Painting your home is full of easy pitfalls—dreams can quickly turn into disaster because of one small oversight.
As an interior decorator I’ve been all over Hamilton, Burlington and the GTA on a correcting mission.
So, wondering how I could help people avoid these mistakes in the first place, I came up with this post—keep these cautionary tales in mind when decorating your home.
An Interior Decorator’s Insight on Decorating Mishaps to Avoid
Steer clear of these common mistakes and you’re well on your way to creating a home you love:
- Ignoring Lighting: Some of the most common and worst mistakes come from choosing a colour that looks great on the swatch, but awful on your walls. Avoid this by considering one vital component: lighting. A paint colour can look staggeringly different depending on the light conditions—whether natural or artificial. What direction does your home face? What light bulbs do you use? What Light Reflectance Value do you need? All of these factors will affect your final outcome. And once you know your lighting, take samples home to observe at different times of the day to get a true feel for how they will look in your home.
- Fear of Colour: As an interior decorator, I’ve seen people paralysed by the fear of using colour in their home. And that’s a real shame, because there’s a whole spectrum out there to light up and beautify your space. Neutrals are not the only option! Especially when painting a larger area—tonal depth is key, so pick a darker colour than you would normally. A great way to dip your toe in is to create a feature wall in a bolder complementary or contrasting colour—it’ll add instant character to a room. Leave out colour, and the result can often be drab and uninspiring.
- Ignoring Undertones: We often get overexcited and go for a colour we love, only to find that something just doesn’t feel quite right. This is when you know you’ve ignored your home’s undertones. These are the colours of permanent fixtures such as counters, flooring and cabinets that are often overlooked. They’re subtle, but vital—ignore these at your peril. So start with your undertones, then go from there. Choosing colours that gel with your undertones makes the difference between harmonic and jarring home decor.
- Failing to Prep: Some of us love DIY. And that’s great—as long as you know what you’re doing. As an interior decorator you come across some good arguments for hiring professionals! And because we’re often so eager to jump straight in, one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen is skipping prep. As boring as it may seem, it’s the part professional painters spend most of their time on, and there’s a good reason for that. Skip prep and you can end up with uneven, peeling, chipped walls. Not nice. So how do you prep? Clean your walls, apply painter’s tape with care, scrape off any peels and cracks and ensure any patching compound is dry before applying a drop of paint.
Painting your home can be a daunting task, but by taking your time and doing a little research, you can achieve the results you want.
But if, like many of my clients, you just don’t have the time to spare, Decor Isabelle is here to help. I’ve had the pleasure of being the interior decorator of choice for many clients from Hamilton, Burlington and all over the GTA.
If you’re ready to get started, get in touch to schedule your personal decor consultation today by calling 416-573-2301 or emailing isabelle@decorisabelle.com.
