10 stylish home decorators share their biggest DIY regrets
With every grand design comes the benefit of hindsight when ideas don’t turn out as planned. So learn from the mistakes of the most stylish home decorators, and swerve those DIY don’ts and decorating mistakes beautifully.
..‘Yes, velvet sofas are on trend, and my one might have looked smart. But what you don’t see is me with my handheld vacuum every five minutes, trying to get rid of cat hair, fluff, and the dust that comes from living a life. Velvet is a magnet for these things, and looks shabby almost immediately. I wish I’d chosen a nice, easy-to-care-for linen fabric instead.'PANDORA SYKES, JOURNALIST AND CO-HOST OF THE PODCAST THE HIGH LOW ‘I wish I had known that I didn't need to decorate the entire thing in two months. I think I was turbo nesting because we moved when I was seven months pregnant – and I almost expired! That said, it was so nice to welcome the baby into a curtained and carpeted house.’‘I wish I’d thought about how the light hit certain rooms more. Despite having a large window, our downstairs study never gets any sun and we painted it Hague Bluefrom skirting boards to coving . I still love it, but you need a light on whether you walk in at 8am or 8pm. We have learnt to embrace it and say it adds to the “cosy” feel, but I still wonder how different the room might have looked in a lighter colour.‘A 100% wool, pale mint green, custom-coloured carpet on the stairs is an absolute thing of wonder when it’s first laid... However, when there are spills or marks, there’s almost nothing you can use to clean it with that doesn’t either leave a horrid flattened pile patch, or destroy the colour. There’s a reason why most carpets are wool mixed with something synthetic, and this would have definitely been a smarter choice for a high-traffic area.’‘I wish I’d known that it’s okay to make do before committing to investment pieces. I bought curtains straight away, in order to give us privacy. But I hadn’t spent long enough living in the space and working out what I wanted, so they went as soon as we could afford to replace them. It was a totally false investment!They weren’t in a colour or style that went with my ultimate room design.We went for shutters eventually.’WHY SOCIAL MEDIA IS RUINING YOUR LIFE ‘We have a Moroccan rug that we were assured would stop shedding. Two-and- a-half years later, we still have balls of tumbleweed in every corner of the flat and now we’ve got a nearly crawling baby, we’re going to have to replace it because he keeps getting it in his eyes. It was definitely a big mistake.’‘We went for a wet room and have a glass shower screen that only ever looks good for about an hour after the cleaner comes. As soon as you use the shower, it gets covered in watermarks and just looks messy. I wish we had built a proper stud wall and tiled it. Also, when you have as much hair as me and you’re swishing it around in the shower, it gets really wet in there. A step-in shower probably would have been a lot more practical.’‘I once bought an achingly chic square terrazzo coffee table with brass nosing, which was my pride and joy. However, being the clumsy person I am meant several brutal knocks and lots of cursing and bruises before I finally got rid of it. My advice?Always choose a much friendlier, upholstered ottoman as a coffee table. It’s softer on the knees!’‘I wish I had bought a bigger fridge. Instead, I went for a cute-looking pink one because I loved the design and the colour, but it actually doesn’t have that much storage space. I wish I had bought one of those proper double fridges so I wouldn’t be constantly juggling things around to make space.’‘I didn’t put plug sockets on either side of where the bed would go in the spareroom, so I can only have one lamp. Planning the lighting and socket locations are crucial:so think about what you’ll want them for and what’s convenient – and don’t forget you’ll want a place to charge your phone, too. This all needs to be planned early on, because once the room has been plastered, it can’t be changed.’A room design doesn’t come from nothing, so start with a point of reference, a tile or cushion or colour you love, and this will be like your anchor, keeping you steady. If you get lost making decisions, go back to that source tore-find your way. If you have a lot of light, go for heavy curtains. For a darker room, go for something lighter and more delicate – perhaps a blind that won’t intrude on the room at all. Ask yourself what the space is going to be for. Who will use it? Will children be playing in it, or will it be just for adults? What is it about the room that doesn’t meet your needs at the moment –and why exactly are you're decorating it? Choose a palette by putting three, four or five colours that you like together, then stick to them. Pick things that are variations on these shades, or feature them prominently in their patterns. Begin with the main features of the room – the walls and floors. Then, layer up. The next step is rugs, then large pieces of furniture, then smallest pieces last. Following this route will mean everything looks good together. Earthy tones are extremely liveable.Terracotta, coral, peach, dark and malachite greens are relaxing and symbolise a link with nature; they also make the perfect backdrop for houseplants. Small job but big impact– add flowers to a room. Choose an unexpected burst of colour for an instant makeover.
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