Published on February 28, 2019

With every decade comes a new style or trend in home decor. In the 60's it was bright colors and shapes, in the 70's it was lots of patterns, and in the 80's it was all about the tropical theme. Today, we love our farmhouse theme, open floor plans, and simple postmodern designs. Over time there are some aspects of home design that will never change, while some NEED to change. So in today's discussion, we are going to highlight some aspects of home design that are major don'ts for interior designers.

Rugs that are too small

This aspect of home decor is huge in today's open floor plan trend. In order to create a space that flows and is cohesive, use the right size rug for your space. As you can see in the below diagram you never want to have a rug that is too small and furniture surrounding it. This makes the space feel small and the purpose of the rug is lost. You want your furniture to be partially touching or entirely touching the rug. This gives your home the illusion that your space is much bigger than it actually is. Plus, it becomes a focal point and space-defining accessory in your home.

Solution:

Photo Credit: lifeasmama.com

Here is an example of a larger rug defining a space. The overall look for this room is to be simple and decluttered!

Cluttered decor items

Long gone are the days of having picture frames upon picture frames adorning every side table in the house or having clusters of knick-knacks scattered throughout your home. Take those frames and make them into a photo gallery on the wall and make the frames into an abstract design. Simplify your knick-knack collection down to just the ones you absolutely love. Simplicity is key! It's all about when your eye scans the room and you see clutter vs clean surfaces. A great way to incorporate both photos and knick-knacks is using a photo ledge. Use the ledge to create a clean unique design that is less cluttered while keeping your favorite photos and knick-knacks in tack. These type of ledges are the perfect size for small potted plants and other home decor items as you can see below. The different size photos give the wall some dimension, while the plants add some greenery to the room.

Solution:

Exposed cords

Cover up your cords! There is nothing more of an eye-sore than exposed cords. Cords instantly add clutter and are just plain ugly. Take a few extra moments after you have finished your home decor project to spend some time taking care of your cord situation. Nowadays there are several products that you can get to cover or hide cords. Of course, the greatest thing you can do is to actually hide them inside the wall. So if you have the ability to drill into the wall and hide your TV or another electrical device, do so! It will make your home look so much more simplified and modern. But if construction is not an option for you, consider using velcro strips to tie up your cords behind your console or use narrow plastic strips that you can attach to the wall and hide the power cord within it as seen below. You can also get containers to hide power strips and organize the cords within the container. However you choose to hide your cords, hide them, it will look so much better in the end.

Solution:

Photo Credit: Freshome.com

Too many patterns

As we talked about in our January blog, Decorating Tips for 2019, we suggest using patterns in your home, but there is such a thing as too many patterns. The abundance of patterns is something that was a huge trend in the '60s and '70s, but in reality, it is too much for your eyes to take in. There is not a soft place for your eyes to land if they are constantly looking at several pattern schemes. And you may say that doesn't really matter, but it is something that unconsciously happens. Think about this methodology next time you visit a friend's house; a busy room can make one feel overwhelmed and tense.

Pattern Overload:

Photo Credit: decorologyblog.com

Solution:

Understated Patterns:

Photo Credit: realtydigitalmarketing.com

Use patterns in your accessories and less on the large areas of the room as you can see in the photo above. The exception is if you are doing a feature wall. Feature walls are meant to highlight a room and be the focal point of a room. A feature wall with a large floral pattern is great as long as the surrounding accessories are solid colors and understated.

Photo Credit: Freshome.com

Low hanging curtains

A great way to elevate the height of a room, especially if you have low ceilings, is to hang your curtains high above the top of the window. In the past, the ideal thing to do is to hang the curtain rod along the top of the window, because it's a natural guide on where to hang the curtains. Doing this actually takes away something from the room and leaves the room feeling small. As you can see in the photo below buying longer curtains are a must and it elevates the entire wall. Sometimes home decor is like an optical illusion, you have to trick your brain into thinking you have a bigger wall than you actually do and it doesn't cost a whole lot.

Solution:

Photo Credit: www.pinterest.com/pin/431712314256407218/?lp=true

The great thing about these tips is that on the whole, they are relatively cheap to do in your home. Home decor is always changing and here at Mills Floral we pride ourselves on providing our customers will the latest floral and home decor trends. So next time you go to renovate a space or simply move some furniture around, consider these tips for a functional and simplistic space.

Sources:

Feature photo: https://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/artic...

https://lifeasmama.com/8-crucial-dos-and-donts-of-...

https://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/...

Please follow us on social media!