7 decor mistakes to avoid in a small home

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Remodelação T4 . Bairro de Alvalade, Lisboa, atelier B-L atelier B-L Eclectic style living room
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It's so easy to assume that decorating a small home is a piece of cake, right? In practical terms, the less space you have to play with, the fewer mistakes you can make, but that simply isn't true, as any talented interior designer will tell you! Not only are people who own modest family homes falling prey to old fashioned myths surrounding the do's and don'ts of tiny home finishing, they are also clogging up all the valuable communal spaces, such as living rooms, with a lot of unnecessary items! We don't want you to feel uneasy in your small home, so why not come with us now, as we tell you all about those critical design errors that you need to avoid at all cost?

1. Installing tiny rugs.

22평 좁은집 신혼집 홈스타일링 , homelatte homelatte Scandinavian style living room

You might think that in small rooms, you need your rugs to also be teeny, but in actual fact, this is totally wrong! If they aren't anchored under furniture and simple 'float' in the middle of a room, a small rug makes the whole space look dramatically less spacious and really amplifies the unfortunate proportions. You'd actually be better going without a rug altogether or choosing a larger variety, which can be anchored under a large piece of furniture.

2. Choosing furniture that's too big.

homify Modern living room

Speaking of large furniture, you need to make sure that you don't get carried away! The saying goes that you need to 'measure twice and cut once, but when it comes to buying furniture, we think that measure a bunch of times and mock up the space is more appropriate! You don't need to plump for small, uncomfy or impractical pieces of furniture, but getting the feel and proportions right is key. We really do think that mocking up is a great idea and you can do this by using newspapers to emulate the size of a potential piece of furniture.

3. Having too many cushions.

Квартира на Петроградке в колониальном стиле, Ольга Кулекина - New Interior Ольга Кулекина - New Interior Colonial style living room

Just as a small rug will draw attention to modest proportions, a huge amount of cushions will always make a small home look and feel very claustrophobic! In terms of fancy accessories and finishing touches, small homes need to live alongside the 'less is more' school of thought. 

4. Making do with bad lighting.

Casa de Palmar | 2009, Atelier Susana Camelo Atelier Susana Camelo Asian style corridor, hallway & stairs

Bad lighting is such a bugbear of ours, but especially in small homes! If you need to make the most of every iota of space, bad lighting is something you really can't put up with, as it will actually create dark pockets that help to shrink the perceived space in a room. With good, bright lighting, every corner will be fully illuminated, which will help an interior space to feel a lot larger.

5. Not going full length with curtains.

AS Apartment - Sintra, MUDA Home Design MUDA Home Design Modern living room

We know that it can be tempting to match your curtains to your window size, but this can lead to a very twee, old fashioned and small look. Instead, choose dramatic full length curtains and try to mount them as high up on the wall as possible, to create the illusion of staggering ceiling heights! Trust us; this really works.

6. Having too many dark walls.

MORADIA RESTELO, Artica by CSS Artica by CSS Modern style bedroom

A contrasting feature wall is a great idea but in small homes, dark walls just zap all the life, energy and room away. We know that you might be really keen to embrace the trend for gray inside your home but don't look to the granite end of the spectrum when pale concrete gray would work far better for you! And if you really need a little darkness, that's where wall art or even cushions can come in, to just add a controlled sprinkling of contrast.

7. Having too much clutter.

Remodelação T4 . Bairro de Alvalade, Lisboa, atelier B-L atelier B-L Eclectic style living room

Finally, we all know that clutter is the arch enemy of small homes, yet we all seem to keep hanging onto things that we don't need! A really thorough clear-out will open your home up no end and if you can get on-board with a minimalist aesthetic, your home will look a whole lot larger.

For more little house inspiration, take a look at this Ideabook: 22 easy ways to make a small home bigger.

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