While designing a home, there are a lot of little things that have to be paid attention to. These little things when come together make an entire ensemble of a balanced interior décor. And doing it without any expert advice may lead you to few technical-mistakes that are common in nature, but the effect of these mistakes may break the harmony of your interiors.
And to avoid these common mistakes, Ar. Nilesh Sawant is here to caution you about the possible mistakes through his mistake alert. Messing up your interior a bit is ok as you don’t do it every day, but not knowing the mess up is not the right thing to do. So let’s have a look at the areas, where you have to signal yourself for the mistake alert.
Mistake alert 1: Not planning enough before execution
Having a plan is the most important step in interior designing. You may skip buying one or two items from what you have planned but you cannot skip planning in the first place. It’s the base of your entire interior décor. Try to decide on what style of interiors you want to have. Based on that, try to simply measure and sketch a plan of the area you want to re-design. Based on this, you can decide what furniture pieces you want to have or what colour scheme you would like to have for the enclosures.
Remember, leaving some space free for movement is also as much important as planning the furniture pieces. List down your requirements and pick items that serve as your requirements first and as décor pieces later. While selecting your furniture always keep in mind the space available at your home, the style of interiors you want and scale and proportion of the furniture pieces.
“What looks spectacular at the showroom, may not necessarily look good at your home”. Both the places have different contextual features to the same piece, and hence pick a piece that goes with your context and requirement.
Mistake alert 2: Not budgeting properly
When I say, not planning before execution, it does not just apply to the décor or furniture pieces, but it applies to the budget of the project too. Many people fail to realize how important it is to establish a budget before getting into the whole design process. The entire design and execution is based on the budget of the project. So first, try to analyse how much you want to spend on the project and then list down your requirements from the project. Compare both the aspects and try to achieve a comfortable figure based on your requirements.
Well, the budgeting does not end here. Make sure you plan the entire project in such a way that the supply of finances to the project is steady and is supplied whenever required. If you appoint a professional designer for the project, the designer provides you with a schedule of payments so that you are aware and have time to make the arrangements, if you are doing it on your own, I suggest you talk to the appointed agencies and take a schedule of work so that you can make a schedule of payments for yourself and can avoid surprises in the process.
Mistake alert 3: Not paying attention to detail
Details in any context are the most important thing to make it a fine finished product. The most simplest details also make a big difference in the entire look and feel of the project. Make sure that you pay attention to details like not letting the cables remain exposed. Plan the switch board positions near to your required spot and make sure the cables are hidden or concealed to avoid ugly interiors.
Similarly, make sure you do not put your clutter to display. Make sure your space looks as beautiful as it is. Clearing your clutter will not only make the space look good but it will also make it look bigger and better. Bid a good bye to the heirlooms that you don’t like or that don’t go with your interiors.
Remember, “The presence of details may not be felt, but its absence will be felt immediately”
Mistake alert 4: Having a single light source
Putting a single light source in your space might cater to you by allowing vision in darkness but it won’t help enhance your interiors at all. Lighting design is an integral part of the interiors and should be done thoughtfully. And so, layered lighting is a very important part of your interior. Layered lighting helps enhance the décor, highlight the depth and make the colours ooze out along with focusing on the art pieces. And if you have put a single light source in your space, you can easily fix this mistake by simply adding ambient, accent and task light to it.
However, this might seem a bit tricky for a non-technical person and you may need some professional help here.
While doing lighting design, one has to know where to stop.
“Overdoing the lighting may break the design instead of making the design”.
Mistake alert 5: 4 S’s of the Rugs
You might want to elevate your space by adding rugs to it but are your rugs not giving the effect? It’s because you might have not considered the 4S’s of rugs. The secret solution is to choose the right size, style, scheme and shape of the rug. You should choose a rug that fits your furniture on it. Rugs define the boundary of your furniture setup and the space or the area around it. So remember to consider the size of your furniture and the spacing’s between them while buying a rug. Once you decide on the size do not forget to choose a rug that goes with the style of your interiors. Your classical rug won’t go with the modern style interiors, so make sure you take the rug of the style of your interiors.
Along with the style, choose the right scheme of colours for your rug, based on the scheme of colours of your interiors. If you place a cool coloured rug in a warm coloured interior décor, it will look like a total mismatch to the space. And last but not the least; make sure the shape of your rug is not out of the place. Do not choose an out of the space shaped rug like ameoboidal or animal skin shaped or patterned one as it will kill the entire décor of your metropolitan house.
Considering this will give your space a cohesive look and elevate the feel of it.
Mistake alert 6: 3 P’s of the artwork
Have you put an artwork in your space to create a focal point but is it killing the vibe of the entire space? It is because you might have not considered the 3 P’s. Position, Pattern and Perspective. Make sure that you don’t have to look too up or bend your neck down to look at the art pieces hung on the walls of your space. The proper positioning of the art horizontally and vertically is very important while placing it on the wall. Along with the position it is important to identify the shapes and geometry used in that space, and then the pattern of the art should be chosen to make it look cohesive.
Apart from position and pattern, is it important to create a perspective in the room with your art work. And so, make sure you place the art right in the centre of the wall to create a sense of depth in the space.
Mistake alert 7: Taking drapery lightly
You may have very expensive curtains but still they won’t give the desired effect if you take them so lightly. So to fix this mistake and to make your drapery looks good you may smartly hide the fittings inside the ceiling or behind a panelling. Avoid any drapery fitting to be visible directly. This will give a sense of height and spaciousness along with elegance. Besides its placement, the curtain rod should be wider than the window frame so that when you open the curtains they should rest in such a way that they cover only the window frame and not the glass. This will let more light and air travel in without any barrier.
Along with the placement and size of the curtain holder, the curtains itself should have a
width that is three times wider than the windows so that even when drawn in full width it
will give a perfect look to your space.
Now, after knowing these common mistakes and their secret solutions I hope you are alert about the mistakes that you are prone to make while doing your interiors by yourself. So be alert and avoid these simple mistakes to have a cohesive and elegant looking home.
