Interior designing is more than just decorating and styling your place. Efficiently optimising your home to create a functional and inviting space requires thoughtful planning and detailed attention to various minute aspects.
Although home decor fashions printed in magazines seem like incredible ideas, they are not always conducive to your lifestyle. Certain types of decor items may be trendy and luxurious, but that doesn’t necessarily make them comfortable and user-friendly. What’s worse than investing your time and money into items that will end up being impractical or annoying?
In this blog, we will share a few decoration choices that look beautiful on paper, but may not be worth the hassle in real life!
All White Furniture
Credit: DigsDigs
An all white room can look so pure, calming and luxurious. But rooms full of white decor items (furniture, artwork, lighting, etc.) are magnets for dust and dirt. Your home is supposed to be a place where you can relax and unwind, not where you constantly have to worry about your jeans staining the light-coloured sofa.
Stark white rooms might appear insta-worthy, but they are incompatible when it comes to practical life. If not decorated properly, they can become cold and unwelcoming.
If, however, your heart is set on an all-white space, you can try going for tones like cream, light grey, and ivory for the sofas and bed upholstery. True whites can be included through washable items like slipcovers and throw blankets.
Vintage And Clawfoot Bathtubs
Credit: CHS Blonde
Clawfoot tubs look absolutely gorgeous and full of character. However, they can be impractical because they lack storage space for shower essentials. Not only is the tub in itself difficult to maintain, but cleaning the floor under the tub is also a nuisance because it can be difficult to access.
They have a porcelain finish which makes scratches, chipping, and staining more likely. Not to forget, you will need extra floor support when installing them on the second-floor.
Think twice before going for this kind of bathtub!
Chrome Handles
Credit: Meridian Homes
Chrome looks absolutely stunning in interior design — shiny, sleek, and elegant. But using chrome for handles, drawer pulls, and other frequently-touched areas isn’t a practical design idea.
This is because the metal is very susceptible to fingerprints. You touch it slightly and it will seem as if it hasn’t been wiped clean in ages! If you love the shiny finish of chrome, you can use it for other areas that you wouldn’t frequently touch, such as lighting fixtures. Or, for a shiny effect with less maintenance, you can choose brushed metal instead.
Open Shower Doors
Credit: Idea Group
Shower cubicles with no doors at all can increasingly be seen across beautiful, modern homes all over social media — and as aesthetic, minimalist, and neat as they may look, make sure to consider their true purpose.
Open shower doors mean you’ll get water all over the place. As you step out of the shower, you’ll see all the surrounding areas get wet, too. Secondly, open shower doors mean heat can easily escape from the area and it may get breezy, resulting in a cold shower. And that’s the last thing you want for your bare, wet body!
Low Furniture
Having this piece of decor is a sleek and contemporary choice for your home. It can also serve to make your room appear taller. But they may not be very functional when it comes to practical use. People usually purchase them just for their looks but end up finding them useless and uncomfortable.
If you face knee or back problems, have older people in your house, or regularly have guests over who face problems when getting in and out of low profile sofas, you shouldn’t be investing in this item.
Dining Benches
Credit: Graham and Green
Dining benches go well with rustic decor and have a low profile, allowing them to be easily tucked under tables.
Yet, they are still sometimes impractical. Consider a situation where you’re having dinner, and the person sitting in the middle has to get up. This causes inconvenience to the person on the left or right who will have to get up to allow passage. Such seating can also be uncomfortable to sit on for longer periods (unless, of course, you add cushions or a rug for some padding).
Marble Countertops
Credit: Michael Moran/OTTO
Marble countertops are a beautiful way to incorporate a natural, elegant and luxurious material into your kitchen. However, they are not as practical when it comes to the actual functioning of a kitchen.
If you are a passionate chef who loves cooking and goes hard on the kitchen, marble will be the wrong choice. Its porous surface will easily get etched, stained, and scratched, causing your kitchen to appear messy and disorganised.
You can consider quartz or darker stone varieties that don’t highlight wear and tear too much. However, if your kitchen is more decorative than functional, you can absolutely go for marble countertops. They will no doubt give your kitchen an attractive and beautiful look.
For tips on how to choose the right kitchen countertop material, check out our guide here.
Final Words
Now that you are familiar with some impractical decor items, the mistakes you should avoid, and the trends you should think twice about, we hope you are equipped with the knowledge needed to consider whether or not they are right for your space and lifestyle.
Remember, regardless of the recommendations, trends, and opinions of friends and family, make sure to consider carefully your personal style, taste, and lifestyle before investing in any decor items.
Want to sense check some of your decor decisions for both aesthetics and practicality? Just book one of our Home Design Gurus here! They can look at your space over video chat and give you tips, ideas and guidance on how to achieve an interior that you love.
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