There are so many ways to get home decor wrong. Even if you buy the most expensive couch at the store, getting the wrong pattern or design can make your home look old and tired. The way you decorate can genuinely make or break the space, and determine if your house guests feel cozy and at ease, or send them running to the nearest IKEA. Many people are unaware of the common mistakes they make that can make the house look tacky and worn out - here's everything you need to watch out for.
Toilet Covers Are Outdated and Hold Bacteria
It can be tempting to decorate your bathroom and head straight for the rugs and toilet seat covers. At first, they may seem fun and easy to use. However, they harbor bacteria galore and are a beloved item of the 70s. All the germs from people using the restroom land on the toilet seat cover and the rug below it. Not to mention it's an item that should have been kept in the past.
It's better to skip out on these decor items and opt for nice towels and soap dispensers instead to elevate your restroom.
It's Time to Replace Old Wallpaper
Many people choose to keep the original wallpaper of a home to preserve it. But by doing so, you could compromise the look of your entire home. Sure, wallpaper can be cool, but outdated floral designs need to go. It's time for something new and refreshing to give your home the much-needed facelift it's asking for. You can instantly transform your house into a modern and beautiful oasis by simply removing the wallpaper.
Removing wallpaper can be a hassle, but after you do and give your walls a fresh coat of paint, you'll be glad you did.
Skip the Over-The-Top Curtains
Thinking of new and exciting ways to decorate your home can be challenging. When people want to liven up a room a bit, sometimes they decide to do that with curtains. However, flashy and gaudy curtains are never the answer. They draw attention to the wrong things and make your space feel less homey. Although curtains often cost a lot of money, these curtains, unfortunately, make a room look cheaper.
Next time, opt for plain and simple curtains. Don't let them be the room's main focus, but rather complement the other colors and decor.
Animal Print Can Be Overwhelming
Some people have certain styles and know what they like, which is perfectly fine. But it's better to put touches of print around your home rather than overwhelming a space with such intense choices. It's overwhelming to have three different animal prints on the fridge, the wall directly behind it, and the large dining room rug. Having more than one print tends to clash and make your space appear chaotic.
But don't get discouraged; there is a way to save this kitchen and dining room space! The area will dramatically improve by keeping one animal print item and leaving the rest to be solid, complementary colors.
Don't Crowd Your Walls
Hanging picture frames on your walls can be beautiful only if done correctly. However, a common mistake is often seen in many people's homes. Many crowd their walls with photos because they think it looks nice or simply want to display their favorite memories. While that can be sweet, it can quickly become a design nightmare. Try to pick just your favorite and hang those up on the walls to avoid overwhelming the room.
If you like to see your favorite photos, opt for a photo album that you can place on your living room table instead.
Trade in Your Plastic Dishware for Something Real
You could be doing this one thing that immediately makes your kitchen tacky. If you own plastic cutlery, it's time to make the switch. From dishes to cutlery and cups, it's better to have sets made of glass or ceramic. Plastic is terrible for the environment and instantly downgrades your style. In the long run, it's worth investing in a nice set of kitchenware that doesn't look like it's for kids.
Plastic plates and cutlery could be great for camping or picnics, so before you completely get rid of them, save them for those occasions.
It's Time to Remove the Plastic
You may have memories of your parents, neighbors, or even friends protecting their furniture with plastic covers. Or maybe you do this in your own home. However, plastic is never a good look. Sofas deserve to breathe, so if you prefer to keep the plastic wrapping on your couch, it's time to remove it. This may seem so simple, but it can dramatically influence the overall style of your living room.
By removing the plastic covers, you can enjoy the beauty of your furniture and prevent the room from looking uninviting.
Fake Fruits Take up Unnecessary Space
It is always better to fill your kitchen with real fruit rather than fake plastic fruit. This is an outdated design tactic that people need to realize instantly ages your kitchen. Not to mention that these fake fruit just take up unnecessary counter space and collect dust and grease, which is quite gross. Skip the bowls of faux fruit and leave your kitchen table empty or full of actual edible food.
This is a no-brainer, but you will instantly elevate your kitchen style by ditching the fake fruit.
Doilies Aren't a Great Look
Lace doilies are often laid across a kitchen table to look pretty, but they really serve no purpose. These are nothing more than decor items of the past. Often, they are full of stains or gunk from food that was served over them. It's best to avoid these altogether and finally make a move to get rid of them. Not to mention, they make your home look like it's stuck in the 1950s.
Rather than keeping doilies on your kitchen table, you can keep it simple with a bouquet of flowers and call it a day. Less is definitely more when it comes to decor.
Let Shag Carpeting Stay in the 70s
Carpet has a bad reputation because it is usually wall-to-wall and filthy. It's hard to clean, easily stains, and is often full of gunk you can't even see. When it comes to shag carpeting, it almost always runs the risk of looking cheap and tacky. If you're considering installing carpet, don't. It's better to skip carpeting entirely and stick to hardwood floors. If you currently have it, it's a good idea to get it removed.
Everything about your home could look great, but having this one thing can ruin the entire style and downgrade your home.
Farmhouse Style Is for Farmers Only
Farmhouse decor can turn a beautiful home into a tacky one. Unless you are an actual farmer or live on a farm, there is no need for this type of decor. Little chicken statues and rooster figurines have no purpose and simply make your home look old-fashioned and out of style. If you want to transform your home into something beautiful and timeless, better start getting rid of all the farm-related items.
It's hard for a trend to stay popular for years, so you will be thankful once you replace these farm decor items. Your home will feel brand new and elevated.
Tassel Curtains Are Tacky
It was once pretty standard for people to have heavy drapes with tassels, but they have been outdated for years. If you still own these, it's time to treat yourself to a new set of curtains. This is because they often give the appearance of an old home and are similar to Renaissance styles. Your home should not resemble a time almost 700 years ago, so you better run to the store and get ready to replace them.
You can never go wrong with simple and neutral-colored curtains. This time around, try to opt for something white, cream or beige instead.
Say Goodbye to Patterned Sofas
Sofas are the focal point of any living room and usually can cost a hefty price. This is why it's crucial to make sure when choosing a couch; you do it right. Anything with patterns can instantly make your room look kitschy or like a catalog from the 1960s. When it comes to such a large piece of furniture, it's best to keep it simple and choose a single color.
Don't worry; you can always bring some life and add personality with fun decorative pillows or throw blankets to accompany the couch.
Open Concept Bathrooms Are a No-Go
When decorating and remodeling, bathrooms are usually some of the first places to be changed. If you're looking for ways to transform your home, it's not a bad idea to head to the bathroom and see what could improve there. In this case, the trend of open-concept bathrooms is concerning. It was popular in the 2000s when it was cool to see a bath or shower from your bed, but no need to bring it to 2022.
This trend is pretty strange and makes your bathroom seem like it's supposed to be a part of a fun house, not somebody's precious home.
Alcohol Graveyards Are for College
The infamous alcohol graveyard is a trend that has gone out of style. It usually consists of shelves in a kitchen full of empty alcohol bottles, sitting and collecting dust on display for everyone to see your alcohol consumption. This is a trend usually for young kids in college or maybe bachelor pads but certainly not something for a home that's supposed to look put together. Even if it's done with wine bottles, it's a big no.
If you have one of these in your home, there is an easy solution. Just completely get rid of it! Now you can start to collect some stylish decor items instead.
All White Is a Thing of the Past
Kitchens that are entirely white, appliances and all, are outdated. This became the design trend of the 80s but considering it's almost four decades later, this style needs to go. There are ways to transform it little by little into something a bit more stylish. You can replace cabinets and appliances, but that may be expensive. So try a paint job and kitchen decor items that are fun colors to give your kitchen a facelift.
Now your kitchen will appear more put together, and it can help break up the monotony of the kitchen colors to add some fun.
Better Opt for Fresh Flowers Instead of Fake Plants
Decorating with fake plants is one of the most common decor mistakes people make. While sometimes the plants may look real, more often than not, they are obviously fake and just make your space look tacky. Instead, add vases of real flowers to any of your rooms. It's an easy way to bring some life and color to any room and appear like you really put in the extra effort.
Decorating with real flowers can also become a fun way to practice some self-care. Treat yourself to a beautiful bouquet each week, and let your house reap the benefits.
Oak Cabinets Should Be Refinished
Kitchen cabinets can last decades if they are taken care of, but recently it has become a trend to leave cabinets unfinished which is quite bizarre. It's common for cabinets to wear and discolor on their own, so why participate in a trend that intentionally makes your kitchen look old? Refinishing your cabinets is important, and a lifesaver for all your kitchen design needs. It makes them look modern and trendy.
So make sure to get your cabinets refinished to prevent your kitchen from looking run down. It will bring your kitchen back to life.
Better Stick to Solid Colors
Floral print is one of the most popular prints used worldwide. But when it comes to furniture for your home, stay far away. Furniture chairs and couches are a sure way to age your home and make it look like a retirement facility. If you like floral prints, it's a better alternative to opt for a solid-colored sofa with floral print pillows. This way, you still get to keep a bit of your love for floral in a much more contemporary way.
Though it may seem fun to have funky patterns in your house, it's best to avoid it for big pieces of furniture; that way, your home is in style.
Vertical Blinds Look Cheap
Vertical blinds always look out of place and stand out in any room. They are a thing of the 80s that should stay in the 80s. Even if everything else in the room looks perfect, these blinds are severely out of style and will automatically make your room look cheap. It's time to eliminate these blinds and opt for something else. You can choose shades that roll down or blackout curtains instead.
If these blinds came with your house, it's tempting to leave them be and not bother. But replacing them can transform the feeling of your entire room.
Don't Overdo It With Too Many Colors
When it comes to decorating your home, it can be way too easy to fill it with a ton of colors and mistake this for style. But there is a way to go about this. It's better to stick to one color or a more natural color palette rather than make your entire kitchen pink, purple, and blue. It quickly takes this nice kitchen from great and turns it very tacky.
Rather than pink walls, stick to a more natural white and let pops of color in with decor items like candles, towels, and flowers.
Avoid Open Shelving in Your Kitchen
Open shelving is a disaster waiting to happen and a style reminiscent of the 1920s or 1940s. If you don't dust it every day, each cup and plate will be covered in a layer of dust every time you grab one. If you're also not entirely organized, your shelves are always bound to look messy, which can be exhausting to upkeep. It's a dated and impractical design that should be avoided.
It's much wiser to opt for cabinets that cover your dishware. This way, they are protected, you don't have to worry about always having perfectly organized shelves, and your kitchen appears modern and beautiful.
Time to Remove Those Floor-To-Ceiling Mirrors
If there is ever a place for floor-to-ceiling mirrors, it is strictly for places like the gym, dance studios, and dressing rooms. But in your home? Absolutely not. These types of mirrors first gained popularity in France in the last decades of the seventeenth century. But today, they take up precious wall space. They are a pain to clean and replace and generally make your home look of lesser value.
It's not the late 1700s anymore, so these mirrors have got to go. It's best to buy a sophisticated standing mirror instead and skip out on this trend.
Skip the Kitchen Signs
These are one of the most common decor items you can find in almost any home or decor store. However, they need to be stopped. There is no use for such obvious signs like 'pantry' and 'wine'; they are tacky and make your home look cheap. If you must have decor up on the wall, it is better to choose some framed art rather than these weird kitchen signs. It is guaranteed that by removing these, your kitchen will instantly become less dated.
The kitchen is the house's most important room, so by removing these signs that are bad no matter what, your kitchen will thank you.
Upgrade Your Old Furniture by Replacing Fixtures
When your furniture is outdated, it can ruin the entire style of a room. But that doesn't mean you have to eliminate all your furniture completely. There is a much simpler alternative. You can replace old fixtures and instantly upgrade any old furniture piece. If you have an antique dresser, all you have to do is give it a fresh coat of paint and change the handles for something more modern, and you're good to go.
Not only will this upgrade your space, but it's an easy hack to upcycle any piece of furniture you already have into something stylish and new.
Keep the Kitchen Desks Out of the Kitchen
The kitchen should be a serene place that is dedicated to cooking, storing food and drinks, and hosting people for meals. It's never a good idea to bring work into the kitchen. So it's time to ditch those desks that were built there 10 or 20 years ago. Instead, dedicate a study space somewhere else. They were cute a long time ago but now are simply bleak reminders of the early 2000s.
Keep the kitchen a place for things related to cooking and eating rather than keeping a desk there that just takes up space and looks off and out of place.
A Monochromatic Color Scheme Is Boring
Usually, when it comes to decorating your home, making things match sounds like a good idea. So how is there a time when that goes wrong? If you dedicate an entire room to a color, it can quickly become weird. It's a style originating in the 1920s on the back of the art-deco movement. But today, this is old-fashioned, dull, and monotonous. It's best to add some pops of color to make it livelier.
Rather than have your room all black and blue, which can be depressing and boring, opt for lighter colors like white and grey and then have pops of blue.
Not All Antiques, Collectables or Trophies Need to Be on Display
Most people's ideas of decor are displaying every antique, trinket, and family heirloom they have. But these aren't actual decorations; they are simply placeholders of the past. If you want to avoid creating a distasteful museum in your living room that screams old, skip this altogether. Having a few of these items out isn't bad, but it's not good when your entire living room is dedicated to them, resulting in an archaic look.
Instead, use items like candles, books, plants, and lights to decorate your living room. That way, you can sprinkle in personal touches that are in style without it being overbearing.
Pattern Overload
Patterns and colors are lovely and add some liveliness to your space. But be careful not to overdo it. It's best to stick to one pattern and color rather than fill your rooms with every design you like. This is an old interior design trend that isn't up to date with current trends. If you want to ensure your home looks nice and put together, stay away from this trend and opt for more minimalistic styles.
Patterns can be amazing when done right. Avoid overly busy prints, especially more than one, and you'll be golden.
There's No Way to Make Recliner Sofas Stylish
People might love reclining sofas because of how comfortable they are. But there is no way to make them look trendy. It's best to have a comfortable and beautiful couch you will actually want to sit on, then keep one of these chairs in your living room. It downgrades your entire space and can cost a hefty amount too. Avoid these at all costs, and your living room will be safe from style disaster.
Although these chairs might be comfy, they age your space and are unpleasant to look at. If your priority is style, then don't buy one of these.
Remove the Carpeting and Opt for Hardwood Floors
If you're considering removing your carpeting, the answer is yes. Carpet can be comfortable and affordable, but they instantly make the value of your home appear lower. Hardwood floors require an investment, but it's worth it in the long run. By changing this one decor aspect of your home, it will appear more sophisticated and put together. Plus, hardwood floors are always in style and way easier to maintain than carpeting.
Hardwood wins against carpet every time so make sure you're not making this simple mistake that could transform your house from drab to beautiful.
Fringe Is a Trend That Comes and Goes
Fringe and tassels have been a part of interior design trends from Victorian times, the art deco style of the 1920s, and the hippie era of 1960 to 1970s. This trend is coming back, but here's why you shouldn't fall for it. Fringe can seem like an easy decor choice when spicing up your furniture and space, but it makes your home look dated and regal rather than warm and comforting.
It may come as a surprise, but it's best to avoid fringe and opt for other ways to add dimension to your home, like pillows, art, and flowers.
Kitchen Tile Countertops Collect Grout and Are Outdated
Tile can look great initially, but it's notorious for collecting grout and grime. It's hard to maintain and keep clean, and no one wants a kitchen countertop full of slimy sludge. Not to mention, if the tile cracks, it's game over; your countertop is ruined. It's simply unnecessary, and plenty of alternatives look a million times better and actually stay clean. So if you want to save your kitchen, follow this tip.
No one wants a kitchen that appears cheap and old just by a small design choice that could've been avoided, so make sure to replace your kitchen countertops with something beautiful and long-lasting.
One Too Many Pillows
It's understandable to want to create a cozy and inviting home, and it always seems the simple way to do that is by filling your beds and couches with plenty of pillows. However, this can make your home look messy, chaotic, and aged. While it was encouraged in the 1940s and '50s to have heaps of pillows for decor, now it's considered over-decorating. To help your house look organized and in style, stay clear of this common issue.
A well-decorated house that looks pulled together usually consists of a few pillows on the ends of a sofa that complement the colors of your living room.
Pineapples Are for Eating, Not Decorating
It's been popular for years to decorate with pineapple-patterned items, but it's been overdone. Pineapple decor gives your home an immature and tacky tone. It could work as holiday decorations for parties, but for everyday home decor, it's not something that should be visually emphasized. It's time to say goodbye to this tropical fruit as decor and let it remain a snack you eat. So if you have pineapple shower curtains, soap dispensers, or more, time to replace it.
Now is the time to learn from these decor mistakes and transform your house into the home you've always wanted, perfectly decorated that represents your best yourself.
Linoleum Flooring Is Grimy
Everything about your home could be perfect, but this mistake will completely derail its value and appearance. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but linoleum flooring is the one flooring option you should avoid at all costs. It's not attractive; it can collect tons of grime and is frankly a trend from the 1960s and earlier. But what's the alternative if you choose to get rid of these linoleum floors?
It's worth changing your kitchen flooring to vinyl, ceramic tiles, or even hardwood. This way, your kitchen will be the highlight of your house and not a room to skip over.
Leave the Beach-Themed Rooms for Beachside Hotels
Over the years, one of the biggest home decor trends has been beach-themed everything. But this has quickly become overwhelming and something just for a child's bedroom. So if your guest bedroom or bathroom is full of starfish and shells, it might be time to incorporate decorating elements of a different style. Instead, you can try a teal and white color scheme to represent the ocean but lose all the obnoxious trinkets.
Often beach decor creates a formal and stuffy feeling rather than the relaxed and effortless vibe people assume they are making. Rather than going overboard, choosing neutral designs is much more sophisticated.
Distressed Furniture Rarely Works
Adding character to your home is fun, and no one wants a dull space. However, a common choice is distressed furniture or cabinets in your kitchen to go for an antique look. People believe aging your furniture adds a historical feel, but this trend does more harm than good. The weathered look just appears as if you don't take care of your home, and no one wants a house that looks dirty and neglected.
There is a better way to rock unique interior designs without ruining your cabinets or furniture. A simple tip is to change the drawer pulls on your kitchen cabinets to vintage gold or brass; it will instantly achieve that sought-after vintage look.
Replace Outdated Wall Decor With Art
As someone who wants to improve the look of their home and put in the effort to interior decorating, it's all too easy to fall prey to decor trends. This includes pieces like novelty clocks, cat clocks, and the same decor items that have been around for decades. Maybe it's hard to let go of these pieces for nostalgic reasons. But the truth is, these items are simply not chic.
Rather than decorating with vintage, quirky items like these, it may be time to move on for them. Opt for art or framed photos instead; your home will turn from a blast from the past into a modern oasis.
Excessively Formal Decor Is Not Comforting
Design professionals will tell you this is a top mistake people make that ages you and your home. Formal living rooms are not functional and can come off very cold. You don't need to be an interior designer to avoid or fix this mistake. By making small changes, you can turn your living room into a dream space. Avoid fringes, tassels, and overwhelming your space with sterile and busy decorations.
Minimalist design choices are much more comforting and can withstand the test of time. This way, your living room won't go out of trend or look like it was from a magazine fifty years ago.