Five Big Interior Decorating Blunders

I can happily say that I am a homeowner who had a house built as a single woman. Even after marrying and having kids, I am still not much of an interior decorator. I do my best, but the flow never quite comes together. As a result, I have flopped on several aspects of decorating my home. I am writing this to share my biggest five blunders to help others avoid the same mistakes.

1. Multi-Colored Furniture
With the best of intentions my mother-in-law helped us choose some furniture for our living room. I fell in love with a big, round chair. I figured it would modernize the area, adding contrast to the space. When the chair arrived, however, it was huge. The cats found it an excellent place to sharpen their claws, and the kids spun it around constantly. Inevitably, the round chair found its way to the corner, surrounded by two different colored sofas. It is a piecemeal ensemble. While functional, it is quite an eyesore.

2. Refrigerator Blocks Entryway in Kitchen
When choosing the house's layout I made sure to build a large kitchen, as I believe that is the most popular location for family to gather. My mistake, however, was designing the room to have the refrigerator near the passageway to the dining room. Inevitably, the refrigerator doors block the way, causing family members constant frustration and a few bumped noses.

3. Tinfoil Window Coverings
The biggest window in my bedroom has a half-circle at the top. When choosing window coverings I did not plan for how to cover the window. My husband took a third shift job, so I needed to make the room darker during the day. The quick fix included covering the window as I had seen done in Alaska. I used tinfoil. I do not recommend it, though, because whenever a fly, bug, or breeze brushes past it rattles. Plus, it looks rather lame.

4. Blanket Window Coverings
Although cheap and handy at the time, I made the fatal mistake of allowing my husband to hang a blanket over a window in the basement. Once up it hasn't come down. I do believe it is there to stay because now we have purchased different blankets to use in the living room. I recommend holding out for real curtains with a dark liner. It will avoid the thumbtack holes in the wall, too.

5. Heated Pots on the Table
My wooden table is almost embarrassing to look at. Over time it has accumulated a multitude of white circles from warm pots and hot serving dishes. The chairs are a hodge-podge as well, sporting three varieties. The table did not start out this way, but as kids broke spokes and tipped back on chairs some needed replacing. This area of the house needs a make-over desperately. What would have helped? I should have kept some trivets in the center of the table on top of some place mats.

All-in-all my home is functional, but it certainly would not receive awards for impressive interior decorating. It has a lot of work to do. The practical side of me postpones purchases simply for the sake of looks, as do many others in these economic times. Therefore, I hope others will learn from my mistakes and not wind up with tinfoil, white circles, and bruised noses.