THE FIVE DECOR MISTAKES THAT ARE MAKING YOUR HOME LOOK CHEAP

When it comes to interior design, some people just have the eye for it.

But apparently there are some common home decor mistakes that can really cheapen the look of your home.

These are simple design choices which can be easily rectified though, or you can DIY certain features to make them look more expensive.

Interior decorator Julie Sousa, shared her decor no nos that she sees time and time again, which are to be avoided.

‘These are the things I would never buy as an interior decorator. These things cheapen a room,’ Julie says on TikTok.

Her video has been viewed over 500,000 times and many agreed with her expert tips. So, without further ado, here are Julie’s top five decor mistakes…

Faux trees

‘Faux trees with large foliage, this screams plastic,’ Julie says. ‘The secret to faux trees that look realistic is smaller foliage: paper like, silk – avoid plastic.

Fake trees are often a preferable option to real trees because they require no maintenance and they keep their leaves all year round.

House plants can prove fairly tricky to keep alive after all – most of ours end up dead.

Julie adds: ‘Real is always best but I understand that some areas will not allow for real.’

Unframed art

‘Two is unframed canvases. They look cheap because they are cheaper,’ Julie says.

‘One of the ways to get the expensive look for less – DIY the frame. But, you could also buy mass produced art and just paint right over it.’

This seemed to be the mistake that people disagreed with the most in the comments. TikToker Zuny (@heavenwhispers25) wrote: ‘I disagree with the frameless art,’ to which Julie replied: ‘All good, world would be boring if everyone agreed with me lol.’

Another TikToker Shelly (@shellsyeah81) said: ‘My sister-in-law’s unframed paintings are all around my house! Love them!’

Julie agreed that ‘sentimental is always an A plus’.

Signage

‘Three is signage,’ Julie says. ‘Good design will spark your imagination and make you wonder. Words do not leave you wondering anything.’

‘Labels are the same. You should know where your pantry is, so there’s no point in emphasising it. It just becomes a visual distraction.’

This is a nod to the stereotype of ‘live, love, laugh’ homes, which are typically filled with quotes and sayings.

TikToker Amber Ray commented: ‘I DESPISE live laugh love homes. There I said it.’

Toilet mats

‘This one should go without saying – mats around the toilet,’ Julie continues.

‘Having a bunch of rugs in general, not a good look.’

Julie explains in her other videos that generally, the larger the rug, the more expensive it makes the space feel.

‘People are getting a bit more creative with their rugs,’ she adds, ‘but if you’re going to put one out at all, make sure it’s one larger rug and not several.’

‘Gold’ furniture

‘Last is that fake bright yellow shiny gold,’ Julie says.

‘Most of us can’t afford giant pieces of solid gold, but if you want it to look a bit more realistic, lean into the golds that have this orange undertone.’

All of these decor no nos could be important factors to consider, especially if you’re trying to sell your home and you want it to have more of a luxurious feel.

There’s one particular area you should focus on though, if you want to get the full asking price.

Jennifer Spinelli, estate agent and founder and CEO of Watson Buys, told the Express that a dated kitchen could decrease your home’s potential selling price by up to 30%.

Old appliances, worn cabinets and outdated counter tops could spell trouble, with Jennifer recommending that, where possible, homeowners looking to sell up invest in vertical shelving, a pantry or even a built-in utility room if there’s space.

Elsewhere, have you ever heard of kerb appeal? Well, you have now. It refers to how attractive a property is when it’s viewed from the street.

Think: a nice colourful front door, Victorian black and white tiling or just

a nicely trimmed hedge.

It goes without saying that if a property has poor kerb appeal, that could

decrease its value by between ’10 and 15%,’ Jennifer explained.

In a similar vein, an old-fashioned bathroom can put buyers off. This one holds slightly less importance, decreasing the value by between 15 and 25%, but it includes elements like outdated fixtures, cracked tiles and poor ventilation.

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