5 Items Designers Hate Seeing in a Living Room
If you’re working on decorating your living room from scratch or are just looking to freshen up your space, you may be wondering what exactly to add to — or subtract — from this area of the home. When it comes to what types of pieces simply don’t belong in a living room layout, though, interior designers have plenty of thoughts.
Don’t have a pro on speed dial or in your group chat? I got you. I spoke to seven designers on the things to skip when decorating your living space, and they all basically said the same thing (and had a few other thoughts on some runner-ups to avoid, too). If you have these things in your space, don’t worry! Everything here is fixable, and even still, you do you in your home, especially if you love it the way that it is.
Furniture That’s Not to Scale Is the Top Offender
Pros understand the importance of scale when selecting furniture for a space. Filling a room with too-small or too-large furniture will throw off the entire decorating scheme, explains designer Jamie Gasparovic, the founder of Studio Gaspo. “When the scale is wrong, it makes the space feel thrown together and gives off college-dorm vibes,” she says. “Getting appropriately sized furniture will do wonders for making a living room feel design-forward and inviting.”
Designer Elana Mendelson, the founder of Elana Designs, agrees. In particular, she thinks furniture that’s too big for a living room can create an unsettling feeling in that area of a home. “Oversized furniture overwhelms the space, making a room feel cramped, disrupting flow, and blocking natural light,” she says.
Speaking of jumbo-size furnishings, it’s time to part ways with your bulky, blocky recliner once and for all, according to designer Taniya Nayak. “There are some new ones out there that are actually undetectable, but the ones with cupholders — no thank you!” she says.
Other Things Designers Hate Seeing in a Living Room
Too Many Knickknacks
When a living room is filled to the brim with all kinds of tiny decorative objects, Gasparovic says it can be a little cringey. “Fewer, larger accessories give a higher-end vibe to a living room,” she says. “If you have smaller-scale items that you love, grouping them together in a collection makes them feel more intentional and less like clutter.”
On that note, skip excessive framed photos, adds designer Jeanne Barber. “I hate an overload of picture frames, especially when they’re not concentrated in a single area and are a smorgasbord of styles,” says the founder of Camden Grace Interiors. For collections and groupings of frames in particular, it’s best to choose styles that have some kind of visual connection between one another, whether it’s a common finish or a theme of some sort.
Rugs That Are Too Small
When in doubt, go larger — not smaller — with your living room rug. “An overly small rug can make a space feel disconnected, as it doesn’t anchor the furniture or create a cohesive seating area,” Mendelson says. “It can also make the room appear disjointed, with furniture floating rather than being integrated into the space.”
Designer Esther Ellard, the founder of Effortless Designs, shares a similar viewpoint. “The worst thing is when you walk into a living room and all the furniture is floating, meaning that there is a very small rug under a coffee table, and all the accent chairs, sofas, and side tables are positioned around it and not on it,” she says. “This can really make a living room feel cheap.”
To get sizing right, this rule should help you. Ideally, all four legs of a piece of furniture will sit on top of your rug, the designer explains. Though sometimes, just placing two front legs on the rug will also work just fine.
Matching Furniture Sets
Pros are over matching furniture for your living room from a style perspective. “Please don’t purchase sofa, love seat, and accent chair sets,” Ellard says. “This makes a living room feel cold and unnatural.” Designer Katie Hillburn agrees. “A well designed living room is curated, layered, and collected,” she says. “Matching sets fall flat when it comes to creating a well-designed living room.”
Instead, Ellard recommends ordering your main sofa or sectional first, then turning to a different retailer in search of a pair of accent chairs or a love seat. “Make sure everything coordinates and complements, whether by style or color palette or both, but is not too matchy,” she adds.
Poor Lighting
Today’s living rooms are not the ultra-formal spaces they once were; now, people spend ample time using this part of the home to socialize, work, play, and more. As such, effective lighting is essential, and designer Jen Kolb emphasizes the importance of having multiple lighting options to accommodate a variety of needs.
“Overhead lighting provides general illumination, essentially lighting the room so you don’t trip over your furniture,” says Kolb. “Table lamps and floor lamps provide focused light for tasks like reading, and accent lighting like wall sconces and picture lights create a cozy glow and highlight architectural elements and artwork.”
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need
We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here’s What They Said
