Top 10 Decorating Mistakes:

1. Toliet rugs- Hate to see them down!!! They should all be replaced with a pretty area rug or gorgeous textured rug that feels great to walk on barefooted. Never skimp on the details.
2. Fear of color- In one fan deck from your local paint store, there are over 3000 colors to choose from. Being bold and choosing one is better than a house full of white and beige that feels as if you have walked into a hospital ward. Painting is the cheapest way to transform any room(as long as you are the one doing the painting) and it makes the biggest bang for your buck.
3. Outdated accessories- We all get attached to stuff. That doesn’t mean it has to stay around FOREVER. Every store you walk into, from Target to Ukrop’s, has home accessories. Don’t get tied in a decorating rut because your old accessories don’t go with a new look. Pick up some new accents and it will all start to come together.
4. Tacky couch covers- There has yet been created a readymade slipcover that looks good. Custom slipcovers and reupholstered furniture is the only way to change the look of an existing piece. If recovering isn’t an option or the piece isn’t 8 way hand tied, kiln dried or hardwood frame, then replace it with the best you can afford. Sentimental furniture doesn’t have to be ugly!!!
5. Pushed back furniture-Every piece of furniture in the room has been pushed to the back wall and everyone has to shout to have a conversation. This is the way most of us arrange our furniture. If the sofa can fit a table behind it that will give dimension to the room and a place to put some lamps. The chairs should be between 5-6 feet from the sofa. Pieces can be angled off the wall and this creates a cozy space for relaxing and entertaining.
6. Fake flowers-Not all of us can keep a plant alive. Fresh flowers, an indestructible house plant or beautiful, silk, tropical tree goes a long way in making your home inviting. Again, buy the best you can afford and don’t buy unless it fools the eye.
7. Improper lighting-I hate to use my over head light. The only time it comes on is when my husband has started to hyper-ventilate because he can’t find the remote. There are 3 types of lighting, overhead or ambient(see previous comment!), task lighting and accent lighting. Kitchens need a lot of light because of the different task we perform there and the amount of time we spend doing them. Under cabinet lighting shows off granite beautifully and some sconces enhance artwork or cabinetry. Be creative and BRIGHT.
8. Everything matches-Most of us would not be caught in public with a matchy-matchy outfit. The bag matching the shoe that matches the jacket, that matches the …#@$%#!!? YECK!!! Take 3 colors and mix it up then add another 2 for spice. This goes for patterns, as well. Big floral with a medium stripe and little polka dots will carry you far in the decorating scheme.
9. Following fads-What is hot today may go down in flames tomorrow. Don’t build a room around one fad. Live with a style you love and let the fads come in, as a little bling. The worst thing that happened in decorating was the “Country Fad”. We all went crazy with stained furniture, mauve and blue and knick-knacks on every imaginable space. Some people are still in this decorating nightmare and think they have to change the whole house in a day before making any change. A daunting and overwhelming task for anyone.
10. Keeping something you hate-For me, this would be my husband’s BIG SCREEN TV. Of course, this would probably cause a divorce or at the very least a whole heap of trouble. So think smaller, the recliner from his bachelor days, the ugly, bulky,bedroom suit that came from your parents or the kitchen table that has 4 different chair styles and none of them are pretty. Budget in one of those to be replaced and you will love yourself for it.

I am sure there are 100’s of other mistakes but I don’t want to overwhelm anyone and create chaos.
Happy Decorating!

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