7 Living Room Decorating Mistakes You Should Never Make

Creating a well-designed living room takes time, but there are some key mistakes that you’ll want to be sure to avoid right off the bat, designers say. Below, Southern experts share some of the biggest living room decorating mistakes that they come across often. Don’t worry, though, they also chime in with advice for what to do instead to ensure that your living space shines. 

Picking the Wrong Size Rug

Your living room rug “can truly make or break your space,” says Kristin Harrison, the founder of Bungalow 10 Interiors in Northern Virginia. Harrison likes to position her rugs 18 to 24 inches away from the surrounding walls. “Also ensure at least the front two legs of your surrounding furniture can be on the rug,” she instructs. “Anything smaller will make the area feel unfinished and unbalanced!” 

Poor Placement of Furniture

Many people struggle with determining how to best place furniture in living rooms, especially those that are larger. “Many folks are inclined to push their furniture to the wall and/or into a corner creating an uncomfortable distance to talk between one another,” says Kristen Scharer, the founder of Kristen Scharer Interiors in Washington, D.C., and Ohio, who adds that it’s better to carve out small nooks instead. “You want your living room to encourage conversation.” 

Pushing Furniture Against the Walls

Taking this approach is never a wise idea, says Bethany Adams, the founder of Bethany Adams Interiors in Louisville, Kentucky. “Even in a smaller room, this is rarely the best use of space.” Instead, look for a focal point in the living room, whether that’s a fireplace or just a large window.  Start there and center your coffee table on it,” Adams instructs. Then, place your sofa 18 inches behind the table and two accent chairs 18 inches in front of it. “Fill in the corners with your odd-man-out pieces: a bar cart, your grandmother’s rocker, the record player, etc.,” Adams adds. “The space will feel so much more conducive to entertaining and everything will actually fit!” 

Laura Williams, the founder of ATX Interior Design in Austin, Texas, agrees. “Bringing the furniture off of the walls adds a cozy element to the space that otherwise would not exist,” she says. 

Opting for Too Matchy-Matchy of a Look

By no means should everything in your living room match to a T. “Creating a color scheme that includes an array of colors within the same family or that complement one another is a wonderful way to avoid matching too much,” Williams says. “It is nice to add depth to a space by including more than just one to two colors in a single area.” 

Choosing Furniture That’s Too Large

Ensure that your furnishings aren’t too oversized for your space. “When the furniture pieces are too large, they will make the space feel small and cluttered instead of balanced and functional,” Williams says, adding that this is why engaging in spatial planning ahead of time is so important. 

Displaying Too Many Small Decor Pieces

Don’t let your living room become overwhelmed with stuff, Williams says. “While I love a house that shows the soul of the people who reside there, it’s usually best to limit the amount of small decor pieces so it doesn’t create an appearance of clutter everywhere,” she explains. 

Selecting Wall Art That Doesn’t Speak To You

The pieces of art you choose to hang in your living room should have sentimental value (and yes, they can still be budget-friendly!). “I adore when spaces include wall art that means something to the homeowner, no matter what it is,” Williams says. Don’t rush to hang up big box store pieces solely to cover those bare walls. “Curating art that is meaningful takes time, and it’s ok to have blank walls until you find something that feels special to you, whether it’s a family portrait, an enlarged photo of your travels, or a modern replica of your favorite artist’s work,” Williams says. “It doesn’t have to be an original piece that breaks the bank.”