Furnishing your home: the most common mistakes and tips to avoid them

Decorating your home may seem trivial, but there are several “traps” that can compromise the final result. In this article, we discover how to avoid the most frequent mistakes.

Decorating your home is a fun and satisfying activity: the house gradually takes on the look you desire and what until recently seemed like bare rooms become the promise of a new domestic life.

However, it is also a complex activity . It is a shame that we realize this after the fact, when all the wrong choices have been made and we find ourselves with places that, on closer inspection, present inconsistencies and ugliness.

The good news is that it takes relatively little to avoid this risk: it is sufficient to avoid some common mistakes , which are made almost physiologically. We list them here, along with some advice on how to avoid them.

1.Choosing furniture that is too big or too small

This is not a small mistake. The size of the furniture, in fact, affects the perception of space . Depending on their size, a room can seem smaller or larger than it is. All extremes must be avoided.

Furniture that is too large could make the spaces feel claustrophobic and reduce the level of comfort that comes from using them. The inhabitant feels constrained , resulting in a feeling of limited freedom of movement.

Furniture that is too small, on the other hand, could give the rooms a dispersive character and make them appear bare, devoid of personality. In extreme cases, the rooms appear ridiculous , radically compromising their aesthetics.

How to avoid this mistake? Often, it is enough to take the measurements . In this way, you avoid the risk of creating empty spaces on one side and leaving little room for movement on the other. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to communicate the measurements to the interior designer or sales manager who accompanies the purchase.

2. Ignore the lighting

Lighting is a topic that is often overlooked by those who take care of the furnishings of their home. A typical example is to consider lighting only and exclusively from a practical point of view, and to set the sole objective of making the rooms bright . The reality is that lighting also plays an aesthetic role, above all.

You can use light like a painter uses colors. When necessary, it allows you to give the room a sense of welcome and warmth, elegance and sophistication, inspire concentration or - on the contrary - liveliness.

It is up to the homeowner to decide how to manage the lights and lighting. The advice, however, is always the same: consider all the alternatives available , ceiling lighting, wall lighting, built-in lighting, etc. You could also consider using plasterboard to create niches , with consequent plays of light and shadow.

Managing lighting, let's be clear, is a complex matter. Therefore, there is nothing wrong in showing disorientation in front of this task. One idea, however, is to gain a culture on the subject, to develop specific knowledge .

Some online portals allow you to delve deeper into best practices and find other original ideas , such as the furnishing advice section of Ristrutturare-casa.org with valuable ideas for avoiding common mistakes and furnishing your home successfully.

3. Not planning the furniture arrangement

This is an incredibly common mistake among those who are about to furnish their home. A mistake that can cost time and money. Specifically, it consists of going by chance , following not only personal taste (which would be fine), but also and above all instinct.

The result is, at best, a place that is not very functional and uncomfortable to frequent. At worst, a place that is ugly and simply unlivable.

The advice, therefore, is to plan the arrangement of the furniture in your home very carefully . Sometimes, a sketch on a sheet of paper is enough, the preparation of a floor plan with the furniture well represented and to scale. Obviously, it is good to use ad hoc programs, capable of performing home staging that is as realistic as possible.

4. Neglecting stylistic consistency

Another important and widespread mistake is to neglect stylistic coherence. The combination of elements from different styles, if not carefully studied, can give a disordered and inharmonious effect. For example, combining classic furnishings with modern pieces without a common thread risks creating chaotic environments, compromising the quality of the living experience.

It is essential to maintain a homogeneous stylistic line to give the house a clear identity and enhance its spaces. The only way to do this is, in fact, to start from this identity, design it and define it, and only then start choosing the furniture.

5. Underestimating accessories

Another common mistake is to underestimate accessories such as rugs, cushions, paintings and lamps that are not just details, but elements that contribute to completing and personalising each environment. Their absence or an untidy choice can make spaces cold and impersonal.

Tastefully chosen accessories add character and warmth, making the home a truly unique and welcoming place. Above all, they charge it with personality, giving it uniqueness and making it distinctive, different from the others.

Often, it is enough to start by choosing a few key elements that can reflect the character of the house and give continuity to the general style.

Let's draw some conclusions...

To conclude, here are the general principles for those who want to furnish their home to perfection :

• Furnishing a home is difficult , because there are numerous solutions and the risk of creating inconsistent or simply out of place combinations is high.
• You have to be careful of some very common mistakes, e.g. getting the size of the furniture wrong, ignoring the potential of lighting and accessories, not planning, not considering coherence as an absolute value.
• It is preferable to rely on experts , but from a position of strength, that is, from the position of someone who - in any case - at least knows a little . Hence, the need to form an idea and to educate oneself on reliable sources.

Principles that may seem obvious, but that are often disregarded, resulting in a waste of time and money . Fortunately, as seen, with a little attention and careful planning it is possible to avoid common mistakes and furnish a house to make it welcoming and organized.

MD

Furnishing your home, beware of these incredibly common mistakes that can irremediably compromise the final result.