Creating your own nest is an enjoyable and rewarding process. However, there are several pitfalls lurking on the road to your dream interior. How to avoid them? Read our tips!
Following trends
Trends are interesting, however, they pass quickly. The interior should serve us for years without the need for constant renovations. So it is better not to suggest fashion, but our individual needs and taste. You can introduce seasonal motifs into the interior in the form of accessories.
The kitchen island is trendy, but in this case it clutters the already small space
Photo: artPhoto_studio © Freepik
Too many colors
Improper matching of colors can lead to an unharmonious appearance of the interior. Too many colors or their wrong combination can bring chaos. Choose a maximum of three colors and use them in a 60:30:10 ratio - 60% primary color, 30% complementary color and 10% intense color. When deciding on bright colors, stick to a cool color palette and vice versa. With intense colors, opt for warm tones. Also keep in mind that colors painted on the wall will look darker than on the swatch.
- It's a mistake to check or make a sample on the wall, relying only on a small snippet of the sample book or, worse, photos on the Internet or from friends - advised architect Ewelina Białobrzewska in our interview.
Too many colors will bring chaos to the interior
Photo by Steph Wilson © UNSPLASH
Stylistic chaos
It is important to choose one style that will dominate the interior. Eclecticism is of course interesting however, creating an arrangement in this style requires a lot of experience. Excessive variety will make the whole thing chaotic and inconsistent. Approach decorating a house or apartment as an overall project, to avoid the impression that each room is a completely diffrent thing.
- Mixing styles and colors is great, but also very difficult. Not all shades, textures or shapes work together and can function in one room - Paula Selerowicz warned us in a series "10 Questions to the Interior Designer".
Less is more. Don't try to put everything that catches your eye in an interior
Photo by Steph Wilson © UNSPLASH
Only one lamp
One lamp in the middle of the ceiling is not enough to adequately illuminate the entire room.
- I don't know who came up with this idea and when, but in both new and old constructions, there is always a wire hanging in the middle. I don't know why. Such a pendant lamp should only be above the table. Interiors are illuminated by lighting scenes. So I would like the central lighting point to go out of use - Krzysztof Miruć explained in our conversation.
So make sure you have varied lighting to suit the activities in the room. Also pay attention to the intensity and color of the light.
One lamp is definitely not enough to illuminate a room well
Photo by Pietro Piovesan © UNSPLASH
Wrong installation placement
Incorrect placement of outlets and switches and other installations can effectively hinder daily life. A stack of cables and multiplying extension cords are neither aesthetically pleasing nor practical. Remember to think through at the design stage where appliances that run on electricity will be placed, as well as where you will, for example, charge your phone or use a hair dryer.
Carefully plan the placement of outlets
Photo by Kristine Zalakmentina © UNSPLASH
Lack of functionality in the kitchen
Traps also await us in the kitchen. Not enough working space can make cooking much more difficult or even impossible. When decorating a kitchen, it's a good idea to stick to the principle of the work triangle. This is a theory that says you should keep the proper distances between the refrigerator, sink and stove. It is assumed that the correct distance from the refrigerator to the sink is 120-210 cm, from the refrigerator to the stove 120-270 cm, while from the stove to the sink 90-210 cm is suggested.
A worktop that is too small makes cooking difficult
Photo: Josbra Design © UNSPLASH
Not enough storage space
We all know very well that as time goes by, the amount of stuff in our homes and apartments increases. Even the biggest minimalists need a properly designed space to store clothes, cosmetics, cleaning products, food, etc. Any large closets and built-ins work great in this case. However, they are not the only ones. Often unused alcoves or space under a slant can be transformed into functional storage space.
A well-planned storage space makes it significantly easier to stay organized
© WestwingNow
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Compiled by:KATARZYNA SZOSTAK
