSE THAN PAINTING AN ENTIRE ROOM THEN REALIZING IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE IT DID ON THE SWATCH. DONT FORGET TO TAKE LIGHTING INTO CONSIDERATION.  COLORS LOOK DIFFERENT IN NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. BUY THOSE MINI PAINT SAMPLES, IT WILL BE WORTH THE EXTRA COUPLE BUCKS.