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

by John Griffith
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Designing and decorating your home space can be a super fulfilling and fun experience. However, it can also be a tad bit expensive. And in trying to save a couple of bucks, sometimes homeowners cut out a bit too many items, resulting in something that is far from your desired aesthetic. That’s why it’s important to know where you can skimp and where you cannot. But on the bright side, you don’t really have to live in luxury or be rolling in money for your home to look expensive and beautiful. You can easily design your space on a budget and still achieve the elegant look by just avoiding a few simple things. Here are some interior design mistakes that can make your home look cheap.

You don’t really have to be rolling in money for your home to look expensive and beautiful

susan v brighton 6 1920d0a40d81489d923c025f9064af8e

Things That Make Your Home Look Cheap

Creating and designing your own space isn’t the easiest of tasks. After all that’s what interior designers are for. However, today they have shared their secrets with us on what things make your home look cheap and how to spice it up in order to achieve the aesthetic, beautiful look you are going for.

Create unique spaces with some simple design tricks

colorful interior design casey h green acent wall with couch art and lamp

#Wrong-Sized Rugs

This is a super common design mistake. Homeowners constantly get rugs that are way too small for the space they are designated for. Even if the rug fits perfectly with the decor and aesthetic, unless it also fits size wise, it will just make the space feel cheap. It’s important when choosing a rig for your space to find one that is big enough to fit underneath most of the furniture in the space and isn’t just floating in the room. Do not have a rig that just has the furniture partially covered. Your sofa, for example, should either fit entirely on the rig or at most have its back legs hanging slightly off. On the other hand, getting a rug that is way too big can make the space too full. So, it’s essential you find the right size rug.

This rug is just a tad bit small for the space

white rug in middle of the living room

#Cluttered Shoes

Clutter in general is a no-no. Even if you have the most elegant and sophisticated decor, if it’s constantly covered in layers upon layers of clutter, it’s no point. Clutter cogs up the flow of a space and makes even the best of design choices worthless. The entryway is usually one of the most clutter prone spots. With shoes being misplaces, mismatched and thrown all around. This creates a negative impression straight from the door. On the bright side, decluttering is cheap and fairly easy. So, make sure to take the time and declutter your space more regularly.

This is a really cool storage idea to avoid shoe clutter 

organzied shoes in a secret cupboard

#Basic Lights

Lighting is everything! Lighting can either make or break a space. Lights have a big influence on how a room looks and feels. Too bright and white lighting can overwhelm the inhabitants and can make the room feel washed out. Not only that but it can also make bad design decisions stand out even more. Whereas dimmer and minimal lighting can make the room feel way too dark and like a cave. This will give it a gloomy and unwelcoming vibe. Make sure to have at least three light sources – overhead, windows and table. The type of light fixtures is also important. Try to use the designs to your advantage. Don’t go for basic light fixtures, play around, get creative.

These are some of the most common and basic light fixtures 

things that make your home look cheap ceiling lighting basic light fixture

#Cords Everywhere

This is a common issue in home and offices alike. With technology becoming more a part of our everyday lives with every second, more and more cords keep showing up in our spaces. Having wires and cords lying all around, tangled and messed up makes the space look cheap and shifts the focus to the mess created by them rather to the space. There are plenty of ways you can fix this. You can call in professionals to tuck your cables away, or you can find plenty of cord organizers online.

Messy cables create a sense of chaos

messy wires and cables coming out of outlet

#Blank Walls

Yes, minimalism can be amazing, however, try not to take this concept way too far. Blank walls and spaces are unappealing and unwelcoming. And no, this doesn’t mean you have to go eclectic and put everything you can find into the blank space, but it is a good idea to create a gallery wall or add some prints. You also don’t really need to spend a ton of money on art, you can thrift it, make your own, or find plenty of affordable prints. Make it your own, just make sure you don’t leave a ton of blank spaces around your home.

Minimalism can be amazing, however, try not to take this concept way too far

things that make your home look cheap blank white wall with lamp and plant on each side

#Mass-Produced Artwork

Now that we mentioned adding artwork to the blank walls and spaces in your home, it’s important to add that mass-produced artwork can also make your home look cheap. While it may be tempting to just grab a bunch of art for the store that super trendy, it’s not worth it. Your home space is supposed to be a reflection of who you are. Make it cohesive and beautiful. Put some thought when it comes to decorating your walls and try to avoid mass-produced artwork such as the live, laugh, love signs as much as possible. Make gallery walls, feature your favorite artists, family pictures, vintage signs and poster. The possibilities are endless.

Add personality to your walls by avoiding mass-produced, trendy artwork

your home looks cheap live laugh love in black above bed

#Fake Flowers

We know not everyone has a green thumb. Or maybe you just don’t like looking after plants. However, please try to avoid using fake, badly-made flowers and plants. Plants bring a lot to the home. Not only are they beautiful, they can also purify the air, help you sleep better and feel better. Some people even believe the can attract happiness and love. There are plenty of plants that are super low-maintenance and don’t really need that much care. However, they can make a huge change to the space. If you’re reluctant however to have real plants in your home, we recommend you buy leafy plants such as dried eucalyptus or thistle. You can use them as a bouquet or arrange them around the home. And they are quite reasonably-priced.

If you are going to use fake flowers, it’s best to invest and get ones that are well-made

how to make your home look expensive fake glower boquet

#Ill-fitting Drapes

As we mentioned, the size of your rug can really change the feel of your space. Quickly turning it from elegant to cheap. The same goes for the size of your window drapes. If your drapes are too short this is an issue. Ill-fitting drapes automatically give out the vibe you decided to skimp on the longer drapes, or you didn’t take the time to measure out what size you required. Some general rules to follow is to mount your rod as close as possible to the ceiling and make sure your drapes fit from the ceiling to the floor, but that they do not drag on the floor.

This is a good example of well-fitted drapes

perfectly fitting white drapes above window

#Matching Furniture

Yes, buying all of your furniture all at once as a matching set may seem super easy and like a great idea – it’s not. Buying matching furniture isn’t also the cheaper option, and it creates the feeling as if the room is an afterthought. That no love and planning truly went into it. Giving in a cheap feeling. Like a landlord trying to just get it over with. Having mix and match furniture, fabrics, woods, and styles creates a unique environment that shows off your style and personality. This way your home will look more like you and not like a generic catalog page.

Avoid using matching furniture in any room

matching bedroom furniture sets

#Popcorn Ceilings

Who thought popcorn ceilings were a good idea to begin with? These types of ceilings are an unfortunate design choice that home builders thought would be the hit of the 20th century. Not surprisingly (but thank God), they were wrong. If you happen to have the misfortune of owning this amazing ceiling, it’s time to invest into a new one and get rid of it as it gives of a cheap, outdated and old feel to the space.

Popcorn ceiling were a mistake, and it’s time to get rid of them

make your home look cheap scraping a popcorn ceiling

These were all the tips and tricks we have for you today on the tings that make your home look cheap. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can go on and get rid of these items and recreate your desired home design.

Create a beautiful and welcoming home

modern living room

 

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.