15 Living Room Design Mistakes To Avoid If You Want A Luxurious Look
If you’re wondering why your living room isn’t giving off that luxurious feel and what you can do to fix it, this blog post is for you. We'll dive into everything from furniture placement to decor choices, highlighting common mistakes that could be holding your space back. By the end, you’ll know exactly what to avoid and how to tweak your living room to achieve that coveted luxe look!
1. Scale of the furniture
The size of your furniture is the most crucial factor in any living room. Many people start decorating by purchasing furniture without considering its scale, which can lead to a cramped or imbalanced space. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to reconsider your furniture choices. This is especially important in a small living room, where every inch counts. Sectionals, in particular, can overwhelm the space due to their large footprint. Consider swapping out bulky pieces for more appropriately sized furniture to create a more balanced and inviting room.
2. Placing A Sectional
Sectionals are one of the most debated pieces in interior design. While they’re often the first choice for many, they lack that luxe, high-end feel. Their size and bulkiness can make your living room feel cramped and less sophisticated. If you’re wondering why your space doesn’t have that polished, upscale look, the sectional might be the culprit. Instead, consider replacing it with a 3-seater or 2-seater couch, depending on your room's size, and pair it with a couple of stylish accent chairs. This one change can instantly elevate the overall look and feel of your living room.
If you’re not convinced on why a sectional isn’t the way to go, read this post where I lay out 5 reasons not to buy them and 5 ways you can make them work if you absolutely must!
3. Accent Chairs Placed At Angles
Despite the common belief that angling furniture adds a royal or luxurious touch, this approach often falls short, especially when arranging accent chairs in a living room. Angled chairs can disrupt the flow and fail to enhance the room's elegance. Unless you're positioning a single accent chair by a fireplace or another focal point, it's best to place a pair of accent chairs parallel to each other. For an added touch, consider placing a small drink table between them. This arrangement creates a more balanced and sophisticated look, taking your living room to the next level!
4. Matching Furniture Sets
Sure, buying furniture in sets might be convenient, it's a quick and easy way to shop with minimal decision-making. But here’s the catch; it’s also the quickest way to cheapen your living room’s look. Matching furniture sets can create a monochromatic, uninspired space, leaving little room for accent pieces that could bring depth and character to your color palette. For a more curated and sophisticated look, mix and match individual pieces that complement each other without being too uniform.
5. Mixing Color & Fabric For Accent Pieces
While I advise against matching furniture sets, it's important to coordinate your accent pieces, like accent chairs. Using accent chairs in varying colors and fabrics can make a living room look disjointed and diminish its sophistication. For a more refined look, choose accent chairs in pairs that complement the other pieces and harmonize with the overall design of the room.
6. Identical Lamps
A common mistake in many living rooms is using identical floor or table lamps. While ambient lighting is crucial for adding warmth and enhancing the space, identical lamps can create a mirrored, repetitive look that lacks sophistication. To achieve a more luxurious feel, opt for lamps that vary in height but share a similar style. This subtle variation adds visual interest and a touch of elegance to your room.
7. Lamps With Shelves
Lamps with built-in shelves for decor objects often come across as tacky. While they may seem multi-purpose, their boxed shape can look unattractive and they tend to become dust collectors, making maintenance a hassle. If you have one of these lamps, consider replacing it with a simpler, more elegant design that offers a timeless and transitional look.
8. Small Area Rug
Area rugs are key to defining the look and feel of a living room, more so than any other decor element. Getting the size and placement right is crucial. A wrong choice can seriously undermine the room’s elegance. Unlike other decor errors, this one is not very forgiving and usually requires a new, properly sized rug to correct. While a large rug can be easy to work around, a small rug can make your furniture seem disconnected and adrift. For a classic luxe look, here’s a rug guide put together by Studio McGee that you can follow.
9. Furniture Pushed Back Against The Wall
It’s a common mistake to push furniture against the walls, as many people see walls as natural boundaries for placement. While this might seem like a logical approach, it often leads to a less inviting and less functional space. Unless you’re working with a small living room where closer arrangement isn't feasible, try to pull the furniture inward. This arrangement creates a cozy conversation area and allows for additional decor elements, such as a vignette behind the couch, enhancing the room's overall appeal.
Got a small living room? Check out 13 design lessons on how you can decorate it to get the high-end look.
10. Too Many or Too Little Throw Pillows
Throw pillows are a favorite decor element but can be tricky to get right. Achieving a luxe look requires careful consideration of design, color, and fabric. While we'll dive deeper into this topic in a future post, here's a quick tip: if you have too many or too few throw pillows on your couches, it might be time to reassess your arrangement. For a larger couch, place 2 large pillows and a lumbar pillow on each side of the corners. For a loveseat or 2-seater, use no more than 2 pillows on each corner. Avoid adding throw pillows to accent chairs if your couches are well-padded with pillows. This approach creates a balanced, elegant look for your throw pillow decor.
11. Identical Plants
Just like the mistake of using identical lamps, having identical plants throughout a living room or any space can also detract from a sophisticated look. This mirrored effect often appears cheap and lacks elegance. For a luxe appearance, focus on creating visual interest with a variety of plant styles and heights, while maintaining a sense of cohesion and not adding too many. This enhances the living room’s sophistication and adds depth.
12. Text Decor
Text decor, such as signs with phrases like “Home” or “Home Sweet Home,” is a major no-no if you’re aiming for a luxe and high-end look in your living room. While these pieces might seem sentimental, they often cheapen the space. For a more polished appearance, choose decor that speaks for itself without relying on text. A beautiful rug, well-chosen throw pillows, ample but not excessive ambient lighting, and complementary colors will do the heavy lifting to make your space feel truly inviting and elegant.
13. Unconventional Coffee Table Shapes
When it comes to coffee tables, there are two key points to keep in mind: a) it’s important to have one, and b) it’s crucial to stick to basic shapes like rectangle, square, or circle. Choosing unconventional shapes can disrupt the harmony of your living room decor and clash with other furniture. Opting for classic shapes ensures your coffee table complements the rest of your space and enhances the overall design.
14. Dull Wall Colors
Another common mistake in living rooms is using dull or dark-colored walls. Unless you’re intentionally going for a moody atmosphere, which isn't ideal for a living area, opt for light and airy wall colors. Light-colored walls are perfect for reflecting natural light, making the space feel more open and inviting. They also enhance the effect of ambient lighting, giving a more luxe and polished look. See how changing the wall colors instantly brighten up the living room and makes it feel bigger.
15. Absence Of Drapery
Window treatments like curtains and shades are key to instantly softening the look of a living room and adding a touch of luxury. If your windows are currently adorned with traditional blinds or overly ornate curtains, it's time for a change. Replace them with simple, elegant drapery paired with shades for a warmer and more refined look. Here’s how to hang curtains like a designer to get the high-end look.
These were the 15 decor mistakes commonly found in living rooms that you can avoid to achieve a high-end look. Each one plays a significant role in shaping the elegance and overall aesthetic of your space. From the impact of rug size and placement to the subtle details of throw pillows and window treatments, making thoughtful choices can transform your living room into a sophisticated and stylish retreat.
Which of these mistakes surprised you the most? Did any particular issue stand out as something you hadn’t considered before, or did you find a tip that changed your perspective on how to enhance your living room decor?
