7 Decorating and Interior Design Mistakes in Your Home that are Making You Unhappy

Did you know that your home plays a significant role in how you feel emotionally? According to experts, a chaotic home will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth while a healthy space boosts your mood and alleviates stress.

Take a look around your house. Does it inspire you? Or does it leave you with a “blah” feeling you can’t shake? If the latter rings true, you may need to redecorate and reorganize your space.

Below, we shine a light on some of the things in your home that are making you unhappy so you can say goodbye to them once and for all.

1. Poor Lighting 

outdoor lighting

Most of us may not have given it much thought but lighting in our homes plays a crucial part in our emotional well-being. Poor lighting makes a home feel cold and dull whereas proper lighting improves the aesthetic appeal and creates the right ambience. 

For instance, natural light beats artificial light any day. So, when your house is devoid of sunlight, you are prone to feel unmotivated and unhappy. This is because exposure to sunlight increases the production of serotonin hormone which boosts your mood and levels up your productivity. 

So, if you are not getting enough sunlight in your home;

  • Embrace brightly colored walls or rather consider bright wallpapers to spruce up walls with bright colors that will reflect light.
  • Use light curtains that will flood in natural light.
  • Include other reflective features in the room like chandeliers, mirrors, and bright tiles.
  • Finally, add a skylight especially when you do not have the luxury to renovate and add more windows.

2. Holding onto Heirlooms

heirloom

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Did your grandad leave you antique figurines and now you are too impartial to the thought of giving them away even though they are so not your style? Or perhaps you are still holding onto items that have been passed down to you despite hardly ever using any of them. 

Simply because you inherited something does not necessarily mean you have to keep it “till death do you part”. Eventually, some heirlooms can result in physical clutter which impedes the beauty of a home leaving you dissatisfied with your surroundings.

How about you let go of all that clutter to make room for items you actually love? Besides, some heirlooms from the past decade like paintings and figurines may go for a hefty price in this age and era. You never know, you could be sitting on a gold mine. 

3. Having All Your Furniture Against the Wall

furniture

While it is a popular layout option, placing all your furniture against the wall actually makes a room seem messy, cluttered, and unbalanced. Moreover, no one should have to shout or crane their necks just to hold conversations.

When you are arranging your furniture, be mindful of the flow of traffic. Nothing is as frustrating and annoying as climbing over furniture to access another area of the same space. Everyone should be able to pass through the room without having to awkwardly criss-cross around furniture. 

To curb that;

  • Have a few pieces float in the room to make it seem bigger and to create a sense of balance for a more intimate setting.  Your comfort and happiness comes first, it is your house after all.
  • Furniture peeking over a window frame partially blocks natural light from streaming in. So, when you float your furniture, you not only allow in sunlight but you also avoid awkward underutilized spaces.  The arrangement allows you to put the  walls to good use like a display area for your favorite art. 
  • Avoid cramming too many furnishings in one space especially when it comes to small rooms. Instead, choose a handful of classy quality pieces that easily fit in your space, so you have plenty of room to move around.

4. Unsuitable Choice of Color 

right paint

 

Although people often choose to paint colors based on décor trends and personal preferences, it is also important to consider how the colors we surround ourselves with directly impact our emotions.

Some colors like bright red can leave you feeling angry and stressed out. Depressing colors like black and gray on the other hand, can evoke feelings of sadness and are closely linked to negative emotions.

 So, be mindful of the colors in each room to ensure that your choice of color makes you feel great. Here are a few tips to help you choose wisely.

  • Kitchen - Yellow, the color of happiness, brings an energized vibe to your kitchen. At the same time, purple adds a degree of sophistication and a-state-of-the-art trendy edge. 
  • Living Room - The soft shades of green and blue are refreshing and restful on the eye ideal for relaxing and easy conversations in the living room.
  • Bedroom - Green is said to increase positive thinking, fertility and relieve stress, making it a great choice for the bedroom. Steer clear orange because its bright hue completely contradicts the serene mood of your room.
  • Dining Room - Unlike any other hue, red is famous for pumping adrenaline and increasing blood pressure. If you are looking to stir good conversations, good vibes, and increase appetite, then red is the color for you.
  • Bathroom - Calming colors like blue, purple and yellow will create a soothing effect perfect for a nice relaxing bath.
  • Home Office - Pink hues are likely to boost your creativity and increase your productivity.
  • Home Gym - Warm tones like orange are ideal for a gym because they evoke enthusiasm and excitement. Hence, promoting activity.

5. Emphasizing Maximalist Concepts

maximalist

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Maximalism is gradually piquing people’s interests; they want to surround themselves with items they love in a highly personalized space that feels good. However, too much of anything can be bad for you. 

Going overboard with maximalism is likely to make a home feel overwhelming and chaotic, contrary to the intended goal. And as much as this design is an acquired taste, it is the one design that will drop your jaw if you play your cards right. So how do you rock this compelling style without going overboard?

  • Incorporate a mixture of deep, rich colors, and bold patterns that blend together seamlessly and speak to your style.
  • Do not just randomly throw decor pieces together. Be personal. Take your favorite accessories and fabrics, and layer them on different surfaces.
  • The end result ought to be properly matched to be complementary and harmonious but not clashing. This way, you maintain a balanced and symmetrical look by sticking to a consistent visual weight throughout. 

6. Choosing Aesthetics Over Comfort and Functionality

comfort over functionality

Some of us tend to worship aesthetics over functionality and comfort. We love to see décor elements and furniture pieces get inspired by their futuristic forms, underestimating the functionality and comfort aspect.

And what’s the point of having a place to call home yet you are not exactly comfortable? At the end of the day, your dream home is not a beautiful, perfect, and lifeless showroom, but a cozy space you ought to enjoy spending time in. 

7. The Bedroom TV

bedroom tv

Is your bedroom TV not making you as happy as you’d imagined? Zoning in and out of sleep in front of a screen right near your bed might be a hindrance to your ability to sleep well, disrupting your sleeping pattern. With that, you are likely to experience bouts of insomnia, worsened by waking up while sleep deprived and cranky.

Also, studies show that most couples with the TVs in their bedrooms are not as intimate as couples who do not. Now, that does not sound very nice, does it? Instead, try light reading before falling asleep to increase your general welfare, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and well rested.

Final Verdict

Whether you realize it or not, your surroundings have a dramatic effect on your emotional well-being. You may have been feeling like you are in a rut lately.

Well, your regular surroundings could be a potential trigger for feeling drab. And since knowledge is power, take a second look around your house, and follow the simple tweaks listed above to find out how you can elevate your mood, reduce stress, and make your home even more beautiful.

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