Zaraki KenpachiIf you’re planning to remodel your living room, congratulations! Next to the kitchen, it’s probably the room where family members and guests spend the most time.
However, living room design ideas can be overwhelming. If you feel like you ‘aren’t a designer’, it could feel like the entire project is a pitfall of expensive mistakes waiting to happen.
Before you get advice on what to do, it’s equally important to know what you should avoid. That’s why we assembled a guide to 7 living room remodeling mistakes, so you can avoid them and get to remodeling!
1. Ignoring Your Lifestyle
When it comes to living room remodeling mistakes, living in a fantasy world is a crime most of us are guilty of. After paging through magazines or Instagram feeds full of visual inspiration, you might be committed to a certain aesthetic.
But does that aesthetic fit your actual lifestyle? Start by considering what you actually do in your living room. Maybe you hold a weekly book club.
If that’s the case, you’ll need lots of cozy seating. If you’re leaning toward a minimalistic look with reduced furniture, lighting, throw pillows, and so forth, this won’t work for the practical uses of your living room.
You should also consider the season of life you’re in. If you have adult children, then revel in all the room designer options available to you. But if you have little ones, know that investing in an all-white expensive couch is a recipe for disappointment and disaster.
2. Sticking to One Theme
If you’re not confident in your interior design skills, it can feel tempting to stay in the safe zone. After all, if you stick with basic color pairings, such as blue and white, how bad could it be? Or, you may want to stay with a particular furniture theme.
By doing this, you run the risk of making your room seem one-dimensional. Worse, it could seem dated and unoriginal.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match! Put that gilt-edged Victorian mirror together with that 1970s’ loveseat, and see how it looks!
At worst, you can always edit. At best, your room will look unique and layered, with different points of interest the longer someone looks at it.
3. Look, But Don’t Touch
Even if you don’t have pets or children putting your living room design ideas at risk, the room should still be liveable. Sometimes, people make the mistake of putting together a room for decoration.
It looks like it would feature on a classy magazine cover. But if you can’t sit on the rigid, uncomfortable couch, it’s useless. If you can’t use a room without constantly worrying about breaking something or being comfortable, then it’s not really a living room.
4. Winging It
What’s your living room remodeling budget? If your plan is to take expenses as they come, you could find yourself in trouble when that credit card bill finally comes. When renovating living rooms, the expenses add up fast.
Furniture is one of the biggest expenses you can incur during a living room remodel. And if you start spending without a plan, you could go over budget fast.
Figure out what you can afford, and how much you’re willing to stretch that number. Then, you’ll avoid blowing all your money on new lighting fixtures and potted plants without ever replacing that rickety sofa your cats destroyed.
5. Keeping the Clutter
Whether you hire a home remodeling service or trying to do it yourself, there’s one thing that besets everyone: clutter. From unsightly electrical cords to toys everywhere, clutter can detract from all the remodeling work you did.
If you have a busy family, there’s no way that you’ll eliminate clutter entirely. There are so many cute storage solutions these days, though, that you can keep it under control.
Start with stackable totes that match the color scheme of your living room. This serves as a great catch-all for things like DVDs, seasonal decor, toys, and more.
6. Forgetting to Accessorize
If you’re on a strict budget, make sure to hit the essentials first. A new rug, new furniture, great lighting fixtures, and the perfect coffee table will be the most useful pieces.
Working within your limitations is crucial. But if you have some budget left over, or aren’t overly concerned about the money spent on this remodel, accessorize! An interior deluxe makeover is all about accessories.
The little touches are what turn a living room from good to great. Unique light fixtures can add a funky touch to the room, and you might see that it’s exactly what your living room needed this whole time.
What about artwork? Invest in some splashy pieces to draw the eye. This will help ensure the television isn’t the only focal point in your living room.
7. Shrinking the Room
Low ceilings, improperly positioned curtains, dark furniture, poor lighting … all of these living room remodeling mistakes can make your space seem smaller than it actually is.
This makes the room seem gloomy and cramped, which will make it feel depressing rather than cozy to spend time in. When renovating living rooms, take the time to consider how each piece will add to the mood.
Placement also matters when you’re trying to make a small room seem bigger. For instance, putting your sofa against the wall might add space practically, but make things seem smaller visually.
Don’t go for the first placement that comes to mind, which is true for rugs, furniture, lighting fixtures, and more. Play around a little and have fun!
Avoiding Living Room Remodeling Mistakes
When it comes to avoiding living room remodeling mistakes, take your time. Rushing into a living room remodel and feeling like you have to make purchases now means that you could make avoidable errors.
Know that there isn’t a specific handbook of remodeling do’s and don’ts. In some cases, the best thing you can do is follow your gut!
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Jaime Hay
