5 COMMON INTERIOR DECORATION MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVIOD THEM
5 COMMON INTERIOR DECORATION MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVIOD THEM
5 COMMON INTERIOR DECORATION MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVIOD THEM
Kim Johnson
Rae Wolf founder & Interior Designer
4 min read
Apr 12, 2023
|
4 min read
Apr 12, 2023
|
Here are five of the most common interior design mistakes I see - and how to avoid them.
1. Ignoring Function and Flow
The mistake: Choosing furniture and layouts that look great in photos but don’t work for real life. Maybe your sofa blocks a walkway, or there’s no plug where you need one for your Christmas tree.
How to avoid it: Think about how you’ll live in the room, day to day and during special moments. Consider sightlines, movement, and accessibility. Ask yourself: “Will this layout actually make life easier - or just prettier?”
2. Skipping Balance
The mistake: Filling a room with beautiful pieces that somehow feel jarring or heavy on one side. It’s easy to overestimate what a space can handle.
How to avoid it: Balance comes from proportion, symmetry, and knowing when enough is enough. Step back and see if the room feels harmonious. If something throws it off, trust your instinct - it’s probably right.
Choosing Colour or Art Without Intention
The mistake: Slapping a bold wall colour on impulse or picking art just because it “matches.” This can make a room feel chaotic or impersonal.
How to avoid it: Colour should set the mood; be deliberate. Art should express personality, not just fill space. Think about scale, framing, and placement - and how it complements the room, not competes with it.
Forgetting About Flooring and Rugs
The mistake: Overlooking how flooring affects the feel of a space, or buying a tiny rug that floats awkwardly in the middle of the room.
How to avoid it: Consider the tactile experience underfoot and use rugs to anchor furniture groupings. Hard floors need warmth and connection; soft floors need structure. Think of flooring as the foundation that ties everything together.
A space decorated for expectation rather than personality will never feel truly timeless.
Neglecting Materials and Authenticity
The mistake: Selecting items solely for colour or trend, ignoring how materials interact or whether a space reflects who you are.
How to avoid it: Materials matter - they carry weight, texture, and meaning. Every choice affects the overall feel. And above all, make your home feel like you. Authenticity beats trend every time.
Avoiding these common mistakes comes down to the same principles that guide great design: plan for how a space is used, balance beauty with function, choose colour and art intentionally, respect the foundation underfoot, and honour your own style.
Get these right, and your home will feel effortlessly and unmistakably yours.
Here are five of the most common interior design mistakes I see - and how to avoid them.
1. Ignoring Function and Flow
The mistake: Choosing furniture and layouts that look great in photos but don’t work for real life. Maybe your sofa blocks a walkway, or there’s no plug where you need one for your Christmas tree.
How to avoid it: Think about how you’ll live in the room, day to day and during special moments. Consider sightlines, movement, and accessibility. Ask yourself: “Will this layout actually make life easier - or just prettier?”
2. Skipping Balance
The mistake: Filling a room with beautiful pieces that somehow feel jarring or heavy on one side. It’s easy to overestimate what a space can handle.
How to avoid it: Balance comes from proportion, symmetry, and knowing when enough is enough. Step back and see if the room feels harmonious. If something throws it off, trust your instinct - it’s probably right.
Choosing Colour or Art Without Intention
The mistake: Slapping a bold wall colour on impulse or picking art just because it “matches.” This can make a room feel chaotic or impersonal.
How to avoid it: Colour should set the mood; be deliberate. Art should express personality, not just fill space. Think about scale, framing, and placement - and how it complements the room, not competes with it.
Forgetting About Flooring and Rugs
The mistake: Overlooking how flooring affects the feel of a space, or buying a tiny rug that floats awkwardly in the middle of the room.
How to avoid it: Consider the tactile experience underfoot and use rugs to anchor furniture groupings. Hard floors need warmth and connection; soft floors need structure. Think of flooring as the foundation that ties everything together.
A space decorated for expectation rather than personality will never feel truly timeless.
Neglecting Materials and Authenticity
The mistake: Selecting items solely for colour or trend, ignoring how materials interact or whether a space reflects who you are.
How to avoid it: Materials matter - they carry weight, texture, and meaning. Every choice affects the overall feel. And above all, make your home feel like you. Authenticity beats trend every time.
Avoiding these common mistakes comes down to the same principles that guide great design: plan for how a space is used, balance beauty with function, choose colour and art intentionally, respect the foundation underfoot, and honour your own style.
Get these right, and your home will feel effortlessly and unmistakably yours.
READ MORE FROM RAE WOLF
READ MORE FROM RAE WOLF
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of Interior Design
In this post, I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of interior design.
I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
The 7 principles of interior design.
I’ll walk you through the seven core principles of interior design: function and flow, balance, walls and art, flooring, furniture, materials, and authenticity.
Our guide to space planning
Space planning isn’t just about furniture layouts – it’s about designing a home that functions for the way you live.
Where to start when you're renovating your house
So, you’re drowning in stuff and dreaming of more space– you are not the only one.
RAE WOLF: INTERIORS THAT FEEL
LIKE YOU, ONLY BETTER.
RAE WOLF: INTERIORS THAT FEEL LIKE YOU, ONLY BETTER.
RAE WOLF: INTERIORS THAT FEEL LIKE YOU, ONLY BETTER.
Interior designer, problem-solver, colour enthusiast. Kim founded Rae Wolf to help people create homes that don’t follow trends – they follow instinct.
