The #1 Mistake People Make When Decorating (and How to Avoid It)
Posted by Kirsten Sharp on Feb 7th 2025
Have you ever spent hours choosing the perfect paint color, only to finish the room and think...
"Why doesn’t it look like the ones I saved on Pinterest?"
You’re not alone!
The Mistake: Jumping in Without a Clear Vision
One of the biggest decorating mistakes I see — and honestly, one I’ve made myself plenty of times — is starting in the wrong place.
Most people jump right into buying furniture, picking paint colors, and filling their shopping cart before they have a clear vision for the room.
It’s exciting in the moment, but it almost always leads to frustration later.
So what's the right first step?
STEP 1: Start with an inspiration piece
By this, I mean a pillow, area rug or curtain. The only catch is that has to have multiple colors. This becomes your color palette for the room and it also ties everything together.
No more picking random decor and being frustrated when it doesn't look great after you put everything together!
When you have an inspiration piece, it does a lot of the heavy lifting for you by guiding you on what colors work - and don't work - as you're choosing the other decor for your room.
STEP 2: Learn the decorating principles
If you're feeling intimidated, don't be! A lot of what makes a room look beautiful comes down to the basics - like knowing how to hang your curtains properly or knowing the right size area rug for your room.
Nothing complicated here, but these are the things that will make it look like you hired a designer!
STEP 3: Style your room
And once you have the right foundation, styling is what takes your room from good to great. Simple things like adding candles, a stack of books or a vase of flowers - when done in the right way - makes your room look cozy and polished.
When you take a little time upfront to plan your room in a strategic way, the whole decorating process becomes so much easier.
(And spoiler: it actually starts looking like those Pinterest rooms you love.)
I hope this post is helpful in giving you a framework for decorating your room!
Need Help Decorating Your Home?
I'm excited to announce we're offering design consultations with yours truly! You can find all the details here.
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