So You Say: 30 Design Mistakes You Should Never Make
There are a million and one things to consider when taking on a remodeling project. Some of those decisions have the potential to significantly impact your home — and in turn your emotional well-being — for years to come. It doesn’t matter how functional your new kitchen is, for example, if you hate the flooring material you chose. It’s going to eat away at you every single day.
In hopes of preventing these situations, we asked readers for design advice on things you should never, ever do during a remodel. Their suggestions are quite revealing, and worth considering. But remember, the thing about advice is that you don’t have to take it. After all, the main takeaway message here should be that no matter what, it’s your home. And you should do whatever you want. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.
In hopes of preventing these situations, we asked readers for design advice on things you should never, ever do during a remodel. Their suggestions are quite revealing, and worth considering. But remember, the thing about advice is that you don’t have to take it. After all, the main takeaway message here should be that no matter what, it’s your home. And you should do whatever you want. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Color
Mike van Lammeren: “Never paint the brick exterior of your house.”
lisknits: “Never have a red, orange or harsh yellow bedroom. No matter how much you like it, those colors are too energizing/irritating to foster rest.”
nnigrt: “Never paint a bedroom before buying the bedding.”
tatts: “Never paint test swatches directly on your walls. The color and or change in finish will telegraph through the finished paint job unless you spend extra time and money to sand and prime. Paint big swatches on poster board so you can move them around to different areas and in different lighting.”
Read more painting tips
Mike van Lammeren: “Never paint the brick exterior of your house.”
lisknits: “Never have a red, orange or harsh yellow bedroom. No matter how much you like it, those colors are too energizing/irritating to foster rest.”
nnigrt: “Never paint a bedroom before buying the bedding.”
tatts: “Never paint test swatches directly on your walls. The color and or change in finish will telegraph through the finished paint job unless you spend extra time and money to sand and prime. Paint big swatches on poster board so you can move them around to different areas and in different lighting.”
Read more painting tips
Popular Stories
Space Planning
decoenthusiaste: “Never buy a ‘set’ from the big-box furniture stores, especially if it includes a love seat.”
bellburgmaggie: “Never buy that big ugly leather sofa sectional for an itty-bitty tract home and then wonder why it doesn’t look right.”
Quirkymimaw (Clarissa): “Don’t let yourself get talked into something if it’s not right for you or the way you and your family live and function.”
ckp88: “Rethink front-loader washers, side-by-side fridges and double sinks.”
laurie0714: “Never put the kitchen sink in a corner.”
Sun Lions LLC: “I recently learned the hard way to never, never buy furniture unless you can first take home a cushion or fabric sample. I ended up with a pink couch and side chair when I thought I was buying cream. Now if I can’t get a sample to see how the color will really look in my own home, I go somewhere else.”
Sylvia Carlson: “Never buy furniture until you have measured your apartment building’s elevator and all the doors the item will have to pass through.”
Read more furniture tips | Read more decorating tips
decoenthusiaste: “Never buy a ‘set’ from the big-box furniture stores, especially if it includes a love seat.”
bellburgmaggie: “Never buy that big ugly leather sofa sectional for an itty-bitty tract home and then wonder why it doesn’t look right.”
Quirkymimaw (Clarissa): “Don’t let yourself get talked into something if it’s not right for you or the way you and your family live and function.”
ckp88: “Rethink front-loader washers, side-by-side fridges and double sinks.”
laurie0714: “Never put the kitchen sink in a corner.”
Sun Lions LLC: “I recently learned the hard way to never, never buy furniture unless you can first take home a cushion or fabric sample. I ended up with a pink couch and side chair when I thought I was buying cream. Now if I can’t get a sample to see how the color will really look in my own home, I go somewhere else.”
Sylvia Carlson: “Never buy furniture until you have measured your apartment building’s elevator and all the doors the item will have to pass through.”
Read more furniture tips | Read more decorating tips
Decorating
Royal Carpet Galleries: “Never attempt to buy an area rug before you are sure you have the proper measurements.”
robin701: “Never buy artwork or accessories just to fill a space. Buy what you love and find a space for it.”
auntthelma: “Never have white floors. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once. I’m a slow learner.”
tedbixby: “Never (ever) carpet your kitchen, laundry room, well, every room in your house, especially with peach plush carpet. Where was Houzz when I needed you guys to tell me, ‘No way. You can pull up that cheap white vinyl flooring. No need to cover it with carpeting’? Oh, the 1980s were such a learning experience.”
lobelia: “Never install very dark wood or laminate floors. They will only look good for about five minutes after you clean them. And you have to clean every square inch or the undone areas will be very noticeable. Trust me. I made this mistake. We kept the floors for about a year and then had them replaced.”
Read how to clean hardwood floors
Contracts and Construction
Jillian - Interior design student: “Never ever sign a contract/agreement without reading it. Read the whole agreement — each and every clause. Understand what you are reading/signing. If you don’t, ask someone. Make sure everything you were promised verbally appears in writing.”
tdee56: “Never ever let someone start a job in your home or for you without a written contract. Smiles and handshakes are for the easily duped.”
cambier: “Never leave subcontractors alone on a renovation. Try to be there 24/7.”
Julia Barulina: “Never hire relatives to help you renovate. When something doesn’t go your way or if you don’t like their ideas, it can be a disaster. Hire someone who can guarantee their work.”
Metropolitan Design Concepts: “Never take the lowest bid to save money. Go with your gut. It always knows what is right for you.”
Read more contractor tips
Royal Carpet Galleries: “Never attempt to buy an area rug before you are sure you have the proper measurements.”
robin701: “Never buy artwork or accessories just to fill a space. Buy what you love and find a space for it.”
auntthelma: “Never have white floors. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once. I’m a slow learner.”
tedbixby: “Never (ever) carpet your kitchen, laundry room, well, every room in your house, especially with peach plush carpet. Where was Houzz when I needed you guys to tell me, ‘No way. You can pull up that cheap white vinyl flooring. No need to cover it with carpeting’? Oh, the 1980s were such a learning experience.”
lobelia: “Never install very dark wood or laminate floors. They will only look good for about five minutes after you clean them. And you have to clean every square inch or the undone areas will be very noticeable. Trust me. I made this mistake. We kept the floors for about a year and then had them replaced.”
Read how to clean hardwood floors
Contracts and Construction
Jillian - Interior design student: “Never ever sign a contract/agreement without reading it. Read the whole agreement — each and every clause. Understand what you are reading/signing. If you don’t, ask someone. Make sure everything you were promised verbally appears in writing.”
tdee56: “Never ever let someone start a job in your home or for you without a written contract. Smiles and handshakes are for the easily duped.”
cambier: “Never leave subcontractors alone on a renovation. Try to be there 24/7.”
Julia Barulina: “Never hire relatives to help you renovate. When something doesn’t go your way or if you don’t like their ideas, it can be a disaster. Hire someone who can guarantee their work.”
Metropolitan Design Concepts: “Never take the lowest bid to save money. Go with your gut. It always knows what is right for you.”
Read more contractor tips
Additional Words of Wisdom
Bison Mat Co.: “Don’t do cheap. If you can’t afford it, wait. You will end up saving money because when you invest in high-quality goods, you won’t have to replace it.”
labincurlers: “When you buy a house, especially a resale, don’t change every single thing you don’t like before you live in it a little while. You find some things are a certain way for a good reason and you are glad you didn’t ‘fix’ it.”
tedbixby: “Never ever do something because it is a trend. Do it because you love it.”
nnigrt: “And the corollary to tedbixby’s: Never don’t do something you like because it is a trend.”
tedbixby: “Never ever drink wine while operating power tools. The dust will spoil it.”
Amy Wolff Interiors: “Never design by committee. Your friends, relatives, neighbors etc. aren’t paying for it. You are. Get what you love. Also, a designer isn’t a personal shopper. If you are looking for the cheapest/best price/bargain, hire a personal shopper or surf the web yourself.”
nnigrt: “Never renovate aspirationally. If your family isn’t crowded around the kitchen table now playing games, they won’t suddenly do it (more than once) in a new game room. If you don’t have company now in your ‘humble home,’ odds are you won’t suddenly have friends who want to visit your fancier one. You will be just as much of a slob in a nice space as in your current one. Renovations change little that is wrong with us or our relationships.”
Sylvia Carlson: “Never tell your teenager he or she can decorate his or her own room unless you are prepared to live with black paint, plastic skulls and a coffin-shaped bed.”
mcolabucci: “Never, ever, ever buy your wife brand-new kitchen appliances for Christmas. ‘They are not gifts! They are machines for doing work.’ So I am told.”
teamaltese: “One poster’s ‘never’ is another poster’s ‘always.’ Never assume what’s right for you, your taste, your budget, your situation, is right for everyone.”
Your turn: What are your design “nevers”? Tell us in the Comments
Bison Mat Co.: “Don’t do cheap. If you can’t afford it, wait. You will end up saving money because when you invest in high-quality goods, you won’t have to replace it.”
labincurlers: “When you buy a house, especially a resale, don’t change every single thing you don’t like before you live in it a little while. You find some things are a certain way for a good reason and you are glad you didn’t ‘fix’ it.”
tedbixby: “Never ever do something because it is a trend. Do it because you love it.”
nnigrt: “And the corollary to tedbixby’s: Never don’t do something you like because it is a trend.”
tedbixby: “Never ever drink wine while operating power tools. The dust will spoil it.”
Amy Wolff Interiors: “Never design by committee. Your friends, relatives, neighbors etc. aren’t paying for it. You are. Get what you love. Also, a designer isn’t a personal shopper. If you are looking for the cheapest/best price/bargain, hire a personal shopper or surf the web yourself.”
nnigrt: “Never renovate aspirationally. If your family isn’t crowded around the kitchen table now playing games, they won’t suddenly do it (more than once) in a new game room. If you don’t have company now in your ‘humble home,’ odds are you won’t suddenly have friends who want to visit your fancier one. You will be just as much of a slob in a nice space as in your current one. Renovations change little that is wrong with us or our relationships.”
Sylvia Carlson: “Never tell your teenager he or she can decorate his or her own room unless you are prepared to live with black paint, plastic skulls and a coffin-shaped bed.”
mcolabucci: “Never, ever, ever buy your wife brand-new kitchen appliances for Christmas. ‘They are not gifts! They are machines for doing work.’ So I am told.”
teamaltese: “One poster’s ‘never’ is another poster’s ‘always.’ Never assume what’s right for you, your taste, your budget, your situation, is right for everyone.”
Your turn: What are your design “nevers”? Tell us in the Comments