Including tiny Rugs and Putting Furniture Against Walls

1. BANNED DESIGNS Interior designer
reveals the biggest mistakes people
make when decorating their homes –
including tiny rugs and putting furniture
against walls
23 Sep 2019, 11:10
10 COMMENTS
THERE'S no denying that how you choose to decorate
your home is a completely personal decision based on
your own unique taste.
But regardless of whether you're a slave to the latest
interior trends or prefer a more timeless style, an
interior designer has now revealed the most common
mistakes people make in their homes - and they're
incredibly easy to rectify.
The expert urges people to stop pushing their sofas up
against the walls and to group together key pieces in the
Lydia Hawken
11:34Updated: 23 Sep 2019,
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2. against the walls and to group together key pieces in the
middle of the room Credit: Getty - Contributor
1. Placing furniture against walls
Darren Palmer - a judge on Australia's version of The
Block - told Domain that pushing furniture up against
walls is one the most common mistakes he sees people
make.
Instead, he urged people to resist the urge to push
their furniture to corners and create a hub in the
middle of their rooms - using a rug, standing lamp or
piece of art to "anchor" it.
He said: "You'll be surprised by how much bigger your
room will feel by just giving your furniture some
physical and visual breathing space."
Darren says you'll be surprised by how much 'visual
breathing space' you'll have if you DON'T push furniture up
against walls Credit: Getty - Contributor
2. Tiny coffee tables
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3. Tiny coffee tables which you can't reach from the sofa look
'stingy', according to Darren Credit: Getty - Contributor
If you're going to invest in a coffee table, Darren urged
people to make sure it properly fills the space to avoid
looking "stingy".
After all, you want it to be easily accessible from your
seating area.
Darren said: "So often I'll see a small or medium-sized
coffee table floating a distance away from the couches,
or out of reach of some or all of the seating."
To rectify this, the expert recommended placing your
coffee table between 400 and 500 millimetres away
from the sofa and buying one that is roughly half the
length of your settee.
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4. A coffee table should be roughly half the size of your sofa,
according to this interiors expert Credit: Getty - Contributor
3. Wrong size rugs
The expert claims a rug should be larger than your sofa and
any side tables you have Credit: Getty - Contributor
Rugs are a great way to break up a room. Fact.
But Darren claims too many people impulse-buy tiny
rugs when really they should be investing in a larger
style.
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5. The expert claims rugs should ideally be larger than
your sofa and any side tables you have nearby.
He added: "But make sure the side tables don't end up
half on and half off the rug."
This is the right size rug according to Darren as it's larger
than the sofa and surrounding area Credit: Getty - Contributor
4. Cluttered living space
Darren urged people not to fill every empty space in their
home Credit: Getty - Contributor
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6. While it's tempting to pick up homewares whenever
you come across them, Darren claims this can end up
making your living space look too crowded and
cluttered.
Avoid the temptation to display all your lovely things in
every single empty space and instead group together
your favourite items on shelves.
Darren recommends putting a "stack of books, a
candle, something with life like a plant or flowers" in
front of a piece of framed art or a mirror to make the
most impact on guests.
The expert recommended playing around with different
heights, textures and plants on book shelves
Credit: darrenpalmerofficial/Instagram
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7. For more interior design inspiration, this student spent
£400 on turning her drab university bedroom into a
Mrs Hinch-inspired grey boudoir.
And an interior designer has revealed the simple
changes you can make to update your home in
minutes - and some of them are VERY cheap.
Plus a stylist has revealed the five ways you can
instantly make your home look more expensive.
Interior design fan Olamide shows fans around her
redecorated flat
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