What is making my house look cheap?
Keeping up with the jones’s (or Kardashians if we are honest) has always been a social burden and often times our desperate attempts to “upgrade” our homes, come back to bite us on the bum.
Here are some of the decorating faux pas you should avoid if you want to really, sustainably up your home décor game and skip the cheap.
1. “Decorated” rooms instead of “collected” spaces.
A sure-fire way to cheapen your home is to furnish a whole room with the exact same wood laminate self-assembly furniture.
A room should look collected, and not decorated (As if you obviously went to one home shop and bought all your furniture within the scope of an hour.)
2. Cluttered surfaces
Its easier said than done to fight clutter – especially if you have children, but nothing crowds a home like piles of unsorted personal clutter on tables and counters. If you don’t have the time to sort it out now, and you can’t afford pretty storage boxes at the moment, why not at least sort it out. Keys on a pile, documents and art projects on another and miscellaneous stuff in a big bowl. This way at least you’ll have way to disperse it better once you have a moment to spare.
3. Furniture that is too small or overcrowding a room
Nothing makes a room as uncomfortable as furniture that is too big, or too small. Having a huge, oversized entertainment console with an anaemic little two-seater couch in your living room won’t give you comfort or evoke opulence. The wall mounted television and a low, slim line “sideboard”-type table under it will instantly open up the room, create breathing space and even help your little sofa appear less tiny (until you can upgrade to something proportionate.)
4. Sparse soft furnishings, tiny rugs, short curtains, miniscule art.
The same goes for your soft furnishing. Having a threadbare throw stretched over a sofa, one lonesome scatter cushion or a tiny rug will create a feeling of desolation. Rather skip these soft furnishings completely or invest in them. A big enough rug is a great way to give the illusion of space and luxury, as does ample textured blankets and throws, particularly in winter. If you don’t have the budget for a large artwork, try creating an art-wall by arranging and hanging interesting smaller artworks withing a designated wall space and curating them too match.
5. Excessive glass, crystal, and chrome, exposed wires and overly designed outdated light fixtures.
Sometimes expensive can look cheap. Even if you have the most high-tech electronics, they can cheapen up your space if they are inexpertly installed and the wiring and electrical work isn’t done properly. Hide wires and be wary of glass tables and entertainment stations that leave nothing to the imagination. Sometimes its good to have a door to shut and a counter that hides your sins. The same goes for shiny things. Neutral, natural, and earthy tones are much more likely to convey luxury than gaudy crystal and chrome. Skip the fake chandelier and bedazzled vases, pillows, and wall hangings. A good neutral brushed metal, stone or wood, or other natural fibre will always add more class than glass.
In the same way, cheap can be made to look expensive!
If you learn what works, understand your aesthetic and shop carefully, collecting items that will work for your space, you can easily create an opulent, luxurious vibe in your house, even on the tightest budget.
6. Too much DIY.
As much as we like a good DIY project, we must warn you about overdoing it.
Homemade pottery, DIY furniture and repurposed or upcycled art can add character to your home, but too much of it can make it look like you bought all the leftovers at a yard sale.
7. We’re in two minds about fake plants.
Great artificial plants exist and can be a game changer for low light rooms if you use them sparingly, stick to plan shrubs and ferns and keep their containers neutral. (A good imitation fiddle leaf fix in a woven wicker basket can uplift a dark entry-hall…) but cheap silk flowers that are obviously fake cheapen a space immediately.