7 Ways to Avoid Costly Decorating Mistakes

The biggest design mistake you never want to make: wasting money. Things can get overwhelming really fast when you’re shopping for home décor and spending your precious dollars only to be disappointed with the outcome. The fear of that alone is enough to give you decorator paralysis. Here are seven ways to avoid making expensive decorating mistakes in your home.

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Learn your Signature Design Style

The key to avoiding common design mistakes is to know how to shop for home décor for you and your family—NOT what’s trending on HGTV or on sale at Target.

I’ll admit, I spent too much money on things I realize weren’t ‘me.’ Were they pretty? Well yes, but did they fit my home. Maybe. Maybe not. It wasn’t until I figured out my signature design style that I learned how to only purchase décor that would fit into my comfort glam home. Knowing the type of design you’re aiming for will help you save cash by not purchasing the wrong things in the first place.

Check out this in-depth article on determining your signature design style. By completing the worksheet, you’ll be one step further away from making the interion design mistakes you’ve had nightmares about.

Shop with a Plan

I cannot stress this enough—It’s one of the biggest decorating mistakes you can make. Taking a random browse through Home Goods when you have a few dollars in your pocket and no plan spell disaster. Yes, that trinket is cute and it’s even in your budget but two things can happen if you buy it without a plan.

1-It may not work in your home, making it a waste of money and décor clutter

And 2-It takes small bites away from the big project you swear you can’t afford.

Those Target runs and dollar spot hauls could be costing you the chandelier you’ve been dreaming about.

The solution: start with a design plan for your home. Mood boards are an amazing starting point for designing a room. Check out this post for a step-by-step tutorial on making a board for your home. Bonus, you can do it in MS Power Point so you don’t need any fancy software.

Having a mood board gives you a bettersensee of direction.

Avoid buying items 
because they fit

For the same reason you don’t buy with you a plan. Never make home décor purchases just because you need something to fill a space. If you begin to decorate your home that way, you’ll find your home filled with random ho hum nick knacks instead of beautiful furniture and accessories you truly love.

Instead, wait it out.  My mom taught me an awesome lesson on not settling and it’s one of my biggest tips when it comes to actually saving money on home décor rather than wasting it and ending up with buyer’s remorse.

I try not to buy anything I don’t absolutely love. In fact, If I’m on the fence about something and leave it in the store, odds are I’ll forget it even existed. When I can’t stop thinking about it, then I know I really wanted it. Prayerfully it’ll be there when I go back.

Buy quality pieces

I get it—you’re on a budget. But you also don’t want your home to feel like a plastic furniture haven.

When you purchase low quality furnishing, they just don’t hold up as well. They usually show signs of wear and tear sooner and you’ll have to replace it twice as fast as a better-quality piece.

My dining room table and chairs may not be trendy, but they are quality. I purchased them more than 15 years ago and they are still very sturdy. The bookcase is solid wood. I got it for free when a co-worker wanted to take it to the dump. Check out how I upgraded the bookcase with java stain.

Related: $200 Dining Room Makeover

My mom always told me the cheap comes out expensive and boy I wish I had truly understood ALL of what she meant. Now it’s one of my rules. Yes, I want to shop for bargain, but there’s a difference between getting a deal and buying something cheap.

Don’t mistake cost for quality

When learned I was pregnant wit­­h my son everyone in my family was ecstatic to begin setting up our first nursery. And when I say, family, I mean all our extended families. My parents and my brother offered to purchase a beautiful and pretty expensive crib and dresser set. I won’t even tell you how much it cost. We saw it, fell in love and bought it.

Now, to be honest we spent the exorbitant amount of money on the set because it was supposed to last until he was 18. The crib converted to a toddler bed and then eventually a full-size bed. So, this was an investment.

But when we opened up that box, I knew it wouldn’t make it to age 10. The frame was light and just cheap. I was literally sick to my stomach. And I’ll tell you, it didn’t even make it to age 4. Total garbage.

So my advice is the learn what quality is by looking at materials used, craftsmanship and durability over price. Sometimes a Craigslist find is a much better choice than a brand new item.

Avoid Costly Mistakes by Measureing Your Space

Avoid spending too much on home décor by measuring your space before you make a purchase. Buying the right thing in the wrong size will make you pull your hair out. Get out a tape measure and know the dimensions of the room before you spend one single dollar.

How will you know what size table to buy if you don’t know the area you’re working with? Measuring your space AND the décor pieces help you decide before you make an expensive budget mistake when you’re decorating.

Keep a little cheat sheet in your purse to help you keep track of size you need. Download a version in my Free Decorating Tools.

Don’t forget your foundation

Think of the function of your space as the foundation for a new building. You don’t put up the walls of a building before you lay the foundation right? Well, the same for designing a room. You need a good foundation of function in your room before you can begin adding a lot of charm. Purchase your bookshelf before you buy a million accessories to fill it up. Buy tables before lamps etc. This may seem like a duh, but er umm Home Goods and Target make stuff so pretty and shiny that it’s hard to resist.

Conclusion

Designing your home isn’t as difficult as you think. Buy beautiful things that you love AND function for your lifestyle. You can avoid all sorts of interior design disasters if you follow these simple principles.