Mistakes that we make in the design of the living room. Common mistakes in living room design Mistakes in a small living room bedroom


Whether you're remodeling, furnishing a rental property, or just looking to freshen up a familiar interior, it's important not to make things worse. Ekaterina Galochkina, designer at Pillow Conversation, told The Village what mistakes in bedroom design are most common and how to fix them.

Mistake 1: inappropriate interior style

Abundant stucco, paintings in gilded frames, canopies, artsy furniture and curtains reminiscent of palaces - all this looks at least out of place in living quarters: just imagine yourself in such an interior in a dressing gown or pajamas with Mickey Mouse. Everything should be organic, so do not try to make a medieval castle in your odnushka. The interior should fit your lifestyle and even the way you dress.

Mistake 2: poor sound insulation

While you sleep, the bedroom should be dark and quiet. Thick curtains will save you from the early morning sun and white nights. And silence (in the presence of noisy neighbors) will be provided only by good sound insulation. Do not exclude it from the list of works: you do repairs once, and you will enjoy the result every night. Silence in the bedroom is not only important for a good sleep: it creates a sense of privacy, which is so lacking in a big city.

Mistake 3: too bright or boring beige shades

Even if you are a creative and extraordinary person, show yourself in other rooms, but not in the bedroom. Excessive saturation - with color, texture or little things from travel - does not allow the brain to relax. On the other hand, if there is nothing to catch the eye in a light beige room, then it will be stuffy and boring in it.

Choose not matching, but complementary colors. A win-win option are natural shades - different tones of brown, gray, calm green. To revive the bedroom with the help of color will help textiles: curtains, pillows, blankets and bedside rugs. Bright posters and framed photographs will also help save the situation.

Mistake 4: uncomfortable furniture

Not everyone has a separate bedroom - often this function is performed by the living room. If you can't fit a full bed, choose a sofa that folds forward and provide access to the bed from both sides so that everyone has the opportunity to stand up without disturbing the partner.

Lack of storage space is one of the biggest problems. No need to force the room with furniture around the perimeter, stop at one thing: a pair of chests of drawers or a large closet. Embrace open storage, such as clothes racks and shelving, to get rid of heavy, rectangular cabinets that feel oppressive in a small space. Don't forget about under-bed space and vacuum bags.

Mistake 5: Poor lighting

In the bedroom, as nowhere else, you need to have additional lighting: personal reading lamps, a dressing table with lighting, a floor lamp by the bed. A good idea would be dimmers to adjust the lighting. For the bedroom, it is preferable to choose lamps with warm light: they give a soft light and do not interfere with the production of melatonin, unlike fluorescent lamps.

Mistake 6: bad microclimate

It is generally accepted that it is better to sleep at a temperature of 18–20 degrees - scientists explain this by the physiological characteristics of a person. In any case, choose blankets and pillows from natural breathable fabrics. Before going to bed, ventilate the room: a lack of oxygen is not so terrible as an excess of carbon dioxide. For the heating period, buy a humidifier - it will be easier to breathe and you will get better sleep.

Mistake 7: wrong underwear

Bedding should please both the eye and the skin. Choose only natural fabrics (cotton, linen) or linen made from artificial fibers (bamboo, tencel) - this way you will reduce the risk of skin irritation and hair electrification. The colors of linen should set you up for rest and relaxation, so leave energetic and bright shades for other rooms.

We feel it as soon as we enter the room of a good hotel: everything is carefully selected in size, the bed is perfection, cozy light pours on beautiful and functional pieces of furniture. The carpet under bare feet is just as soft as it needs to be, the picture on the wall attracts attention without looking intrusive. Hotel owners are so easy to equip guest rooms, why is it so difficult for us to recreate such an interior in our home?

Decorating a bedroom in an apartment

Perhaps in the end it all comes down to a few decorating mistakes that any designer would notice as soon as they step into the bedroom. From a cluttered nightstand to a lack of light fixtures, these little mistakes can make a big difference in how your bedroom looks. Especially for this article, some of the best designers shared a list of mistakes that should be avoided at all costs when decorating a bedroom. Have they already been admitted? Well, fix it up and make your bedroom a piece of paradise.

1. Forget about the pictures

“Very often, when it comes to paintings and posters, the bedroom is forgotten,” say Melissa Warner Rosbloom and Julie Masuko Kleiner of Massucco Warner Miller Studios. “This is not a public room, so it’s not surprising to only take care of the basic furniture, and forget about the bare walls.” People often hang their best paintings in the living room or dining room, but Rosblum and Kleiner advise choosing canvases for other rooms with the same care. “You fall asleep and wake up in your bedroom almost every day, so why not hang something beautiful on the wall?”

2. Don't overthink lighting

“We find it terribly boring when the ceiling is left empty or a dull overhead lamp is molded onto it,” add designers Massucco Warner Miller. “Enjoy your choice of lamp! Nowhere is it said that beautiful chandeliers can only be hung in living rooms.

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4. Ignore junk

“The bedroom should breathe easily,” Shannon Wallach and Brittany Zwickl of Studio Life.Style remind us. “We advise getting rid of all unnecessary things and checking that the furniture is not too big for the room.” Good bedside tables will help minimize clutter, and things you want to keep in plain sight are best placed on a tray or in a low box.

5. Wrong color choice

Wallach and Zwickl warn against an excess of bright colors in the bedroom. “We like to use calm and natural colors to create a sense of serenity and timelessness. To unobtrusively add texture, we recommend using reed wallpaper.” Warm, light neutral colors look great in a bedroom, while a variety of fabric textures help the room feel cozy and inviting.

6. Underestimate the headboard

Designers from Massucco Warner Miller advise to pay special attention to the headboard. “There is no reason to settle for rectangular and beige. Choose something with unusual upholstery or a beautiful shape.” The headboard occupies a considerable area, so it should not be underestimated. If you don't like the standard fabrics that the factory offers, just reupholster it as you would with a chair, and feel free to choose an unusual color.

Bedroom in Pete Campbell's house

7. Overdo it with pillows

A bed littered with pillows is what irritates Genish especially strongly. "I prefer to use four regular pillows: two for each half of the bed and a maximum of two decorative ones." The main thing in decorative pillows in the bedroom is quality, not quantity.

8. Save on bedding

Another mistake Genish points out is poor linens. “We spend almost a third of our lives in bed, so a good set of underwear is worth the investment!” Pay special attention to the quality and appearance of the sheets: they can not only decorate your bedroom, but also improve your sleep.

9. Forget about storage space

“If your nightstand doesn't have drawers, things start to pile up on the countertop and create chaos,” Wallach and Zwickl explain. - Better buy a nightstand with a drawer in which you can put books, chargers and other necessary things. Moreover, we try to choose nightstands with built-in chargers so that there are a minimum of wires in sight.”

No one is immune from mistakes in interior design. However, most of them are easy to fix or not to do at all - for this it is enough to know what to avoid in the interior of the living room.

1. Color uniformity
The neutral color palette and the lack of rich colors and accents are too "silent" to make the living room stylish. Choose for the entire interior - for walls, textiles and furniture - one color is acceptable in a small living room. In this case, the situation seems to dissolve and visually expand the small space. However, even here it is worth placing bright accents by adding several colored elements to the interior that actively attract attention.

But if you really like calm neutrals and bright colors are not to your liking, different textures will help to cope with the monotony. In this case, even the usual beige or white interior will not look boring. Bleached wood furniture facades, light leather sofa upholstery, light curtains with an interesting ornament and a variety of textiles - a white knitted blanket, fluffy fur and smooth covers for decorative pillows, etc. - each of the design elements in this case will have its own voice, and even a plain interior will become original and cozy.

2. Dance class instead of living room
The idea that the central part of the living room must remain free and it is better to place all the furniture against the walls is not at all a mandatory rule for a modern interior. And if in a small living room it is difficult to choose another option, then in a spacious room the furniture placed along the walls gives the impression of a dance class, and not a cozy room for a joint family vacation.
Another plan for arranging furniture and zoning the living room will help you make better use of space. The main thing here is not to put furniture on the usual "paths" around the room.

3. Small carpet
Too small a carpet for the living room creates a feeling of incompleteness. Furniture will tell you how to choose the right carpet to unite the interior. The carpet should be of such a size that the front legs of the sofa and chairs go to its edge. If the chairs often move, and the sofa unfolds and is used as a sleeping place, it is better to choose a larger carpet so that the furniture stands completely on it and does not cling to the edge when moving and transforming the furniture.

4. Empty walls
The harmonious interior of the living room involves the use of different levels. Bare, undecorated walls, even with a well-planned lower level, do not allow the interior of the living room to become complete. To occupy the walls, it is not necessary to hang shelves or put up bulky racks - decorate an interesting one, and the interior will look completely different.

5. Too many little things
In the interior design of the living room, moderation should be observed - too many little things create a feeling of fuss and clutter. It is extremely difficult to determine what to look at first of all in this case.
In the decor, it is enough to use 3 large groups, which will act as reference points when examining the living room. It is easy to choose and combine three such groups from different options:

  • a composition of paintings, photos or mirrors on the wall;
  • sofa decorated with decorative pillows;
  • original textile on the window, attracting attention;
  • bright carpet;
  • decorative composition using shelves;
  • a collection of objects on an open shelving, etc.

It happens that the owner of the apartment has enough knowledge to competently finish and put in order allotted for the bedroom. And here the place, which is perceived as the most comfortable and convenient in the house, turns into a warehouse of unnecessary things and dusty trash.

The space of a small room is filled with extra or too bulky furniture, it turns out that the owner of the room thought out the lighting scenarios in it rather poorly. This significantly affects the ability of the bedroom to meet the main requirement for it and provide us with a good rest after working days.

However, it is not so difficult to solve this question correctly. It is enough to listen to a short list of the main mistakes that should be avoided, which we provide in this article, and put them into practice.

In conditions of constraint, it often turns out that it becomes not only a place to relax and sleep, but also a space for storing clothes and things. It may happen that you manage to place everything you need in this room, but at the same time there will be very little free space in the room.

What to do: Remove everything from the bedroom that is not related to rest or sleep so as not to take up precious space. The bed should be the center of the room., you can add a small closet to the composition (the best option is to choose a closet) and bedside tables. The latter will well replace the usual rack in the shape of the letter "P" directly above the bed. If such a need suddenly arises, get a roomy chest of drawers.

When considering what furniture and where you put it in the bedroom, do not forget about the basic rule - do not block the passage through the room. In order for the room not to visually look even smaller, it is worth leaving a free “path” from the entrance to the opposite wall.

One of the most common mistakes in the design of a small bedroom is use for all four walls of the same color. Classic is the interior in light colors, which visually increases the space of the room. However, someone may also like the dark range, which visually weights and narrows the perception of the room.

A single color for all surfaces can kill all the personality of the bedroom and turn it into a boring warehouse, despite the beautifully and competently arranged furniture. Graceful curtains will not save the situation either, if you select them in the key of the same uniformity.

What to do: it is not necessary to leave the range of home decoration pale, for fear of an external decrease in the area of ​​​​the room. At the same time, you should not rush to extremes and paint everything in a deep emerald color. It would be best to put the only accent on the wall, which is closely adjacent to the head of the bed. Firstly, it will really decorate the room, and secondly, during the rest, bright annoying colors will not come across in your field of vision. A darker tone among light shades will make the interior much more dynamic, while bright colors will add some playfulness.

For even greater contrast, you can prefer, which are now presented in a very wide range, with a variety of patterns, texture, perspective depth and other characteristics.

For owners of small rooms for sleeping, the following logic is typical: it is impossible to overload the room with unnecessary objects - which means that mirrors must be abandoned. This conclusion is erroneous, because in fact mirrors, on the contrary, add space to a small bedroom.

What to do: mirror and glossy surfaces, provided they are properly located in the space of the room, can magically transform it. They increase the floor space, push the walls and fill the space with air. It will become even more spacious if you allow the mirror to reflect sunlight from the window.

Those who are not too limited in the budget can be advised to finish one of the walls with mirror panels completely. The appearance of a mirrored ceiling in the room can also be considered an original modern solution. In this case, not only certain positive optical illusions appear, but it also becomes much lighter. If you install a sliding wardrobe in the room, make mirrored doors for it.

Classical rooms for many years assumed the presence of a single source of overhead light. They were usually the only chandelier on the ceiling. However, for a bedroom, such a solution is rather inconvenient, since too bright light from the ceiling will hurt the eyes, and will also not allow you to calmly read before going to bed.

What to do: both small and large rooms should not be closed to a single light source on the ceiling. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting unpleasant sensations in the eyes due to too sharp and rectilinear light. Also, the chandelier cannot be an ideal source of uniform illumination for all areas of the bedroom.

Settle on a specific set of chiselled lights for the room. Suitable for these purposes:

  • floor lamps;
  • Spotlights.

Thus, you will kill several birds with one stone: provide a sufficient level of illumination in all areas where it is necessary; you can provide a cozy chamber atmosphere at home; save quite a bit on electricity.

Decorative small things are used to give individuality to a room filled, as a rule, with typical pieces of furniture. However, the main thing here is comply with the norm and not fill the whole room with vases, figurines, paintings and other details, so as not to create the feeling of visiting a provincial museum for guests.

What to do: in a small bedroom, you should get carried away with the placement of large decorative compositions, leave them for more spacious rooms. Choose small details for decoration and observe moderation in their number.

Do not block the passage of sunlight by using heavy dark-colored curtains. Prefer light tulle, leaving it free to sway in the wind from an open window. If night lighting prevents you from sleeping, or you wake up from the first rays of dawn, then complement the window decoration with blinds.

Avoid massive floor decorations like vases, floor lamps, or flower pots. Emphasize your individuality with beautiful paintings, framed family photos, small bright “dumbass” on the bed.

If the kitchen is called the heart of the house, then the living room is its soul, which means that it should be exceptionally clean, kind and harmonious. However, many people make the same mistakes when decorating living rooms, which, in the end, affect the functionality, aesthetics and character of this room. What shortcomings of the living rooms will be discussed, and how to fix them - we will talk further.

1. Incorrect placement of the TV monitor

One of the most common mistakes in decorating living rooms is to install a TV or monitor in front of a window, or in close proximity to it. As a result, glare interferes with the normal perception of the picture, or tension appears in the eyes when a person looks at a screen installed right in front of the window.

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The TV or monitor should be positioned so that the living room window is on the left or right hand of the person sitting in front of the screen.

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2. Lack of decorative lighting sources

Even if the room is well lit with overhead floodlights and spotlights, the absence of additional sources can be a significant drawback and affect the atmosphere of the living room in the evening. At the end of the day, you really want to relax, but it will not be possible to do this in a brightly lit living room.

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When planning your living room decor, don't forget to install the wiring under the sconces, and also, get a couple of table lamps for the console. So the room will certainly be cozy and conducive to good rest in the evening.

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3. Questionable furniture design

Before you go to a furniture store, it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with the current trends in product design. We also recommend looking through thematic magazines, visiting several interior design websites, or consulting with a designer who will suggest the best models of sofas, armchairs and chests of drawers for your living room.

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Pay attention to laconic furniture with straight lines and a clear silhouette - such items will not go out of fashion for a long time. If you want to experiment, you can purchase furniture with original upholstery, which, if necessary, can be replaced.

Avoid bulky upholstered furniture with lush armrests and atrophied, overly voluminous backs - such have long lost their relevance.

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4. Dark furniture in a low room

If the living room has low ceilings, everything must be done to make the room lighter. But by purchasing furniture in dark shades (blue, graphite, chocolate and marsh), you lose out, because the room will become even more squat and cramped.

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The best solution for a low living room would be to place compact sofas, armchairs and neat tables in it, always raised on legs. At the same time, you need to make a choice in favor of neutral light shades of upholstery and the main material of the furniture.

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5. Lots of reflective surfaces

Many of you are very fond of mirrors, therefore, they are installed everywhere, and sometimes, in indefatigable numbers. This is a real mistake in any room, especially if you don't know the basic rules for using reflective surfaces. For example, you should not place a large mirror or mirror panel in a dark room, but also, you do not need to broadcast it against a blank wall.
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In some cases, it will be better if, instead of a wall completely covered with mirror tiles, hang one, but a large mirror in a beautiful frame, always opposite a brightly lit window. Thus, the living room will become lighter, brighter, and the atmosphere will become more harmonious and comfortable.

6. Lots of reflective surfaces

A beautiful window opening or an insufficient amount of daylight cannot be a reason for completely abandoning the textile design of windows. Without curtains flowing softly to the floor, the rare living room looks complete, but fresh and cold.

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If you are afraid that thick curtains will close the precious natural light streaming from a small window, you can complement the opening with a Roman lifting mechanism with a light translucent fabric, thickly gathered tulle, or a decorative curtain with a pickup on one side of the opening.

7. Scenery without measure

A richly decorated living room does not mean: stylish and beautiful, but on the contrary, it can turn out to be tasteless and pretentious. It is not advisable to place all decorative accessories at once in a room, no matter what size it is: paintings, figurines, vases, panels, books and tapestries, awards and diplomas, candelabra, and so on.

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Identify two or three areas that you think should be decorated, for example: the fireplace area, the coffee table in the middle of the sofa group, the walls between the windows. Choose a couple of bright accessories, complementing them with a few neutral pieces of different heights and shapes, remember: moderation is important in decorating a living space.

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8. Heaps of furniture

If you want to create comfortable conditions in your own living room, it is not necessary to occupy most of its area with furniture, which, as it may seem, will be very appropriate here.

As the practice and experience of designers shows, half of the total number of pieces of furniture in the living rooms does not find a worthy use, blocking the aisles.

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For those who are used to gathering a friendly company in their own living room, we recommend that instead of a variety of upholstered furniture (couches, armchairs and pouffes, wide sofas and banquettes), place a pair of sofas of the same size in the room, supplement with compact mobile tables and chairs with soft backs.

This will create an equally comfortable, but more stylish and collected atmosphere.

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9. Blindly following a single style

A living room, in whose setting one can clearly feel the presence of all the main features of only one direction in design (for example, classicism, or minimalism), ultimately risks disappointing its owners with a lack of authenticity and outright stereotypes. It is not comfortable to be in a clearly adjusted, pedantic environment, let alone to live.

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If you are particularly close to a specific interior style, for example, a classic one, in the living space of the living room it is better to combine it with other, less pretentious, inviting trends: many-sided eclecticism, characteristic retro, stylish loft or grunge, refined way of Parisian apartments.

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10. A large number of colorful shades

Too bright design of the living room is the reverse side of a boring monochrome interior. Catchy color combinations, displacement of ornaments and patterns, textures and materials in one space can be disastrous in the task of creating a harmonious holistic image. In addition, the interior of a colorful room will not be able to successfully adapt to changes in design trends, seasonal holidays and your mood.

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Choose a light neutral shade for the walls of the living room, and a couple of basic, contrasting or matching colors to decorate the room. Now you can complement the space with shades (dark or light, plain surfaces or with a pattern), which in a small amount, but will perfectly complement the interior.

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