Your home should be a sanctuary, a place that provides respite from the chaos of your everyday life. However, for many people—particularly those who adhere to every design rule in the book—many of the design tips reiterated on blogs, TV shows, shelter magazines, and even designers themselves can actually make spaces less comfortable, less functional, and less put-together. Before you waste hours poring over Pinterest or eliminate a chunk of your savings by having a designer reassess your space, familiarize yourself with all the common decorating tips you should definitely ignore.
1 Your home has to have a specific style.
Many people believe that if part of your home is decorated in a certain style, the whole space has to look the same way. However, just because you have a Victorian-inspired living room with crown moldings and intricate archways doesn’t mean your kitchen and bathrooms should necessarily maintain that charming, yet anachronistic, aesthetic.
“It’s pure baloney that your home need to showcase a specific ‘style,’” says interior designer Denise Gianna of New York-based Denise Gianna Designs. “The best style is a mix of what you love, what works best for your lifestyle, and is arranged according to the flow of your life.”
