COMMON DESIGN MISTAKES | Living Room Design Mistakes and How to Fix Them | Julie Khuu

Hello everyone, welcome back to our new series on

design

mistakes

and how to fix

them

. I'm Julie and today we'll be tackling the

living

room

. The goal of this series is to find solutions to the

design

mistakes

I see being made in the home. There are definitely mistakes I'm guilty of making in my 16 years in the industry, but now that I know better that I can do better, design is very personal. Your space should speak to you as you share your story, so remember that it is not a mistake if the design was intentional remember that these are not strict rules that you should follow, seriously, don't listen to anything I say, just keep

them

in mind so that when the time comes you can make an informed decision on how to do it. design your space better, the most

common

mistake and the one I will always start with in all these videos, has to do with scale and proportion, let's talk about the number one mistake that is made in

living

room

s by choosing the wrong sofa, especially when you try.

To make an old sofa work in your new space and throw scale and proportion completely out the window, you need to select a sofa that is the right size for your space, so of course the first thing you need to do is measure the room once you measure the room and you will know the dimensions you can play with. Next, you need to choose a sofa that is super comfortable. I mean, comfort is key in the living room and your couch is the main attraction. It all starts with a really great floor plan. So be sure to take accurate measurements, draw your seating group accordingly, and plan the correct size of your sofa in the space.

If you need some additional tips and tricks, be sure to check out my Dream Space i series scales and proportions video. Definitely go into detail about measuring the room and planning the right size furniture, so be sure to keep in mind that if you haven't moved on to rugs yet, a rug that's too small can make a room look much smaller, so do not do it. make this costly mistake the perfect rug helps define the space and anchor the main seating group a small rug throws off the balance a large rug can be expensive, but a rug is definitely one of the most important elements of a room, so choose A neutral tone with great texture so you can enjoy it for years to come, follow my tips on scale and proportion in the Dream Space series and you can find more tips in the ultimate rug guide.

Another

common

mistake is space planning. Space planning is all about how you place all your furniture and where you place it in relation to the room, the most common mistake I see in space planning, pushing all your furniture up against the walls, you'll remember this tip from my 8 most common decorating mistakes I see it done and in fact I received a lot of criticism for this advice. What I noticed is that you took it really literally. Some viewers saw examples of a sofa pushed against a wall or even my own sofa pushed against a window in the living room.

I realized that maybe you missed the point because I didn't illustrate it in more detail for a small space, you can pin the wall with a large piece of furniture that could be your sofa, could be the sofa. It could be a sectional, but how you create a cozy and intimate seating group depends on how you float the remaining pieces in the space. What does that mean? Start with the focal wall and anchor the largest sofa in front of the focal wall once you have the largest piece. place, you can then place a coffee table in front of it and then square the space to create an intimate seating group, perhaps with a club chair or an accent chair that will create almost like a right angle or you can even place that accent chair. a corner facing the main seating group, the aim is to create an intimate seating group where all users of the space can see each other, talk to each other, have a conversation and it is really cozy, intimate and inviting.

I understand the intention of pushing all your furniture against the walls you want to create the illusion of having more space, but I don't know any client who comes to me and says

julie

, can you make my living room look more spacious? No one says they want something cozy, warm, inviting and the only way to achieve this is to create a seating group that moves away from the walls to create a more intimate gathering space. If you push all the furniture against the walls of the living room, what you are really creating is a space that is devoid of any function except primarily watching television.

The function of the living room is to live in it. Interact with others. Have a conversation. Sitting down to have coffee or tea and starting a discussion you want to be able to have eye contact with the person sitting in the room with you is having a conversation and you don't have to shout across the room just to be heard. If you want more tips on living room space planning, be sure to check out my video on Four Ways to Maximize Your Living Room Layout in the playlist below Another common design mistake I see made is Not making the most of the view, you must first determine the view or focal point in your living room, is it the fireplace, is it that beautiful pool in your backyard, is it your tree lined streets?

On the front patio, once you determine the view or focal point, you'll probably be hesitant to look at that couch primarily toward the TV and move on to the curtains. Now I have so many videos in the playlist that touch on the topic because I feel that it is very important for a successfully designed space, as I want this living room mistakes video to be complete. I will reiterate once again that hanging your panels at the wrong height will ruin your room and kill the design faster than if you painted an accent wall bold. bright color and called it a day, so where to install the rod about three to four inches below the height of the ceiling, not at the height at the top of the window frame, but also consider the size of the finial in relation to the ceiling and windows If you have a sloped ceiling, hang it at the highest part of the lowest slope If you have a double height arch window over a row of rectangular or square windows, you will want to hang the curtains just above that row of windows does have a bay window.

Windows inserted into a recessed niche The highest point of that niche is considered the ceiling height Installing the curtains at the correct height will make the room feel larger and elevated As a result, the correct length of the panels is when the curtains or curtains barely touch the floor, this means that they barely touch the floor. The correct width is at least 12 inches away from the left and right sides of the frame so that your panels can stack and clear the opening to allow the maximum amount of light to filter through. Let's talk. about common mistakes made when it comes to furniture, a matching living room set, matching, if you saw a really cool console at the furniture store and thought, "OMG, I love this piece, I love the finish and look, it comes with a matching coffee table.” there are matching side tables, that's awesome and while we're at it, I love this sofa and it looks like it looks like matching accent chairs.

I mean, I just made two decisions and boom, I'm done. You think making those selections was easy, but? You're in for a treat, what you have instead is this one-dimensional space that screams: I just came out of a box, well, not literally a box, but you get the idea like it came out of a department store or page five of the decor. of your home. If you've been watching my videos, you'll know that there are two things I always avoid in interior design: one is going with anything and two are accent walls, but we'll talk about that later, break it up by buying your favorite statement.

First piece let's say it's that TV console you love and mix it with something interesting and dynamic like a completely contrasting finish or color for your other surface pieces. My rule is the same function with a different finish if you are buying tables and the surfaces have only one. Striking piece of wood mixed with a piece of metal or other wood in different finishes. The same goes for fabrics and textiles. Change the patterns and colors in the space so your room coordinates keep both prints relegated to statement pieces and not splashing all over the space. The goal is to find a new combination of textures, sizes, finishes, maybe even styles from different eras, as long as you get the scale and proportion right.

An intentional color palette can really tie everything together. Another common design mistake I see made is not having enough surface space. I always design living rooms with this key aspect in mind for every seat in the room. I make sure there is a suitable surface nearby for it. Let's say you have a sofa, a loveseat, and a lounge chair in the corner that every person sitting in the space needs. a place to put a drink, your phones, a book, the remote, if the coffee table is for everyone to sit on it should be within reach, if not a quick fix it's a side table next to the other end of the sofa, perhaps even flanking both sides for symmetry and balance.

If you don't have enough space, try a slim sofa console behind the sofa that can function as a beautiful entry table to the living room so that you are not greeted by the back of the sofa. Too much decorative furniture. A china cabinet with no china in the living room a display case with all the souvenirs you've collected over your decades of travel a secretary right in the corner when you can't remember the last time you pulled out something to write on with pen and paper i'm talking about all the useless furniture in your living room taking up valuable square meters that doesn't inspire you, you don't even use it every day or its main function is to store items that you don't know where to put.

Reserve your beautiful living room for meaningful pieces that you love and use daily or that have a purpose, if your living room now serves as a makeshift work from home office then it's great to keep that desk, but try to integrate it When designing your living room so that it doesn't look like an afterthought, the goal is to choose furniture that fits your immediate lifestyle—not your past or your future, but what's happening right now. Another design mistake I see is that cheap big box furniture is made, cheap like those made of poorly made synthetic fibers. and it does get crowded and definitely uncomfortable, but I understand that it fits your budget when you need it most.

Remember that design is not a race to the finish. Take the time to find the best you can afford, even if that means buying second-hand furniture on Facebook Marketplace. eBay etsy craigslist nothing says I deserve it more than a house full of quality items you took the time to save up for and the source to move on to decor hanging wall art incorrectly, might be too tall, too cluttered , too random, you want to make your room. It looks taller by hanging the art high, but what it does is simply strain your neck to look at it.

It's the same problem I have with the height of the television. The center of that piece of art should be hung at eye level, whose eyes clearly depend on people. living in the house how tall you are how high the ceiling where the artwork is hanging is relative to the wall, but the general rule is to divide the difference in eye levels between the users of the space if your eye level is at 54 inches and your partner's eye level is 66 inches, the average eye level would be 60 inches, so I would hang the center of the artwork about 60 inches high in the center of the wall if you hang the artwork on top of a piece. of furniture, say a sofa, make sure that when you lean back your head does not touch the bottom of the artwork.

You want to give the artwork some breathing room and negative space below the artwork and above the artwork, but hanging the art in the center, around eye level, is the general rule of thumb. . Another decorating mistake I see made is having too many framed photographs. It's on the mantelpiece, it's on the shelves, it's on the coffee table, it's on a side table, it's on the couch, I'm serious. It's really dirtying every surface you see in the living room. I understand that you adore your family and want to display your memories, but instead of taking guests back in time, you're actually cluttering the space with mismatched frames, there's no coherent narrative and that makes the memories look, in my opinion. less special.

Pick some of your favorites. Print them in black and white and create a strategic gallery either in the hallway or on the secondary wall. Don't make this the focal point of your living room when stylistic artwork or personal photography can make a greater impact and while we're on the topic of too much, it's too many knick-knacks without anyfeeling. I know you are a collector, a curator. You love living among your things, like me. I mean, I'm a maximalist by nature. However, too much clutter is visually distracting, makes your space feel exhausted, and clutters every surface with no negative space to rest your eyes on, but too much of a good thing devalues ​​it over time you still love it you love collecting it but you choose only the best to show and you will give it more meaning as a result, on the other hand, another decorating mistake I see is not using any accessories, you don't need something on every surface, but the room can be amplified with nice ambient lighting, place some cushions. decorative trays to keep your remote controls candles and magazines organized think about pieces that mean something to you and personalize them with care remember my key rules for something every home needs you could benefit from wearing something bold something handmade something personalized something from your travels and never Forget it that's sentimental, stay away from cookie cutter art, it will cheapen the whole vibe and aesthetic of your space, try minted.com etsy.com or left bank art for custom pieces you can order within your budget by decorating with fake flowers I have been guilty. of this one tooMany times I have clients who say they have a black thumb but they love fresh flowers at home and sometimes I run out and I just buy a really beautiful and expensive silk orchid, which is clearly not cheap, it looks real, but I want say, come on.

It's just not real, there are many better options for brightening the space, such as fresh fruit, real, almost indestructible houseplants, or even dried flowers, such as pompous grass and bunny tails, which are better for decoration than fake orchids. A very common design mistake I see made is creating a themed room, I get it, you went through a nautical phase, you have bold striped curtains, a matching striped couch, rope accents, anchor artwork, vessels of blown glass, I mean, you went a little overboard, the themes are fun to play with, but not to live with. For years and years, themed rooms can look tacky and dated when they are overdone and then suddenly you have to spend more money replacing the entire room instead of specific elements.

If you love the jungle look, incorporate some strategic animal prints. with comfortable cushions, but keep main pieces like the sofa and rug neutral so you can swap out accessories to coordinate with a variety of future looks. Let's talk about lighting. You have a lighting source and it could come from above. be recessed lights, it could be a single fixture, but what you want to create is a cozy and relaxing living room by washing the space with layers of light, play with floor and table lamps on side tables and consoles, install wall sconces and Always set your lighting with dimmers for optimal mood control.

I learned this cool wall sconce trick on Tiktok where you don't need to cut the walls to install a new wall sconce. Basically all you do is install the wall sconce directly on your walls and use a light puck instead of new electrical layers from different light sources, the heights and brightness will produce a well thought out lighting plan that will feel warm and welcoming. Moving on to color, you absolutely need to avoid painting the entire room until you see painted samples on the walls. I mean paint those swatches on every wall in the room, if you know what's good for you I get it, you just want the room finished and painted, however you will make the costly mistake of having to fix it up in the future if dont do it.

Not getting the right color, the sample you see online or even in the store is rarely the true color. Illuminating furniture with natural light can alter the look. Always get samples. I mean, they cost like five dollars, but they can save you hundreds in the long run. waste of time if you make the wrong decision when painting an accent wall. Yes, I consider that one of the number one design mistakes I see in a living room, I mean any room in your house, so let's talk about feature walls if that's you. If you are a long time viewer of the channel, you know that I don't like accent walls, especially ones that are just done with paint, don't get me wrong, I love accent walls when they are well done, when they are textured, three dimensional. maybe it's done with wallpaper, but I don't really consider it an accent wall.

I consider it to be a focal wall. What is the difference between a focal wall and an accent wall? Well, a focal wall is very intentional. The collar can be removed from the mats. the textiles, the sofa and everything coordinates and actually elevates the room with texture and a three dimensional quality and for me an accent wall is usually done as an afterthought, you want to inject color into the space and feel like just painting a wall of this bright and bold. color, it could be a contrasting dark color, but it was done as an afterthought, not integrated into the design, so it doesn't feel intentional or really thought out, so next time you're considering an accent wall, consider a focal wall.

I had to stop the camera real quick, I mean, you'll never know, but Kelly and I were discussing the difference between a feature wall and a vocal wall and she said what a feature wall would be. The idea is that I want you to do it. change your way of thinking, stop calling it an accent wall and focus on calling it a focal wall, one that was well thought out, is deliberate and that wall becomes a main feature of your space instead of an accent, there is not enough color, I I love the minimalist look, although I don't design according to its principles for myself, I do think about getting those key, meaningful pieces for my clients, but zero colors or all white can get really outdated very quickly if you love the tone-on-tone white look , try a neutral palette of whites. creams, polka dots or even tan variations and lots of texture for contrast, let's end with the biggest mistake you can make when designing your living room: keeping furniture and decor that you don't like is a common problem that I see with most of my clients, Julie.

I don't like this couch, but I bought it, spent a lot on it, and honestly, it's not that bad. I mean, can we make it work? And you know, the honest answer is no, don't make it work, why would you make it work? this is your living room my honest answer is nothing, nothing will make it work if you don't already love the piece, why would you stress yourself out spending even more money trying to coordinate with something you don't love? It's like shopping. a new outfit to go with those Louboutins that hurt your feet, I mean there's no point in just saving and splurging on that statement piece in your house, you deserve it, say it with me guys, I deserve that five thousand dollar cloud sofa from rh, damn.

No it's just me but you really need to invest in yourself because this is your life, this is your home, this is your heart, this is your sanctuary, if you try to make a piece work without fully loving it you will never get the space dreamed that you want. wish, remember that the best living rooms are those that feel unique and personal. I love when I walk into someone's home and I can feel instantly connected to whoever lives there. I see her personality. I understand your lifestyle. I understand the vibe and I'm That's why you appreciate the design and energy more when you know that person has put their heart and soul into the design of their space.

You may have had that feeling before when you entered your family. Your friends like a beautiful home. You walk in and instantly feel so connected to the space, it's warm, inviting, inviting, so hold on to that memory and try to evoke those same feelings in your space. There are many mistakes that people make over and over again, myself included, but these mistakes. It can be easily avoided if you want to enjoy a spectacular space for many years to come. If you follow my guide and have been watching this series, you will start to see these patterns emerge.

Interior design is not rocket science, guys, I mean you. I can really apply the same principles from room to room and always get it right every time, at its core interior design is very intuitive so design with your heart and wake up feeling inspired every day if you've been enjoying this series of common design mistakes. so far, please like this video, comment below and let me know what other design bug videos you want to see on this channel next week. We'll dive into your dining room design mistakes. I have home offices lined up, so stop. Let me know in the comments below what other rooms you want to see so you can add them to the queue.

Don't forget to subscribe to my channel if you haven't already and be sure to hit that little notification bell to get notified about new ones. Videos that we publish every Tuesday. Thank you very much for watching them. See you at the next one.