You’ve pinned the dream room.
You’ve saved the color palette.
You’ve ordered the sofa, the rug, the lighting — all the “right” pieces.
And yet… when you step back and look at the room, something feels off.
Not wrong exactly. Just unsettled. Like the space hasn’t quite exhaled.
This is one of the most common moments my clients describe during our first conversation. They’re thoughtful, design-aware homeowners with great taste. They’ve done their homework. And still, their homes don’t feel the way they imagined.
The reason? Interior design mistakes rarely show up as obvious failures. They’re subtle. They sneak in quietly. And yes — they show up just as often in Pinterest-inspired homes as anywhere else.
Let’s walk through the seven I see most often, and more importantly, how to recognize them in your own space.
Mistake #1 — Rugs That Are Too Small
This one shows up everywhere.
A beautiful rug, perfectly chosen… but floating awkwardly in the center of the room, barely touching the furniture. What happens next is almost imperceptible: the room begins to feel fragmented and visually smaller.
I once worked with a client who couldn’t figure out why her living room felt disconnected, even though she loved every individual piece. The moment we swapped her rug for a larger one — allowing the front legs of the furniture to rest comfortably on it — the entire room settled. The space felt grounded. Calm. Complete.
A properly sized rug anchors a room emotionally as much as visually. When in doubt, go bigger than you think.
Mistake #2 — Lighting That Only Comes From One Source
Overhead lighting alone is one of the fastest ways to drain warmth from a space.
Think about how you feel in a room lit only by a ceiling fixture: harsh shadows, flat surfaces, tired eyes. Now compare that to a space with layered lighting — a soft floor lamp in the corner, a table lamp casting a warm glow, subtle ambient light supporting the room.
Lighting is not just functional. It sets the emotional tone of your home.
This is why designers talk so much about layering: ambient, task, and accent lighting working together to create depth, softness, and ease. It’s one of the simplest ways to make a room feel expensive — and lived in.
Mistake #3 — Art Hung Too High
This mistake often comes from good intentions. Homeowners want to give their art “space to breathe,” so they hang it higher — and higher — until it starts to feel disconnected from the room entirely.
Art should converse with your furniture, not float above it.
When artwork is hung too high, the room feels subtly unbalanced. Your eye keeps traveling upward, breaking the sense of cohesion. A simple guideline I often share is to center art around eye level — roughly 57 inches from the floor — or align it visually with the furniture beneath it.
When art is placed thoughtfully, it grounds the room and makes the space feel curated rather than accidental.
Mistake #4 — Too Many Small Décor Pieces
This is where Pinterest can unintentionally lead us astray.
Multiple small vases, trays, candles, and objects — each lovely on its own — can quickly create visual noise when grouped without intention. The result is a space that feels busy rather than elevated.
Luxury isn’t about abundance. It’s about restraint.
I often encourage clients to remove half of what’s on a surface, then reassess. Fewer, larger pieces — chosen with meaning — create breathing room. And breathing room is what allows a home to feel calm and sophisticated.
Mistake #5 — Matching Everything
Matching is safe. And that’s exactly why it often falls flat.
When everything matches perfectly — the sofa, chairs, pillows, finishes — the room can feel staged, like a showroom rather than a home. Cohesion, on the other hand, is about harmony without uniformity.
A collected home tells a story. It layers textures, materials, and tones that relate to each other without copying one another. Wood tones that complement rather than match. Metals that vary but belong to the same family. Fabrics that add depth instead of repetition.
The most inviting homes feel curated over time, even when they’ve been thoughtfully designed all at once.
Mistake #6 — Ignoring Scale
Scale is one of the hardest things to get right — and one of the most impactful.
I see it often: tiny lamps perched on oversized nightstands, or a massive sectional overwhelming a narrow living room. Nothing is technically “wrong,” but everything feels slightly uncomfortable.
Scale affects how your body experiences a space. When proportions are off, the room feels unsettled — even if you can’t pinpoint why.
This is where professional guidance becomes invaluable. Designers are trained to read rooms in three dimensions, anticipating how furniture will relate to both the space and the people living in it.
Mistake #7 — Forgetting the Emotional Experience of the Room
This is the most overlooked mistake of all.
Rooms are not just visual compositions. They influence how you feel when you wake up, how you unwind at night, how easily you move through your day. A bedroom should support rest. A living room should invite connection. A home office should foster clarity and focus.
Design psychology plays a powerful role here. Color, layout, lighting, and texture all subtly shape our emotional state — whether we’re aware of it or not.
When a room looks good but feels wrong, it’s usually because the emotional layer hasn’t been addressed.
Want These Mistakes Off Your Plate Entirely?
During my Design Consultation or Design Day, we walk through your home with a trained, compassionate eye — identifying what’s working, what’s quietly undermining the space, and how to correct it without starting over.
You leave with clarity, confidence, and a plan that actually makes your home feel the way you want it to feel.
Because great design isn’t about following rules.
It’s about creating spaces that support your life — beautifully.
