5 Costly Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid

By Thea Felicity | Oct 10, 2024 07:38 AM EDT

Some people shy away from interior designers, thinking they are an extra cost to add to their already-expensive homes. However, not hiring one can lead to room design mistakes that are much more expensive to fix. With interior designers, or at least with their tips and suggestions, you can avoid these costly errors to save money and improve your home even more.

5 Costly Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid

While it's true that there is beauty in the way we personally perceive things, sometimes other people won't see our visions the way we do. There are interior design principles experts follow to ensure that your house has the perfect layout, home decor, fixtures, furniture, and the like. Therefore, not only makes your house stylish but also functional for everyone who visits.

To help you fix what has already been done or give you a heads up in case you don't have the budget to hire an interior designer, here are 5 costly interior design mistakes to avoid.

Also Read: 5 Lighting Mistakes That Could Be Ruining Your Home's Atmosphere

1. Inconsistent Designs

(Photo : Melinamade - Residential Design + Interiors / Houzz)

My Bespoke Room stated that we usually get so swayed a lot by social media that we mindlessly save home design inspirations to our galleries and add furniture and home decor used by celebrities to our shopping cart. This will lead to one of the most costly interior design mistakes as it will only make your house look unorganized and an eye sore.

What you can do is create a mood board, either digital or physical, that will include all your design preferences in colors, materials, and styles. This way, when it's time to buy things for your home, you can simply refer to the board to ensure the elements you want are all included.

2. Wrong Sizes

Sometimes, we get so excited or rush to catch up with holiday discounts that we buy things in advance. This is a costly interior design mistake in the future because one way or another, one of your furniture will not fit perfectly in the space you laid out for a specific room. Unfortunately, warranties do not cover these items and you will have no choice but to buy another.

(Photo : Deborah Broockerd/DkB Design Services / Houzz)

There are apps available that will let you lay out a room and everything that you will put in there, with correct sizes, so you can buy appropriate items next time.

3. Mixed Styles

Now, you already have consistent designs, but not everything is available in similar styles. For example, you opted for bohemian designs, but with modern, traditional, and other eccentric styles that makes it difficult to pinpoint what exactly you were trying to show.

(Photo : Big Chill / Houzz)

My Bespoke Room shared that interior designers follow a 70-30 rule, where 70% is just one consistent style and design, and the 30% is made up of other things you have in mind.

4. Disregarding Light Fixtures

(Photo : Houzz)

Lighting is often the last thing homeowners keep in mind, but that should not be the case. Design Times earlier learned that this is another costly interior design mistake that will ruin your home's atmosphere. Most interior designers look at the natural light available in a room and what they can do to make it brighter or darker, depending on your preference. Then, that's where light fixtures will come in, together with suitable home decor to enhance their effect.

5. Unrecognizable Focal Point

As Design Times said, focal points tie up homes, giving them a synchronized look no matter how small or large the space is.

(Photo : Houzz)

Without a focal point, there's just a plain room to look at, and you will end up spending on items that will make your plain room look stylish. To save yourself time and money, think of something that will be the main focus of your home. Fireplaces are usually the most common ones, but you can also check out other focal point-worthy home decors and furniture.

5 Costly Interior Design Mistakes to Avoid