Don’t Buy Furniture Before Picking Paint Colors

The first thing you want to do is pick your paint color. Test out what you like and don’t like on the walls first before painting the entire space. Otherwise you risk investing time and money in a paint color you don’t love and that doesn’t work well in your space.

It is always easier to furnish a room based on the room color than the other way around. When choosing a color palette, many people like to bring fabric swatches with them to the store, which is very helpful and gives them an idea of what looks good with that color.

You should also test out different shades of the color you choose to see what you like best!

Don’t Buy Impulsively

Let’s be honest: this is something everyone is guilty of once in awhile. The key is to find what you like first, before purchasing. Often, if you have already bought an item, you may not want to return it after or you will try to make it fit in a space where it doesn’t really fit. There are times when you can make that work, but it is best to know what you are looking for before making the purchase.

Find photos of items you like and that you want to incorporate into your space (a photo of an inspiration room for example). Then refer back to those when shopping. Having an approximate budget in place can help when you’re in the store looking for pieces to purchase. You’ll save time and money, and purchase more of what you need for your home rather than what you don’t need.

Buying impulsively can also cause you to buy too much. It’s also a sure way to get carried away when decorating, making it easy to overcrowd the room.

You certainly don’t want that! It’s always best to hit the shops with a plan first!

Don’t Overcrowd Your Space

This is the most important rule of all.

If something doesn’t fit, or belong in your space, don’t force it. Believe it or not, anytime you have an overcrowded, cluttered room, it will make you feel overwhelmed, and can also stress you out. An uncluttered room gives off positive energy, and makes you feel happy, relaxed, and comfortable.

That’s the kind of space you want!

Make sure to compare different kinds of living spaces and stick to a theme when putting everything together.

Too much going on will create a messy space and the eye won’t know where to look first!

Don’t Back Furniture Up Against The Walls

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when creating a living space. Avoiding this mistake will make your room appear more open and larger than it really is.

If you have a smaller room and leaving space between the furniture and the walls is just not possible, try regrouping the furniture a different way! Or use fewer smaller pieces of furniture to make a bold statement.

You also don’t have to leave a lot of space, even separating two pieces of furniture by just a few inches can make a  big difference.

Here are two examples of living rooms that have followed this rule:

 Don’t Be Afraid to Use Shades of the Same Color

A pop of color in your living space is never a bad idea!

Color can transform any space from boring to fun, but it can also be risky. You don’t want to get carried away when creating a colorful room. Don’t feel like you need to use every single color in order to make your space stand out.

When it comes to color, less is more. Pick a color you would like to use, and go with it! Use different shades of that color throughout your space.

Remember that you ultimately want everything to be different. You don’t want to match, but you want the colors and shades you use to compliment each other.

Check out the images below. Both rooms used some color. However, you can see the difference: the first example used only multiple shades of purple while the other used multiple colors.

Do:

Don’t:

I hope these few tips help the readers out there! If there is anything we missed, or you have any advice that we didn’t cover in this post, please let us know by commenting below!

Happy Decorating!