Q: I have an idea for a blog post. “Design mistakes we won’t make again.” As I look through pictures of all the beautiful work you’ve done, I’m thinking of choosing many similar styles & purchases. But then I wonder, over time – did you ever regret a design choice? – Shannon
A: Great question, Shannon. We’ve learned a lot by doing — and by sometimes doing the wrong thing first. None of us are experts from birth, and much of decorating and renovating is an ongoing experiment: try it, live with it, learn from it, and change it if needed. Below are a dozen real design and renovation lessons we’ve learned the hard way, written in a straightforward, practical way so you can avoid or at least anticipate similar missteps.
Jumping in is almost always better than overthinking forever. Even mistakes are useful: they teach you what you actually want and what doesn’t work in your life and home. Here are the specific things we’d do differently now.
1. Buying an expensive sofa without enough research. We once bought a well-known brand sofa after returning a cheaper option that arrived feeling awkward and firm. We assumed price guaranteed satisfaction and paid more after testing the piece in-store. In practice, we never loved it — the cushions felt baggy and frumpy to us. Later we found a less expensive sofa we liked better. Lesson: try furniture in person when possible, and remember higher price doesn’t always equal better fit for your style or comfort.
2. Painting black trim in a small bathroom. We experimented with bold black trim because we were chasing a graphic, high-contrast look. It was fun to try, but it didn’t read the way we hoped in that tight space. The paint job took only a couple of hours — and another couple of hours to reverse. That trial helped point us toward what we did like: an all-white, spa-like feel until a full renovation could be done.
3. Leaving rooms under-furnished. Early on we kept a living room stark and virtually unused because it felt empty and unwelcoming. The cure was slow and deliberate: save a bit, add key pieces, and rethink layout. Over time a room filled out and found function — a lesson in patience and purposeful furnishing instead of filling every square inch immediately.
4. Trying to make every room a different color. At first we painted almost every room a unique hue, which felt creative but disjointed. After multiple repaints and refinements, we settled into a cohesive palette inspired by soft sea-glass tones that made the house feel calm and connected. More recently we’ve been exploring moodier, more sophisticated colors, but the key takeaway was to narrow choices to a unified color story rather than chase every idea at once.
5. Choosing too many small-scale items. Filling a room with lots of little pieces can make a space feel cluttered and cramped. We’ve come to favor fewer, larger elements — a generously scaled sofa, a big statement light fixture, or one large piece of art — to give rooms presence and breathe. Big pieces often feel more intentional and elevate the whole room.
6. Planting nothing but lawn. Grass is inexpensive and practical, but it takes time to maintain. Mowing consumed a lot of summer time, so for our next landscape plan we’re moving toward a mixed approach: small lawn areas for play and picnics, paired with naturalized beds, native grasses, and low-maintenance groundcover to reduce upkeep and promote biodiversity.
7. Overlooking thrift stores and classifieds. Some of our best pieces came secondhand — a coffee table, a slipcovered chair, a pedestal table, and a six-drawer dresser were all thrifted for very little. Buying secondhand saved money and added character. If you haven’t browsed thrift shops or online classifieds, you might be missing affordable, one-of-a-kind finds.
8. Not trying DIY furniture or projects sooner. Building things is more approachable than it seems. From simple shelves and book ledges to a custom desktop, DIY projects saved us money and added sentimental value. There’s something satisfying about creating practical furniture together — even if one person is mainly cheering from the sidelines.
9. Matching everything too perfectly. Rooms that are overly matchy feel static. We prefer mixing wood tones, upholstery, and finishes for a collected, layered look. A mismatched side table or a two-tone dresser can add personality and prevent a space from feeling showroom-perfect yet uninspired.
10. Buying items that don’t coordinate with existing pieces. It’s tempting to grab accessories that catch your eye, but items that never harmonize with the rest of your home usually end up donated. Before buying, consider whether the new piece complements your color palette, scale, and existing furnishings.
11. Using traditional solvent-heavy finishes for floors. Refinishing our first-floor floors with oil-based stain and polyurethane left the house smelling awful for weeks and made us feel unwell. Going forward we prefer low-VOC, water-based stains and eco-friendly sealants. They perform well and are much healthier for occupants during and after the project.
12. Buying temporary, low-quality fixtures just to fill a gap. We once put a cheap ceiling light in a tiny bedroom to replace an old fan. It brightened the space temporarily, but we later upgraded to a permanent, quality fixture. When possible, wait and invest in pieces you truly love rather than settling for something that you’ll immediately replace.
All of these “mistakes” are subjective and context-dependent — what feels like an error for us might be someone else’s perfect choice. Still, trial and error is how we figure out what we like. Make small bets, learn quickly, and don’t be afraid to change course. Happy decorating, and may your mistakes teach you exactly what you want.
Update – If you want to know where something in our house came from or which paint colors we used, check our shop and resource page.
