DDW’s designer approved tips and things that make your interior design feel cheap.
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to spend a fortune and then some to make your house reek elegance. Much like anything in life, a careful approach is better than an exhuberant one, such as opting to perfect details as opposed to resolving them in as little time as possible. The process of interior design should be a lengthy one, built over many years so as to avoid buying into fast trends which go off faster than the milk in your fridge, and make your home look cheap.
Whether you are looking to upgrade your home or re-decorate a completely new one, here’s the things that bring down the elegance and make your interior design look… cheap.
Anything Mirrored
Instead, try: Keeping the mirrors for the walls.
Listen, you’re no Snow White – there’s no need for mirrors everywhere you go. Granted, they make your space look and feel bigger, but when mirrors are plastered haphazardly on cabinets, coffee tables, and other miscellaneous interior decor, even the best of pieces can look… a little cheap.
Wrong Sized Rugs
Instead, try: Rightly sized rugs, of course.
Rugs are perfect mechanisms to zone your interiors, bind your furniture together, and grant your spaces a whole different feel, but can just as quickly cheapen your room if too small, or too large. The rule of thumb is simple: your rugs should be large enough to fit under your furniture and sofa, but not overly large that it touches every single wall.
Furniture Sets
Instead, try: Unique statement pieces combined to make a fun whole.
We get it, it’s easy. You walk into a furniture store, find the matching sofa, chair, table, and wardrobe, and you can take it all home with you in the blink of an eye. As convenient as they may be, these furniture sets make one’s home look straight out of a catalogue, lacking all the personality and fun that interior design beckons. If you have the chance, opt for bespoke fitted wardrobes and custom-made furniture.
The Colour Grey
Instead, try: A nude colour palette.
Listen, we’re probably going to get in trouble for saying this, but we’ll say it anyway: Grey is about as exciting as a stale piece of bread. It used to be cool, like those parachute pants from the ’80s, but now it’s just…meh. While it was once a popular choice for interior design, it now runs the risk of appearing dull and inhibiting self-expression. It has akin to furniture sets, which can stifle personal style and taste.
The Wrong Curtains
Instead, try: Long, flowy ones that touch the floor.
Curtains are the best lowkey hack to make a room feel taller and draw the eye upwards, but just as they can do wonders for your space, an awkward curtain can do the precise opposite. As windows are often focal spatial elements, adorning them with the wrong rug can quickly bring down the room’s elegance.