No matter how clean your home is, these eight things will make it feel messy
8 design mistakes that make your home look cluttered
Do you often spend hours cleaning your home but never really achieve the clean and clutter-free space you were hoping for?
There are several factors – or “clutter culprits” as we like to call them – that could be making your home feel messy and disjointed. From colours that clash to poor lighting, it’s not just the stuff we accumulate that can make our homes look cluttered.
Here, we pinpoint six common design mistakes that can make your home look cluttered and how to fix them to keep it looking neat and tidy with next to no effort.
1. Cluttered benchtops
Your home will never feel clean and tidy if it’s overrun with clutter. Rather than leaving things like paperwork, lunch boxes, pantry items and other knick-knacks strewn all over your kitchen bench or dining table, create specific spots for these to be stored out of sight.
2. Cord clutter
With technology taking over, we are constantly introducing new gadgets into our homes along with cords that connect and charge these devices.
To keep tech organised, create a designated space where phones, iPads and laptops can be charged which is discreet and out of the way. This can be a specific drawer or shelf in a cupboard.
Gaming wires, cords and handsets seem never ending and need to be managed. If the humble TV unit can’t cope, try a stylish storage basket as a quick and easy dumping solution.
3. Lousy layout
There’s nothing like a nonsensical layout to make a room feel overcrowded and uninviting. Furniture placement will greatly affect the flow of a space, big or small. Also take in to account the size of your furniture. Is your couch taking up way more space that it should? Is your coffee table out of proportion?
4. Styling slip up’s
You can’t just chuck a bunch of stuff on a shelf and expect it to look good. Too many items look like clutter and you’ll lose the sense of it. Step back to get a view. Anything that catches your eye in a bad way, tweak. “Take a photo to see what it looks like through the lens,” says Jessica Bellef, head of styling at Temple & Webster. “It’ll help you to tweak it, plus you’ll get a great Instagram shot!”
5. The wrong rug
Size and shape are the most important elements to get right when choosing a rug. Too small and it can make a space feel smaller than it is and therefore overcrowded and cluttered. Unlike dining settings, living room furniture should be positioned half-on and half-off your rug. This pulls the look together rather than having floating pieces that end up looking disjointed.
6. Crazy colour scheme
Is your home a kaleidoscope of colour? This can be one of the major “clutter culprits”. While there are some unusual colour combinations that work, there are plenty that don’t. Adding colour into your home can be a game of trial and error but, to keep it simple, stick to one or two core colours and complement these with neutral tones.
Can’t decide on a colour scheme? Draw from any artwork or statement pieces you currently have and continue that theme throughout your home for a consistent look.
7. No negative space
Don’t feel like you to need to furnish or decorate every square inch of your home. Negative space is your friend when it comes to creating a clean and clutter-free aesthetic. Think of that blank wall as breathing room.
8. Lack of light
Dark rooms tend to feel cramped and confusing as our eyes struggle to define the dimensions, true colours and negative space. To brighten up a room, consider hanging a mirror directly across from a window to reflect the natural sunlight. Opt for light, neutral furnishings and furniture where you can and use floor lamps in dark corners to brighten the space.
This article originally appeared on Homes to Love Australia
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