It takes a lot of time and precision, from the perfect color palette to selecting beautiful decor and furniture pieces to create a home that you’re happy with. But even after enough work and dedication, if you feel like some parts of your home don’t align with your thoughts and vision, there might be something off. That can be because something as minor as a stray wire from your TV or too many wall frames can clutter your room.
Even if you want an eclectic aesthetic, some things may make your home look unpolished. If you want to avoid these common mistakes, read below to find out interior designers’ opinions on how to make your home look messier.
Too Many Prints and Patterns
While prints and patterns are a great way of bringing personality into your house, too many can make your space look visually overwhelming and cluttered. Lauren Lerner, CEO and founder of Living with Lolo says, ” To prevent this, aim to reduce the number of prints and choose cohesive patterns that harmonize,” adding, “Integrate solid colors and textures to offset the prints.”
Leaving Cords and Wires on Display
While this can be something hard to avoid, leaving cords and some fat power strips on display can make the final look of the design messy and overwhelming. Laura Tribbett, principal and founder of Outline Interiors says that it is smart to plan these things beforehand. She says, “Once you realize it’s a problem, it can be too late to remedy. Installing floor outlets under desks, ensuring you have wall outlets at proper heights next to the bed, or even sourcing furniture with integrated power will set you up for success.”
Not having proper space for your belongings
If you don’t have a home for your items, this is going to create a cluttered look. Lerner says, ”To mitigate this, establish specific storage areas for various items and ensure they are returned to their rightful place after use,” adding, “Investing in storage solutions like baskets, bins, shelves, and drawers can aid in maintaining organization and tidiness.”
Too many pillows
Pillows are great ways of adding style and comfort to couches, chairs, and beds, but if done excessively, your seating areas can look overwhelming. Kerrie Kelly, FASID, NKBA, former ASID National Board Chair, says, “Opt for a balanced arrangement with a few well-chosen pillows that complement your decor without overcrowding.”
Over-styling your shelves
Styling your shelves with vintage items, personal mementos, and others can give your space a touch of eclectic aesthetic but overdoing it is going to ruin it. Adding too many items on your shelves will make the entire space look busy and crowded. “To avoid this, curate your shelf décor by incorporating a mix of meaningful objects and leaving enough space for each item to shine.”
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Not making the bed properly
Making the bed is one of the first things you should do in the morning as that is going to give you a fresh start. That simple step is gonna take you a few minutes and will give your room a more polished look. Lerner says, “An unmade bed can instantly give a room a messy look, even if the rest of the space is orderly,” adding, “To avoid this issue, make bed-making a daily morning routine. It takes just a few minutes but can notably enhance the overall appearance of your bedroom.”
But it is not just about making your bed. Doing it the right way will harmonize your decor. It may be adding a bed skirt, employing crisp hospital corners and carefully arranging throw pillows.
Busy entryways
Believe it, your entryway can set the tone for your whole home. So, taking a less-is-more approach in this space is always important. “Streamline your entryway by incorporating functional storage solutions like hooks, baskets, and benches to keep belongings tidy and accessible,” says Kelly.
Crowded countertops
We all leave our most-used pantry staples and appliances out on countertops so that we get easy access to them when needed. However, this habit is making the kitchen look messy and takes away the space for meal prep. To avoid this mess, understand which appliance truly needs to be on the countertop and which one should be stored in an accessible manner. “Appliance garages, concealed coffee station roll-outs, and magic corner cabinets are our basic recipe for minimizing countertop clutter,” says Tribbett.
Too much wall art
Wall art is an amazing way of making a space feel more vintage, relaxed, and complete but that doesn’t mean you should cover your whole wall with them. Leaving some blank space here and there can be a good idea. “A wall covered in too much art can feel overwhelming,” says Kelly. “Create visual balance by spacing out artwork and choosing pieces that complement each other and the surrounding décor.”
Excessive Furniture
Consider the layout and size of your room before thinking of filling it with furniture. “Overcrowding a room with excess furniture can make it feel cramped and chaotic,” says Kelly. “Edit your pieces to essential ones that serve a purpose and allow for easy movement throughout the space.”
Things I personally think are making your house messier
Above, we mentioned some designer tips that make our space look messy. Here, I am mentioning some extra things that I think make your space look messier.
Refrigerator doors
There is no doubt that the magnetic refrigerator doors are nice for putting up the kids’ art, lists, meal plans, schedules, and all types of paper. But, it is just not helping you live clutter-free if you keep covering your fridge door with all these kinds of stuff.
So, think of some other place where you can keep these things. For instance, to minimize clutter, you can add a paper calendar on the side of the refrigerator along with the grocery list. The only things on the front of the fridge are this week’s meal plan and some important school schedules.
Not enough lighting
Even if your home is not that cluttered, lack of lighting can make your home look more cluttered. Inadequate lighting casts a shadow that looks messy and cluttered.
So, you require three types of lighting: ambient/general, accent, and task lighting. Use these three types of lighting properly and watch your space become more cozy and less cluttered.
Laundry left out
We all wish we came up with a magical laundry fair, don’t we? Well, I just did, I guess.
Nobody wants to see a pile of dirty clothes lying here and there. Not taking care of your laundry and not keeping it where they are supposed to be makes your house look very cluttered and dirty. On the other hand, throwing your dirty clothes anywhere can cause bacteria to grow in your space. So, take a few minutes and keep your clothes where they are supposed to be.
Donations items waiting to be donated
Why haven’t you donated all those unnecessary items yet?
If you have set aside items like clothes, shoes, books, etc for donation and they are still occupying space in your house then do not procrastinate on this. There are many donation centers where you can make a call and donate all these items. Doing so will make your house less cluttered and also your charity work is done.
Dishes in the sink
This one is frustrating because we have to use the kitchen many times a day and there will always be dirty dishes in the sink. We can’t just clean them once and be done. But, leaving them just undone in the sink is an unpleasant site to see. It is also very unhygienic. So, it is good to do the dishes on time.
FAQs
Q: What does a cluttered house do to you?
A: Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk and watch TV shows (including ones about other people decluttering their lives).
Q: Why do people clutter their homes?
A: While many people call it the result of laziness, there is a deep psychology of clutter and disorganization that prevents people from cleaning up their space. Potential reasons people hold onto clutter include: They feel overwhelmed: It’s often a huge job to get rid of things, which can be physically and mentally exhausting.
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