TIPS 19 Decorating Mistakes I’ve Made (and How I Fixed Them)

The key to making mistakes? You don’t let them stop you. Here are 21 decorating mistakes that I made and how I fixed them.

|| pink tulips ||

Remember last year when I wrote about decorating mistakes?

Guess what?

I made a few more over the last year in 2024.

Truth?

I STILL MAKE THEM ALL THE TIME.

Yep.

All. The. Time.

Now don’t get me wrong. I get stuff right, too. But here’s the thing. Most of the stuff that I get right now? I got wrong once upon a time. It’s all about trying and figuring out what works and what doesn’t and replacing things and discovering what you did right and what you did wrong.

Because just like my mother said about stirrup pants, bright blue eyeshadow, and legwarmers…

….it’s always a good idea to learn from your mistakes.

I started off sharing five more mistakes —but I realized with all the mistakes I made, I needed to share more.

Here are 19 decorating mistakes I’ve made (and how I fixed them).

Elegant dining room setup with a white table and striped upholstered chairs, a classic chandelier, and navy blue walls adorned with framed artwork.

|| blue and white rug || blue and white striped dining chairs (similar) || blue and white curtains || pink tulips || blue and white tulip pillows ||

Mistake 1: Picking the paint color first

This world is full of amazing paint colors.

Truly.

You can see some of my favorite blue paint colors here and my favorite neutral paint colors here and my favorite white paint colors here.

Paint is an easy and inexpensive way to change up a room.

But here’s the thing—starting with the paint color is a decorating mistake. You will be in for a world of frustration trying to find accessories and furniture and fabric that goes with that paint color. Start with your statement piece and choose the paint color from that. For example, in this room, I started with a rug and picked the paint color for the walls, Naval SW 6244.

Solution: Start with your statement piece first and use that to select your paint color

A cozy bedroom featuring a plush bed with cream and beige bedding, a tufted bench at the foot, and a rustic wooden ceiling with an elegant chandelier. there's a large window draped with patterned curtains.

Mistake 2: Don’t forget about the ceilings

Did you know that ceilings are the fifth wall?

It’s an entire decorating opportunity that so many of us forget about.

Sometimes it’s as simple as painting them with a decorative border like I did here.

But sometimes?

The ceiling can make an entire decorating statement. Here’s an entire post with 7 design ideas you can use for your ceiling inspiration.

Solution: Include the ceiling in your decorating plans. Add a ceiling medallion or paint a pattern or use flat ceiling paint to freshen it up.

A cozy corner featuring a vintage white table adorned with a classic blue and white porcelain vase filled with pink roses, a stack of books, a small potted plant, and an elegant table lamp with a golden base and a white lampshade casting a warm glow by the window.

|| blue and white planters || pink peonies || blue and white bowls || spode tray (similar)||

Mistake 3: Underestimating faux flowers

There was a time when I was so dismissive of faux flowers.

I never, ever, ever used them.

Instead? I’d spend a ton on real flowers and they would last for a hot minute and then the flowers would wilt and I would be sad.

So one day I bought some faux flowers.

And I realized something amazing. Faux flowers are HAVING THEIR DAY.

I think it’s time we took a second look at the faux flowers of 2024.

Solution: Here are some of my favorite faux flowers.

An elegant living room with a crisp blue and white color scheme, featuring striped armchairs, a sofa adorned with decorative pillows, a glass-topped coffee table, and harmonious decor accents.

|| blue and white chairs (similar) || blue and white rug || blue and white pillows ||

Mistake 4: Forgetting to add pops of color

When I first decorated this living room? The rug and the chairs were neutral.

We lived with it for a little and realized something was missing. All it needed was a little color.

And pattern.

And life.

And joy.

And blue and white and pops of pink (see number three for how I added hot pink flowers) and painted bookshelves.

Solution: If your room is neutral, add a pop of color to the space to make it feel finished.

|| neutral rug ||

Mistake 5: Underestimating the ceiling fan

When we first started redecorating the bedrooms upstairs I knew that I knew that I KNEW I was getting rid of the ceiling fans.

Ceiling fans are so 2001 I told anyone who would listen and promptly took them out of most of the rest of the house, too.

Except? Except I live in TEXAS. The land of the 100-degree days. It was a giant decorating mistake. My electric bill did not thank me.

And so? I went back and put in ceiling fans again.

They have so many amazing options for ceiling fans now that are industrial and beautiful and farmhouse or simple fans like this one that you don’t even notice.

Have you ever tried ceiling fan filters before? I found these and I think they may help cut down on the dust and make the air circulation better.

You can see the ceiling fan filters here.

Solution: Sometimes ceiling fans are a necessity in a space.

Mistake 6: Forgetting to add mirrors

There are so many spaces that I decorated in this house that felt like a decorating mistake. They felt a little flat, like the original design for this back entry.

I wanted something that would bring a little light into the space.

And then a commenter suggested a mirror.

Brilliant.

Here’s the entryway now with this mirrored staircase project.

I have mirrors all over the house and they let in so much light—in darker rooms, I love to add a full-length mirror to a darker corner to bring in even more light.

Solution: When decorating the walls in a room, try to add a mirror to the space.

A bright, elegant office featuring white tufted chairs, a desk, large windows with blue patterned curtains, and a patterned blue rug. A chandelier hangs above, and flowers add a

|| blue and white rug || spindle chairs (that have a 20% off coupon right now) ||

Mistake 7: Choosing the wrong size area rug

I added this mistake because of our recent discussion on area rugs.

It’s so easy to skimp on an area rug.

They can be a little expensive.

But truth? Nothing makes a room more awkward than a too-small area rug in a space. Make sure to choose an area rug that covers your floor with about a 12″ border around the room (you can adjust this for random room sizes).

Here are a few suggestions to help your rug budget. You can layer rugs like I did here or even combine two smaller rugs to create a larger rug like I did in this room.

Solution: Make sure your area rug covers the floor in your room.

Elegant dining room featuring a wooden table with six chairs, a crystal chandelier above, mustard drapes, and two wreathed mirrors flanking a large window.

|| gray and white rug || dining chairs ||

Mistake 8: Following a trend that isn’t your house

Case in point. When we moved back into the house I grew up in, I wanted to decorate it just like the house in Kentucky and decorate the space with farmhouse neutrals. Do you remember this room from back in the day? I added these farmhouse chairs and a farmhouse table because that’s how I decorated in Kentucky.

Except.

Except this house isn’t a farmhouse

It’s different.

The rooms are a little fancier and all that farmhouse decor didn’t really work in the space. It just felt like the house wasn’t happy. It needed color.

And here’s what the room looks like now.

|| blue and white rug || blue and white striped dining chairs (similar) || blue and white curtains || pink tulips || blue and white tulip pillows ||

So I listened to the house.

And changed it up.

And gave it color.

I kind of surprised myself with the bold choices in this room, but it worked.

Solution: Sometimes it’s important to understand that you have to listen to your home to figure out what works for it.

A decorative bowl filled with intricately painted blue and white ceramic balls alongside green textured spheres, sitting on a patterned surface.

Mistake 9: Not controlling clutter

If your surfaces in your home are covered with clutter? It’s hard to see the decorating underneath. Not controlling clutter can be a simple decorating mistake.

Here are some simple tips to control clutter in your home:

How to declutter your home in 20 minutes
How to declutter a room in 10 minutes a day
Nine simple organizing tips for your home
How to organize your pantry cabinet

Solution: Find a place for everything and keep everything in its place.

Elegant corner of a room featuring a large bay window with stylish blue and white patterned curtains, a white ornate cabinet, and a comfortable armchair with matching cushions over a textured rug.

|| curtain rods || curtain rings || spindle chairs ||

Mistake 10: Not using enough curtain rings

This is a mistake I’ve made over and over and over again.

I’ll hang the curtain up and it’s glumpy.

It hangs down in places on the rod and doesn’t look right.

It’s because I didn’t add enough curtain rings to the curtain.

Solution: Use 2 packages of rings per curtain to make sure the curtain hangs properly.

A vase with a blue and white design containing pink roses and green leaves, placed on a book with a similar patterned cover on a white surface.

|| pink peonies || blue and white vase (similar) ||

Mistake 11: Choosing design over comfort

This is one decorating mistake I make all the time.

I design a room and then forget that we have to live there.

If your rooms are pretty and people can’t use them? It’s a design fail.

Solution: Look for ways to incorporate comfort into your design.

|| blue and white chairs (similar) || blue and white rug || blue and white pillows ||

Mistake 12: Pushing furniture against the wall

My blue and white living room is so much cozier because the furniture is in the middle of the room.

The natural inclination is to push furniture against the wall.

The challenge?

This makes a room feel stilted.

Instead? Pull the furniture into the space. Pull chairs into the room. Pull your couch away from the wall. Give the room space to breathe.

Solution: Add your furniture to the conversation.

Mistake 13: Overlooking the potential in an accent wall

Sometimes all a room needs to shine?

An accent wall.

You can make it fancy like we made this paneled wall in my mother’s room.

Or you could just paint a wall in a room.

A wall that anchors the space and helps the room to feel important.

You can see all my ideas for accent walls here.

Solution: Build your design around a statement wall for the room.

A golden frame containing a white backdrop with indigo ink botanical illustration hangs on a dark blue wall, illuminated by a sleek golden wall-mounted light above.

|| this battery operated picture light ||

Mistake 14: Not having enough lighting in the room

It took me a while to discover this mistake.

I’d add a ceiling fixture and call it a day.

Except.

Except those overhead light fixtures are ENOUGH. Every room needs at least three points of light.

Don’t forget about table lamps. Look at what tasks you need for a room and add light accordingly. I also found these battery-operated picture lights that add even more light where you might now expect it.

You can see the lights here.

Solution: Add three points of light in every room.

A modern kitchenette featuring white subway tiles, dark gray cabinets with wicker baskets underneath for innovative storage ideas for the laundry room, and a counter with a coffee maker, toaster, and a vase of

Mistake 15: Forgetting to add unique architecture to a home

You want to add a little bit of architecture to every room.

It doesn’t have to be a giant project.

It could be a mini barn door.
Or simple door molding.
Or as extensive as built-ins created from kitchen cabinets.
Or a faux window transom

The key is to add features to your home that help it stand out in a crowd.

Solution: Add architecture to your home to create a unique design for your spaces.

|| spindle table || blue and white chairs (similar) ||

Mistake 16: Forgetting that every seating space should have a surface

This goes back to mistake #12. Designing for real life.

It’s important that everyone has a place to put their drink.

Or their phone.

Or anything they have in their hand.

It’s important that each seat has a flat surface it can have access to. This little spindle table is one of my favorites. I have four of them and they travel around to different places for different parties.

You can see the table here.

Solution: Make sure to add side tables or coffee tables in a seating area.

Mistake 17: Spending too much money on furniture

There is NO need to spend a lot of money furnishing your home.

Not. One. Bit.

Especially when there are thrift stores and yard sales and your attic to shop.

Here are a few simple furniture transformations to get you started:

This furniture makeover
This simple project
This clever idea to redo a table
This furniture DIY

Solution: Shop thrift stores and yard sales for bargains and then add your own personality to them.

|| gold curtain rods || gold curtain rings || blue and white rug || blue and white striped dining chairs (similar) || blue and white curtains || pink tulips ||

|| blue and white tulip pillows ||

Mistake 18: Hanging your curtains too low

When hanging your curtains, you want to hang them above the moldings. Hanging them too low can be one of the simplest decorating mistakes. See how the curtains in the dining room are hung as high as possible.

This pulls the eye up and makes the room feel larger.

Here are my favorite curtain rods and my favorite curtain rings.

You can make curtains yourself to the right length and here’s a simple, easy tip to line them.

Here’s a simple hack for no-sew curtains, too.

Also—if you have a door to hang curtain rods on—here’s a quick curtain rod hack. You can use magnetic curtain rods like these.

Solution: Make sure your curtains are hung above the molding or window.

Mistake 19: Choosing artwork that’s not unique

Find interesting, creative things to hang on your wall.

You want your artwork to show off your personality.

Here are some simple ideas for artwork in your home that you can create yourself.

This simple art project
These creative ideas
This wall of mirrors project
These simple artwork ideas

Also—in totally random artwork news. I found this microwave flower press that I can use to make artwork out of dried flowers.

You can see it here.

Solution: Let your personality show through when choosing art for your walls.

Two striped armchairs with heart-shaped pillows in front of a circular table with stacks of books, by a large window with sheer curtains, in a bright, sunlit room where one thing leads to

|| blue and white chairs (similar) || blue and white pillows ||

All these decorating mistakes.

All these lessons learned come down to one message: Be true to who you are.

Don’t follow rabbit trails on Pinterest.

I get it. I understand. It is so easy to do. But at the end of the day, there is only one you and what you love for your home will always be perfect no matter what someone else dictates with the latest trends.

Trust your heart.

After all, you are a rock star.

PS If you have any decorating mistakes you’ve made, share away. It will make my mistakes feel better.

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Posted On: February 12, 2025

Written By: KariAnne Wood

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