10 Things That Can Make Your Home Look Cheap, According To Designers

by John Griffith
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When a designer states that a home looks cheap, they are very rarely referring to the price of the home or the price it took to decorate it. The term “cheap” in the interior designer world means that the home elements aren’t cohesive, that it is visually jarring and there is something off even if you can’t really put a finger on it. The great thing about this is that you don’t need to be rich to design a beautiful, aesthetic and expensive looking home. But you do need to know what you are doing or at the very least know what you shouldn’t be doing. That’s where we come in to help. Here are some of the most common reasons and things that can make your home look cheap.

The term “cheap” in the interior designer world means that the home elements aren’t cohesive

Things That Make Your Home Look Cheap

Decorating isn’t one of the easiest of tasks. That’s why knowing what can make your home look cheap can really help you when it comes to designing your interior. Even if you are working with a budget, that is not a valid reason for your space to look cheap. Sometimes the homes on the tightest budgets look much better than those with a ton of money poured into them. The difference between the two is knowing how to make a room look expensive, without going bankrupt. But before you start designing, here are some things you should avoid at all costs.

Decorating isn’t one of the easiest of tasks

#Clutter

You can have the most expensive, most beautifully and professionally designed home, but if it’s covered in clutter, it will look cheap. Clutter automatically ruins the flow of a room and keeps your attention on it, rather than your beautiful furniture and style. On the bright side, clutter is an easy and cheap issue to fix. Learning how to declutter your home is a must, as well as avoiding decluttering mistakes that may stump you. A clean and tidy home will automatically look better even if the design isn’t expensive.

Clutter automatically ruins the flow of a room

#Poor Paint Choices

Some painting mistakes can make your home look cheap and that is something we want to avoid. However, it’s really easy to choose the wrong paint color or do a bad paint job. And this has consequences. Making poor paint choices will make your home look scraggly and cheap. It’s best to invest in a high-quality paint, hire a professional to do the job and be aware about color theory when picking out a color.

Some painting mistakes can make your home look cheap

#Terrible Lighting

Good light is a must in every home. This is because lighting really influences how a room looks and feels. For example, really bright and white lighting can make a room feel clinical, overwhelming and make bad design choice really stand out. On the other hand, a lack of lighting will make you fell like you are in a cave. Make sure to have enough light sources, both on the ground, wall, and ceiling. This way you can mix up the mood in the room depending on the light. It’s also important to avoid basic looking light fixtures. Get some that fit the design of the room.

Good light is a must in every home

#No Art

Yes, minimalism can be really cool and look chic. However, the concept can be taken too far. And that’s when you get a cheap-looking space. Having absolutely no art hung on the wall leaves them looking depressed and blank. Make sure to add some original art or make a gallery wall. Make sure to avoid mass-produced prints, however.

Having absolutely no art hung on the wall leaves them looking depressed and blank

#Trendy Decor

Trends come and go. And while it may seem like a great idea now to fill your home up with this season’s latest decor, in just a couple of months the space will go from trendy to outdated. That’s why it’s best to stick to classic style and timeless pieces. In the long run, it will be more expensive to have to change up your decor every season in order for your home to stay relevant.

That’s why it’s best to stick to classic style and timeless pieces

#Matching Furniture

Matching sets of furniture used to be a must-have. They were a cheap and easy way to add some furniture to your home. However, according to designers, they are tacky and outdated. Matching furniture sets aren’t even that cheap, and they lack personality. They give off the vibe that you don’t really care how your home looks. That’s why it’s best to invest in some mix and match pieces that are different, but cohesive.

Matching furniture sets are tacky and outdated

@Northen Mattress and Furniture

#Small Rugs

Picking out the wrong sized rug is a common design mistake. A rug in a space and either anchor or define an area. However, choosing a rug isn’t easy. And while you don’t need an expensive rug for it to look great, a rug that is too small can cause more design harm than good. It’s best to remember that the rug should be big enough so that when you put the furniture of the designated space, be that dining or living room, it all fits on the rug. We mean all of it, no corner or leg should be hanging off it.

Picking out the wrong sized rug is a common design mistake

#Wires Everywhere

With live in a very technological world. This means our homes are usually packed with a ton of devices and gadgets which all have cords – creating cord clutter. Exposed cords and out of place electronic devices can be a real eyesore and really makes a home look cheap. Try to tidy them up or find ways to conceal them in a decorative basket, behind books, or get creative.

@handy_amandy Who installs a router on the kitchen counter?! #DADMOVES #homeimprovment #fypシ ♬ Good Day – Nappy Roots

#Curtain Length

Just like rug size is important, so it curtain length. This is another common design mistake that leaves your home feeling and looking cheap. Draperies are one of the most effective ways to elevate the home. However, in order for them to do that, they need to fit right. Make sure to mount the rod as close as possible to the ceiling and then get drapes that fit from the ceiling down to the floor. However, they mustn’t drag on the floor, just hover slightly above it.

Just like rug size is important, so it curtain length

#Wall Stickers

Yeah, we know wall stickers are affordable, but they really aren’t worth it. The live, laugh, love stickers and other varieties are tacky and instantly give the feeling your home is cheap or cheaply decorated. Wall stickers rarely fit in seamlessly with the decor, and they are quite the eyesore.

The live, laugh, love stickers and other varieties are tacky

These were some things that can make your home look cheap. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can fix all these little issues and have a beautiful, cohesive home design.

These were some things that can make your home look cheap

Sources: 

John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.