The 8 Most Common Living Room Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

We know, you’re going for minimalist. But zero color can easily look less modern and sleek and more boring and sterile.

Throw pillows! Art! You don’t have to paint the walls terra-cotta, but pops of color will give a room personality and liveliness.

Step away from the Price Is Right matching living-room set.

Instead, go for furniture that’s an eclectic mix of texture, size and time period. As long as the proportions are right and you have unifying elements (like color family), it’ll all tie together.

This isn’t a dressing room, people.

Play around with table and floor lamps, and install some dimmers, stat. Different sources, heights and brightness will yield a warm, flattering glow.

You’re just trying to create the illusion of more space, but arranging everything flush against the wall creates an overly formal vibe.

Unless there’s something inherently embarrassing about the back of your couch, bring the pieces together to create cozy areas where guests can intimately chat.

You’re going to balance that glass of Malbec on your sofa cushion? Yeah, didn’t think so.

Duh.

Hanging photos and paintings mere centimeters from the ceiling doesn’t heighten the room, it just makes us crane our neck to get a good view.

Art should be hung so that the center of the piece is about 60 inches from the floor. (Psst, here’s a cheat sheet.)

Yes, rugs are expensive. But if the proportions are off, it can mess with the decor of the whole room.

As a general rule, a living-room rug should touch the front legs of every piece of nearby furniture (but it’s OK to go bigger).

A writing desk may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but are you ever actually going to use a writing desk?

There’s no shame in having an office area in the living room, as long as you use it. Make design choices that suit your lifestyle.