Is your home looking cluttered and chaotic? Sure it could be messy from a lack of storage and organization – and everyday ‘life’ – but did you know it could also be the result of some common decorating mistakes that you may be making right now? Eeek!
See the 5 decorating mistakes that make a home look cluttered and how to avoid them!
5 Decorating Mistakes That Make Your Home Look Cluttered
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In this post you will learn:
~ How using too many colors can actually make your home look cluttered and messy.
~ We all love pillows but how many is too many?
~ Why you should stop pushing your furniture up against the wall and a clever room layout tip.
~ How to prevent your table tops from looking cluttered with an easy decor solution.
~ How hanging pictures randomly without a plan will make your space look disorganized and chaotic – and the answer!
Take a look at all 5 mistakes – the pictures show you what you SHOULD do!
1. Arranging Furniture Against The Walls – Decorating Mistake #1
Pushing all of your furniture up against the walls is guaranteed to make the space look cluttered and messy.
Instead do this: Pull the furniture out from the walls and arrange them in a grouping toward the center of the room as in this seating arrangement in the picture below.
This grouping of armchairs around a coffee table creates coziness, great traffic flow and the perfect conversation area.
Ground the furniture with an area rug. See my Design Tip: How to Choose the Perfect Area Rug to calculate the best size of rug that you need for your room!
source: BHG
2. Too Many Accent Pillows – Decorating Mistake #2
Adding loads of throw pillows in un-coordinating patterns and colors on a chair, sofa or bed makes the room look messy and chaotic.
Do This: The living room below demonstrates how to get a well-decorated look that’s not cluttered because the sofa has just the right amount of decorative pillows. Th pillows also have coordinating patterns and colors that flow with the room.
Using two accent pillows at each end adds beautiful color and pattern, while keeping the space clutter free.
If your sofa has a deep seat you can add a row of pillows (4 or 5) along the back as long as they coordinate in color and pattern. See these rules on how to mix color and pattern!
source: BHG
3. Hanging Pictures And Mirrors Haphazardly On A Wall – Decorating Mistake #3
Pictures and art hung in a random all-over-the-place fashion makes a room look messy.
The solution? Group pictures in a gallery wall arrangement to give your room an organized look.
The art hung in our family room hung above our sofa, demonstrates how several canvases can be hung to create a balanced, decluttered and visually pleasing look.
Horse Art Decor: 20 Stunning Looks!
4. Having Too Much Decor On A Table – Decorating Mistake #4
Filling the entire surface of a console table or coffee table with decor will make a room look really untidy.
Instead, take stock of your decorative accessories and edit the number of them that you use. Then create a vignette (one grouping) or create two groupings as demonstrated in this photo.
First, edit what you already have on the table top. Only display what you absolutely love and remove the rest.
Group many small objects on a decorative tray or bowl then create your vignettes. One styling trick I love is to use a stack of books to elevate small objects to add interest – like in the picture below.
source: BHG
5. Using too many Colors – Decorating Mistake #5
Decorating with too many colors is guaranteed to make a home look cluttered and messy.
The solution is to use one or two accent colors combined with neutral hues to give your home a cohesive, relaxed look.
This beautiful living room in the picture below using many shades of blue and a pop of red in the flowers combined with neutral whites and tans to create a cohesive space.
The neutral color walls, curtains, rug and furniture allow the room to breathe as well as make the room look more spacious and open.
Natural fiber rugs are a great way to add neutral color to a space and calm down color overload.
How to Pick Paint Colors With Confidence!
source: BHG
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I hope you enjoy this declutter and decorating post!
More Design and Decor ideas:
Our Dark to White Kitchen Remodel Before and After
Online Decorating Services & Color Advice
Top 50 Bestselling Paint Colors At Sherwin Williams
How to Pick Paint Colors With Confidence!
Interior Design Advice: Do’s and Don’ts Every Beginner Should Know
Light and Bright Spring Kitchen Decor Ideas
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Heather Luckhurst is an Interior Designer and owner of the Interior Design and Lifestyle website 
Hi Heather, I like your site and I so much wanted to read your blog about the 5 mistakes that make your home look cluttered but no matte how many times I sign in and go from page to page, I can’t get to it. The page keeps coming up over and over saying to read it but I can’t get to it. What can I do? Thanks, barb
Thank you SO MUCH for passing on to me that you like my site!!! It means so much to me! I just tried the link that’s in the post – that links to my BHG article and it worked for me – so hopefully it’s working now! 🙂 Here’s the direct link
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/lessons/basics/avoid-these-5-decorating-mistakes-that-make-your-home-look-messy-281474979547618/
Hope that helps! Have a beautiful day!
Hi Heather, Thanks for getting back to me. I tried again and after several tries, I was able to get it. I guess I’m not used to using these blog sites and couldn’t get past the ads for ordering the magazine. Anyway, thanks. I loved your idea about coloring the mason jars also. 🙂
Hello, do you happen to know what the source information is for the image with the ship lap wall, brick fireplace, and amazing light fixture? I am interested in the light fixture, but can’t find the source. Any help will be appreciated!
Thanks!
Sorry – no I don’t know where it’s from.
I loved your suggestions but for one. I have a living room with the front door and entrance to the dining room exactly kitty corner to the entrance to the bedrooms with a fireplace, on the diagonal, in one of the other corners. If I pull the furniture away from the walls would mean walking around all the furniture to get from the bedrooms and main bathroom to the kitchen. Any suggestions please?
Decorate in a way that makes your face smile when YOU walk in the house….period.
Exactly Martine!! I feel the same way! xo Heather
I am concerned with the advice about too many colors causing clutter.I have neutral sofa but chair with many colors ,how many of those colors should I use in the room.appreciate your advice and am enjoying your site I recently located
Hi Carol! I have a great article for you to read about this: https://www.settingforfour.com/2013/10/design-tip-60-30-10-color-rule.html I’m so glad you found my website and are enjoying it! 🙂 xo Heather