Decorating Mistakes To Avoid as a First-Time Homeowner

You just bought your first home. First off, congratulations! Just getting through the paperwork was no easy feat. It should all be smooth sailing from here, right? While getting through the burden of buying the house is one victory, maintaining and decorating it is another. But if you know the common decorating mistakes to avoid as a first-time homeowner, it may make decorating a little easier.

Buying Too Much Too Quickly

When you walk into a house full of empty rooms, your first instinct is to fill them as quickly as possible. But try to accept the emptiness for a little while. Furniture is expensive and there’s no need to rush to buy enough to furnish your entire house. Besides, having every furniture piece come from a matching set can make a home’s aesthetic seem dated or tacky.

Your best bet? Accumulate your furniture piece by piece, keeping your budget in mind. Seeing how your furniture looks in the room will also help you decide on the next furniture pieces to buy.

Overfilling Rooms or Walls

Even if you’re buying furniture piece by piece, you might put a little too much on the floor or walls. Too many furniture pieces or frames can make a space feel crowded and chaotic. It’s also hard to navigate a room with too much stuff. If your room feels “busy,” try removing a piece or two.

Being Too Hasty With Paint

Color is a fabulous way to make your house feel like a home. But don’t be too quick to grab the first paint can from your local store and toss it on the walls. Keep these things in mind when choosing paint:

Paint color looks different on the walls than on the swatch, so paint a little on the wall before settling on it.
Different paints look different next to other colors, so keep other colors in the room in mind.
The finish may also impact how a color looks.
Light colors often make a room look bigger, and dark colors may make a room feel smaller.
Cool colors also make a room look bigger, while warm colors often make a room look smaller.

Even when you do have your paint, don’t rush to start painting. Make sure you wipe down surfaces and avoid painting in scorching weather. That’s the quickest way to get paint bubbles or paint that peels after a few days or weeks.

Celebrate buying your first home. You deserve it. But when it comes time to decorate, make sure you avoid common decorating mistakes for first-time homeowners. Then, you’ll have even more to celebrate.