A few weeks back I got an email from an old friend, Beth.
She titled the email: “Desperate for some advice.”
Well, that got my attention pretty quick.
Beth and I worked together years ago in a call center and we would gab about decorating stuff on breaks and between calls. (This was long before Michael Helwig Interiors).
Anyway, Beth and I text back and forth a few times a year and keep up on each other’s happenings… But receiving an email from her is unusual, especially one that had desperate as the title…
She and her husband, Carl, bought a smaller house after their youngest daughter graduated from college 2 years ago.
Right after graduating, Nicki moved to D.C. for work and Beth and Carl found themselves empty nesters.
When they moved, Beth sent me pictures of the new living room and told me all about her ideas for how she planned to make it over.
That was 2 years ago.
Every now and then I’d text her to see how things were going and she’d tell me things like how she couldn’t figure out the wall color.
Once she told me she found a sectional that she loved, but it didn’t fit the width of the room.
Time after time and 2 years on, she was still struggling to get that room done.
Then all of the sudden, I get an update.
Beth finally found a sofa that fit but she wasn’t 100% sure she loved it.
Cue the wah wah sound…
She bought it anyway and decided to “live with it” until she got her walls painted.
Umm red flag.
Being the weekend warrior she is, she decided to tackle the paint job and as she was finishing up the last wall when she slipped on the paint tarp coming off her step stool and dumped a half container of paint on the arm of the new sofa!!!
No! I thought, omg!
Not only did she dowse green paint on the arm of her new, off white sofa, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep it to begin with!
What are the odds, I thought?
And yes, the sofa was mostly covered but, her drop cloths didn’t cover both arms and as bad luck would have it…
You’d think that she wanted to know if I had a trick for getting paint out of upholstery but that wasn’t it.
The desperate for advice part was about the green paint on the wall.
She likes green and picked a color she thought was gray-green but it looked yellow-green in her house.
To top it off, Carl was refusing to get rid of his beloved – and well “loved”- rocker recliner.
It’s 24 years old…
He used to hold Nicki and their other two kids in it and read to them and watch TV.
It’s straight out of the 90’s and it looks every bit like how you think.
So, Beth had a paint stained brand new sofa, a wall color she hated and a recliner from the previous century that was now threatening to cause couple’s therapy.
This makeover, after 2 agonizing years, was off the rails and with it went poor Beth’s hope for the perfect room she wanted.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Planning a room makeover doesn’t have to take a long time and it doesn’t have to stress you out.
In fact, if there is an unusual amount of stress involved, that’s a tip off that one or several of these 6 biggest room makeover mistakes are in play.
As for Beth, she finally convinced Carl to part with his recliner in favor of a reclining massage chair that he loves and that fits in with her style aesthetic.
They repainted the walls a soft gray-green and it is exactly what she wanted, win win.
That leaves the sofa: still stained but they bought a furniture protection plan when they got it and she’s waiting to hear what her options are.
Do you have 2 years to get your room makeover done?
Do you have time for countless do-overs?
No?
Let’s get into how not to plan your makeover, shall we?
Not Measuring Your Space
Hands down, the absolute first place to start any makeover is by knowing the size of your room.
Ideally you want to know how much floor space you have for every section of wall and all recesses where you could fit additional furniture or seating.
You want to know the overall length and width and then cross check those measurements against the sum of all the wall sections around the room.
Slight differences in how things add up is normal.
If you come up with a discrepancy of feet, remeasure to figure out where the mistake is.
You want to know the room’s actual size - so you don’t buy furniture, rugs or anything else that’s too big or too small.
Not knowing your room size can lead to regret and that can be an expensive headache that could derail your makeover.
Source: Vadim B, Pexels
2. Not Figuring Out Your Budget
There is no such thing as an unlimited room makeover budget.
Source: Michael Helwig Interiors, For Pottery Barn
Trust me, the cost of furniture varies greatly, and you don’t want to be surprised by pricing after you’ve already fallen in love with the pieces you’ve found.
Do your research and dive into the actual costs to complete your makeover.
There are always options for alternatives that won’t break your budget.
Or, you can concentrate on buying your dream pieces over time and as your budget allows.
Tip: Sign up for email alerts from the brands you love. That way you’ll know when they have sales or if and when your dream pieces are being discontinued.
3. Not Getting Clear on What You Love
This can be a full style influences or bits and pieces from various styles you love.
Source: Google
Don’t edit yourself, just figure out what you love and find pictures or products that reflect that.
I like to use PowerPoint to collect pictures and links.
I can easily edit the file by adding and subtracting things while I’m in search mode.
If you favor Pinterest, then do that.
Do Google image searches for the names of styles and save those pictures to your Pinterest board.
Again, don’t worry about colors or finishes at this point because you can refine those options later.
4. Not Taking Stock of What You Already Have
This is particularly important to think about with things you cannot change.
If you’re not changing the color and finish of the hardwood floors, the color of built-in cabinetry, the wall color or wallpaper you currently have, these are items to add to what you already have.
Do you have a built-in bookcase that you cannot or don’t want to change?
Do you have a family heirloom like your grandmother’s dining table and chairs that is staying as is?
Is there a ceiling light or chandelier that came with the house that you love? Add everything that is staying to this list.
Also include décor items that you’re keeping: artwork, rugs, pillows, etc.
5. Not Picking One Inspiration Piece
Rug, artwork, patterned fabrics, wallpaper.
These are single pieces you can build your room around.
Remember when I said you can edit or refine your colors or finishes later, well, this is later.
This is the point where you refer to your inspiration piece and pull out colors that will inform everything else in the space.
You can find the color of upholstery, accent fabrics, art, curtains and wall color from one inspiration piece.
After that, decide on your finishes:
Look at what metal tones go with the color story you’ve arrived at from your inspiration.
Pull in wood tones, baskets, pottery and textures that pair nicely with your inspiration and other elements you’ve found.
6. Not Making a Plan
I love making a list of what needs to happen for a makeover.
This is a brain dump list.
Get everything down that you want to accomplish.
I’m a pen and paper person but you can totally do this in a word processing program or in the notes app on your phone.
Get it all down and then use your intuition to put the steps in order.
Start at the Top
Intuitively, you’ll want to start at the top and work your way down.
Source: Daria Shevtsova, Pexels
Tackle the ceiling first, walls second and floor last.
Makeovers are messy. They involve painting, adding or removing trim, adding or removing fixtures like that dreaded popcorn ceiling…
It would be a tragedy if you spent a significant amount of money on the perfect wallpaper, slap it up and then decide to remove your popcorn ceiling.
Ugh!
Even if you cover the new wallpaper with a tarp, you’re still going to spend a ton of time prepping when you could make your mess once, clean it up and move on to the next step: hanging the wallpaper.
Gravity works and Isaac Newton didn’t take a knock to his bean for nothing.
In other words, stuff doesn’t fall up, right?
If it does, you have bigger problems then screwing up your makeover.
There you have it, the 6 biggest room makeover mistakes you can easily avoid.
Not Measuring Your Space
Not Figuring Out Your Budget
Not Getting Clear on What You Love
Not Taking Stock of What You Already Have
Not Picking One Inspiration Piece
Not Making a Plan
A little dramatic, but hopefully helpful.
You see, it’s not always about how high to hang art or drapery hardware.
Successful decorating involves getting your plans fleshed out before you pick up a paint brush or hammer.
I’d love to hear what you think.
Do you have a story like Beth’s?
Do you take different steps for planning your makeovers?
Leave me a comment below and tell me all about it.
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I write about small space design and decorating, sustainable furniture options, positive self care and a variety of do-it-yourself home décor.
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“This man is a plant shaman. He not only designs beautiful rooms, he’s got a green thumb that works like magic! My peace palm never looked better.”
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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
