Fix Those 'Whoopsies': 9 Fast Solutions for Decorating Mistakes

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Introduction

We’ve all been there – you finish decorating a room or space, step back to admire your work, and see a glaring mistake that you can’t believe you didn’t notice before. It happens to the best of us! Maybe the wall color is all wrong, the furniture is poorly arranged, or you chose artwork that clashes with everything else. Whatever the case, decorating whoopsies can really put a damper on your interior design satisfaction.

The good news is that most decorating mistakes have easy, quick fixes. With a little creativity and elbow grease, you can remedy your decor fails in no time. Here, we’ll explore nine fast solutions for common decorating whoopsies. Read on to learn how to fix issues like furniture placement mishaps, color mismatches, poor lighting choices, and more. With these tips, you’ll be able to upgrade lackluster spaces and get your home looking fabulous once again!

Rearrange and Reposition Furniture

One of the most common decorating mistakes happens when furniture is poorly positioned or arranged in a space. Bad furniture layout can disrupt flow, make a room feel cluttered and cramped, or create uncomfortable conversing areas.

If you don’t love how your furniture is situated, try pushing pieces around until you find an arrangement you like better. Here are some quick furniture layout fixes:

Pull furniture away from the walls. Allowing ample space between furnishings and walls makes a room feel more open and inviting.
Create strong focal points. Position important standalone pieces like sofas, beds, or dining tables to be center stage. Anchor the room around these eye-catching items.
Establish logical flow. Make sure there are clear walking paths between pieces and that seating is arranged to facilitate conversation.
Balance visual weight. Distribute heavy pieces evenly throughout the space and integrate lighter items to prevent one area from feeling weighted down.
Incorporate symmetry. Achieve a polished look by placing matching pieces so they mirror each other on opposite sides of the room.

With a little rearranging and repositioning, you can fix furniture layouts that are choppy, cluttered, or illogical. Experiment until you land on a furnishings scheme that enhances functionality and aesthetics.

Reconsider Room Colors

Sometimes after living with a color scheme for a while, you realize the hues you chose aren’t working. If you picked unflattering colors or ill-matched shades, don’t despair – a mini makeover is in order. Here are some ideas for fixing color decorative mistakes:

Repaint walls in a more appealing hue. A new wall color can completely transform a space. Opt for neutral, versatile shades like greige, almond, and linen white.
Switch out brightly colored decor. Replace loud accent pillows, vases, throws, and art with more subtle, complementary colors.
Add an accent wall. Painting one feature wall in a bold tone adds interest without overwhelming a room.
Alter intensity. Soft, muted versions of a color palette feel more current than bright, saturated shades.
Introduce contrast. Incorporate hues from the opposite side of the color wheel to create vibrancy.
Limit palette. Stick to just 3-4 colors to avoid a disjointed, messy look.

Editing your color scheme is one of the easiest route to revamping a poorly decorated space. Even minor tweaks can fix up fail color combinations with little time and effort.

Rethink Focal Points and Artwork

Haphazardly placed focal points and artwork that doesn’t jive with the rest of the decor are common stumbling blocks when designing a room. Focal points attract the eye, set the tone, and anchor the space – so it’s essential to choose these carefully. Follow this advice for fixing focal point flops:

Establish a clear focal point. This may be a fireplace, large piece of statement art, ornate mirror, or beautiful view. Keep additional focal points to a minimum so the room doesn’t feel busy or cluttered.
Pick artwork that complements your color scheme. Make sure the hues in paintings, prints, photos, and frames work with the rest of the room.
Scale artwork appropriately. Oversized pieces can overwhelm, while undersized ones get lost. Choose artwork with dimensions that suit your wall size and furnishings.
Create a gallery wall. Hang a collection of artwork in similar frames and colors to craft an appealing, organized focal point.
Display 3D art. Sculptures, pottery, and objet d’art make interesting alternative focal points.

Take time rethinking and reworking your focal points and artwork until you find options that properly enhance your space. The right selections can pull a room together beautifully.

Improve Lackluster Lighting

Few things can sink a decor scheme faster than poor lighting choices. Dark, gloomy spaces and harsh, overly bright rooms are both unappealing. But boosting bad lighting is one of the easiest decorative fixes out there! Here are tactics for upgrading your lighting:

Add accent lighting. Install directional lamps, sconces, and track lighting to brighten up dark corners or create focal points.
Try new bulbs. Swap out harsh white bulbs for soft warm white or daylight colored ones based on the room’s purpose.
Increase wattage. Amp up dim lamps and overhead fixtures by using higher wattage bulbs. Don’t exceed recommended limits.
Use bulbs of different wattages. Mix and match to create a nice balance of ambient and accent lighting.
Add mirrors. Strategically placed mirrors can make small, dark rooms feel more spacious and reflect light around.
Introduce lighting layers. Combine overhead fixtures, table lamps, and accent lights for a well-lit space.

With a few easy lighting tweaks, you can remedy gloomy or harshly bright rooms and set the perfect ambiance. Proper illumination brings decor schemes to life.

Rethink Window Treatments

Window treatments are often an afterthought, leading to problems like windows feeling bare, fabrics clashing with decor, or light being improperly blocked or let in. But adjusting your window dressings is a quick and easy way to fix a variety of decor dilemmas.

Consider the following solutions:

Add window treatments to bare windows. Layer drapes and blinds to soften expansive empty windows.
Adjust length and volume. Window treatments should cover the window opening adequately when closed. Boost volume for a luxurious look.
Rehang hardware correctly. Make sure rods extend several inches past the window frame and hang curtains as close to the ceiling as possible.
Replace colors/patterns. If existing fabrics don’t complement your color scheme, switch them out for more appealing hues and prints.
Upgrade quality. Swap flimsy, poorly made window treatments for thicker, high-end versions that add elegance.
Maximize privacy and light control. Rotate vanes on slat blinds, adjust sheers, and use blackout lining to fix issues with privacy, glare, and light control.

Achieving a cohesive, polished look depends heavily on properly addressing windows. Don’t ignore these important details!

Scale Down Overly Large Furniture

Giant furniture that overwhelms a room can make a space feel cartoonish and exaggerated. But luckily, it’s not difficult to scale down pieces that are too bulky for their surroundings. Consider these downsizing tips:

Replace extra-large items. If possible, swap mammoth furniture for right-sized options. Search for more moderately sized sofa, chairs, beds, etc.
Downplay proportions. Visually balance large pieces by surrounding them with smaller-scale furnishings and accessories.
Add leggy pieces. Clear acrylic chairs, airy metal accent tables, and slender-legged seating help break up heavy visual weight.
Introduce delicate details. Sheer curtains, thin table lamps, wall art in slender frames, and gauzy bedding counteract hulking furnishings.
Keep floor space open. Limit surrounding furniture pieces to preserve an open, airy aesthetic around oversized items.
Utilize close-to-the-wall placement. Push substantial pieces against walls rather than floating them in the center of rooms.

With subtle tweaks, you can keep spaciousness and balance intact even when working with plus-sized furnishings. Think slender, leggy, and transparent.

Break Up Bulky Blocks of Color

Large expanses of heavy color can feel oppressive. If you discover you chose an overwhelming wall color or added too many colored decor items, there are easy ways to provide relief. Here’s how to break up bulky blocks of color:

Frame colorful walls with crisp white trim. This classic technique keeps bold colors from feeling too expansive.
Punch up the color palette. Mix in some vibrantly contrasting accent hues through artwork, pillows, flowers, and other decorative items.
Layer lighter and darker tones. Incorporate hues that are a shade lighter and darker to add subtle dimension to monochromatic color schemes.
Add patterns and textures. Varied prints and material textures create much-needed visual interest within thick blocks of color.
Paint an accent wall. Covering just one wall in an accent color prevents the bolder tone from becoming too overpowering.
Inject plenty of natural light. Sunlight streaming in makes vivid colors feel cheerful rather than stuffy and overwhelming.

With a few simple enhancements, you can transform flat blocks of bold color into stylish, visually intriguing showstoppers.

Rethink Room Function

Sometimes room layouts turn out feeling clunky simply because they weren’t designed with the intended function in mind. When use doesn’t sync up seamlessly with design, discomfort and lack of flow result.

Consider the following functional fixes for awkward, inefficient spaces:

Rezone the space. Repurpose a failed living room as a master bedroom, and turn the old bedroom into a study, for example. Switch rooms around to match their layouts to their functions.
Improve traffic flow. Rearrange furnishings and fixtures to optimize circulation and Activity zones. Make high-traffic areas more navigable.
Add multipurpose furniture. Items like ottomans with tray tops, storage coffee tables, and fold-out wall desks increase versatility.
Carve out separate zones. Use area rugs, distinct lighting schemes, and furniture groupings to delineate unique spots for dining, working, lounging, etc.
Elevate efficiency. Incorporate organizational hacks like wall-mounted drop zones, extra shelving in pantries, and concealed storage ottomans to max out convenience.

Take time to think through how you use each area. Tailoring the layout directly to its functional purpose will dramatically elevate livability.

Embrace Empty Space

Some decorating style seek to fill every inch of available space. But crowding a room with furnishings can backfire, making it feel dark, cluttered, and confining. If your decorating style has veered toward overkill, try embracing empty space.

Here are tips for providing breathing room:

Remove extraneous furnishings. Store or donate unnecessary furniture that’s crowding the area and making rooms feel packed.
Limit furniture size and scale. Opt for smaller proportions that don’t dominate space. Add lightweight, leggy pieces.
Keep floor space open. Follow the 60-30-10 rule – 60% open floor space, 30% furniture, 10% accessories.
Include blank walls. Don’t rush to fill every wall. Negative space provides relief from clutter.
Add windows. Generous windows and natural light make rooms feel more expansive. Benches and built-in nooks below windows maximize openness.
Use transparent objects. See-through vases, ghost chairs, glass table tops, and acrylic accessories add space.
Incorporate mirrors. Mirrors visually double room dimensions and make small spaces seem larger.

Breathing room is essential for comfortable, livable interiors. Discover the restorative power of open space.

Make Small Rooms Feel Larger

Tiny rooms and small homes often require decorating adjustments to keep them from feeling claustrophobic. A few layout tweaks and decorating tricks can help diminutive spaces live much larger. Consider these size-defying ideas:

Stick with compact furniture. Save space with narrow console tables, round cocktail tables, and small-scale chairs and sofas.
Limit furnishings. Decluttering leaves breathing room that makes everything feel more expansive.
Use multifunctional pieces. Items like storage ottomans, fold-down desks and murphy beds maximize flexibility in tight spots.
Add mirrors. Mirrors visually double dimensions, making snug rooms feel more capacious.
Paint walls light colors. Soft whites, pale grays and airy pastels make spaces appear larger.
Install skylights and more windows. Abundant natural light prevents cramped quarters from feeling gloomy or closed-in.

By carefully curating furnishings and finishes, you can transform even the tiniest home into a comfortable, inviting oasis. Prioritize light and space.