Are You Making These Home Design Mistakes?

If you do not have a design degree or years of home designing experience, you should not be expected to have your home design fully figured out. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do it all, and unfortunately that means that the things we try and don’t succeed at out of the gates become some of our least favorite things. Pro Tip (that I need to remind myself of more): you can’t be an expert at everything.

You may have a creative background as an incredible artist, playing with color in your studio every day. You may be a realtor who is in and out of houses daily, studying room layouts and how to best sell each home you walk into. Maybe you are a marine biologist who has never thought twice about your home design. No matter what your background might be, it is easy to put pressure on yourself to know exactly how to design your own home, bring your surroundings to life, make your house feel established, fill your space with thoughtful furnishings, etc.

As an interior designer, it is often expected that I would be an incredible hostess with magazine-worthy tablescapes and a five-course meal at every get together. That is not me. I have studied and practiced interior design for two decades, and never once have I been taught how to pull together the ultimate tablescape.

I may never actually practice setting a table enough to be an expert at pulling a glorious tablescape together… and (unfortunately for my family) I will never take the time to be the ultimate chef that has more than a one course meal prepared, even for a full house of guests 🥴 This doesn’t mean I don’t love having people over and entertaining, it just means I am not great at it. No hard feelings… I’m the first to admit it!

By doing something that you do not have time to practice daily, you are bound to make mistakes. It is the nature of life. Your latest home design mistakes may have resulted in a significant pause on progress that could be indefinite if you’re not careful 😅 Your latest home design mistakes may also mean you have a room full of returns or items that you can no longer return and “hope to use in the future”.

When you don’t seek out help on the things you don’t have time to practice every day, you are leading yourself into a LONG learning curve that may or may not result in your ultimate potential.

5 Common Home Design Mistakes Homeowners Make When They Don’t Seek Out Help:

1. Feeling Like You Have To Define Your Style:

A reminder that trying to define your style can limit your design eye. Never feel like you can’t add something to your home that you love, but it doesn’t “go”. That’s about my worst nightmare in design! YOU DO YOU! Love everything about your home, even those quirky adds that just bring a smile to your face and make your style eclectically yours.

2. Forgetting You Can Think Bigger:

I often find myself limiting what I should change in my home. “We just renovated 7 years ago, should I really take the time and spend the money lightly refreshing our kitchen, or should I just touch up cabinet paint with a Q-tip and call it a day?” OR “I haven’t loved this fireplace surround or banister since we moved in 12 years ago, but they are the vibe of the house, are they worth changing?” I mean, what is wrong with me? I AM a designer, and I still find myself limiting the potential of the home I live in. We all need to be thinking bigger, doing what feels right for you and your crew and makes your home really sing!

3. Not Planning Ahead:

You HAVE TO put pencil to paper (or tape to surface 😆) when you are designing any space. You should never purchase a piece of furniture, a light fixture, or a piece of art without measuring, understanding its scale, and laying it out in a plan or within your space first. Measure twice, purchase once!

4. Hesitating To Step Outside Of Your Comfort Zone:

If you are going to design solo, do yourself a massive favor, step outside of your comfort zone. When you open up your home design process to others, you will always get a fresh perspective on something you have not yet thought about for your space. That’s the beauty of teaming on home design projects. If you are going it alone, stretch outside of your comfort zone on aesthetic and sourcing resources to make sure your space ends up speaking YOU!

5. Giving In To Limiting Beliefs:

As soon as you make a home design mistake, it is really easy to limit your beliefs on what you are capable of accomplishing. You have to keep moving. Find an accountability crew to keep you motivated, bounce ideas off of, and make the process fun (we’re always here for you in any support capacity you are looking for, BTW)! Don’t limit yourself by thinking you should know it all and have it all done by now. If you are reading this, you have an incredible designer in you, ready to bust out of your limiting beliefs. I promise!

Ready To Start Your Home Design Journey?

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xo,

If you‘re looking for more budgeting tips for your home design projects, check out this post:

Stretch Your Home Design Budget With a High/Low Mix

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