I spend a lot of time helping people to make decisions about interiors. I think colour is the trickiest topic, but people can get stuck on almost anything.

Here are ten classic interior design mistakes and some solutions! Have you been guilty of any of these?

1. What do I/we want? People often start without thinking about 2 fundamental questions first:

a. What will you use the room for, and if it’s multipurpose, what will be the dominant use of the room?

b. How do you want to feel in the space? What is the desired atmosphere? Mood? Relaxed? Social? Thoughtful? Playful? Energised?

These are great starting points to help you think about space and furniture layout, colour schemes and style.

“How do you want to feel in the space?”

2. Some people think they need to throw everything out! You may want a new sofa, but does that mean everything has to go? Not at all. Look at all your room objects carefully. Could anything be used as it is? Or repurposed? Or used elsewhere. Upcycling is big at the moment and there is a lot of inspiration to be found online. I’m thinking of dying curtains, painting furniture and reupholstering chairs. You may not like the colour or mount of the picture frame but still love the picture. Personally, I love to paint furniture. I’m always thrilled by how much items can be transformed.

3. Tempted to copy? Sometimes, when people lack confidence in interiors they copy the magazine look or buy everything from one shop. You may like the display in M&S but if you buy everything to match there will be nothing of you and your personality in it. The answer to this is to create a mood board. Look through magazines and print off items online and try things out on a piece of A3. The key is to place items as they would appear in the room and in proportion to how they will be. Then you will get a good sense of how it will look.

4. Impulse buys that don’t work. We have all been guilty of this. I am terrible for it!! You see a gorgeous lamp in a shop or online and you buy it before you’ve really thought through where it will go and how it will fit into your scheme. It’s too big or too small or the wrong colour or the wrong style…..Try to resist! And see number 5.

5. Lack of planning. Impulse buys that are too expensive and blow the budget are the worst!! Impulse buys can be painful. When they are expensive the pain is magnified! The key is to plan ahead. Pull out your mood board. Once you know the overall look, then create a budget. How much do you want to spend? Get quotes for the jobs like flooring, electrical work and decorating. Shop around online for furniture and get a sense of what you will spend where. I find that if I mix quality items with budget items I can still get a quality look overall.

6. Picking a neutral palette because it is easier. In fact, neutral schemes are really difficult to pull off. Designers known for neutral designs will use texture and harmonious tints to pull off the look. Make everything white and all your objects will merge together. Creams and greys have undertones of red, yellow and blue. Get this wrong and you will have clashing colours. If you lack colour confidence go to a reputable paint supplier and ask their advice. Paint companies offer colour combinations and sometimes link with wallpapers. These can be helpful.

7. And while we are on the subject of colour please don’t choose the wall colours first. Paint colours are a lot easier to match to fabrics (furniture, curtains, rugs) than the other way around. So, find a lovely rug or curtain fabric and build your scheme around that.

8. Misunderstanding scale and proportion. They key to a comfortable space is to get the right number of objects and the right size of objects in it. There is something called the golden ratio that has been used in art and design for at least 4,000 years. If you look at nature you will see these pleasing proportions everywhere.

When used in design it helps create pleasing proportions. The classic mistake is to buy oversized sofas and chairs and try to squeeze them in.

9. Too much clutter. There is a resistance in many of us when it comes to throwing things away. We hang onto sentimental items or heirlooms. Worrying that when Auntie Phyllis comes around she will want to see the purple vase she bought you for your wedding. Be ruthless. Less is more. You may need a friend’s help to do this. Once you have done this then display your items thoughtfully. You might consider books by colour or height. Shelves look better when there are gaps and a mix of objects. Objects look better grouped in odd numbers or pairs (symmetrically).

10. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask a designer’s help. It might save you money in the end. Designers are usually willing to help with all or part of the process. Some specialise in colour or lighting. On a big job, designers will be able to manage suppliers and trades and often can pass on negotiated discounts to you.

Michelle x

Classic design mistakes