5 Expensive Mistakes Interior Designers Won’t Make Again

They may seem like they have magical powers to some, but interior designers are not born ready to create beautiful interiors at the drop of a hat — they’re human, just like any other professional. And many learn the best lessons about chic style and great function the hard way. A costly mistake is a design pro’s worst nightmare (especially for a budget!), but it’s a gem for everyone else in that it’s an opportunity to prevent it from happening again.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of saving money. After all, trivial design decisions can very quickly snowball into expenses that a client didn’t see coming. And unlike other retailers, custom design orders aren’t always truly refundable — restock fees and return shipping costs can be quite steep. But more often than not, expensive mistakes also teach you a thing or two about overall style. It could be that you missed an important planning step, or simply didn’t take stock of how your home should function versus how it should look.

If you’re curious about the rookie mistakes that design veterans learned the “hard” way, check out their most essential tips below. Whether you’re casually looking to redo a room or are planning a whole home renovation, read on for essential tips that’ll save you from a costly mistake.

One of the biggest learning lessons for anyone new to interior design is that lighting is everything — and can quite literally change how a room feels and looks throughout the day. Rachel Cannon, principal designer and founder of Baton Rouge-based Rachel Cannon Limited Interiors, explains both the color and warmth of light bulbs — as well as how much sunlight pours into a space — can alter the color on most paints.

“On one of our projects, after painting the walls of a room a nice gray color, their contractor installed pink LED bulbs throughout,” Cannon says. “The bulbs completely changed the look of the gray paint and made the walls look pink, to which our client expressed great concern and even thought repainting the entire house was necessary!”

Switching out light bulbs for a better hue ended up solving this problem — but swatching paint to see in the morning, noon, and at night (when all the lights are on!) will be the only true solution to save yourself from another paint job. And be sure to add swatches on multiple walls, too, if you’re doing an entire room.

There’s a time and a place for everything in your home — but if you’re working in a larger space, you should avoid wallpaper with small-scale details, especially across all four walls. The final look may have you purchasing double the amount of costly wallpaper for a redo.

“Beautiful textures and prints wind up getting lost in the space and read as solid color from a distance,” says Tavia Forbes, cofounder of Atlanta-based interiors firm Forbes + Masters. Save those delicate patterns for cozier spaces, including powder rooms or small entryways.

Speaking of wallpaper, anyone tackling a statement wall or papering an entire room for the first time should prepare for mistakes — even expert wallpaper installers often quote for excess wallpaper for good reason.

“Even if you order more of the exact same wallpaper, sometimes, the colorways won’t match between rolls,” says Anne Carr, principal designer and founder of Los Angeles-based Anne Carr Design. “Always have the installer give you an estimate, as they typically do this for free.”

Whether you choose to DIY or hire a professional, remind yourself of a designer’s golden rule of thumb: Order 10% to 20% more wallpaper than you may need based on your measurements. This will ensure that dye lots will match should you need extra paper for a misstep in installation, Carr adds. Plus, having an extra roll or so will mean you have the ability to replace a panel or two in the future, should spills or other accidents occur.

If you’re a first-time homeowner, you’ll soon learn that windows are costly — and replacing them with prefabricated options is a boon for your budget. But doing so may end up costing you more years down the line, says interior designer Haley Weidenbaum, founder of Everhem.

“As a designer, I’ve realized that every window has different dimensions; thus, you can’t buy one size to fit all your windows,” she explains. “Investing money in custom window treatments versus prefabricated panels ensures you get the perfect look and fit so you won’t have to replace them later.”

It’s happened to the best of us: You stumble upon a piece of furniture and instantly fall in love, making a split-second decision to eyeball it for a space you’re hoping to fill at home. This can even happen online, where shoppers have access to specs easily — but have yet to measure the exact space they’re thinking of.

“Take out that measuring tape and blue painter’s tape and map out the exact dimensions of your desired new purchase to help you understand how it will work in your space,” advises interior designer Linda Sullivan, founder of California-based Sullivan Design Studio. “Informed decisions save money — and the hassle of returns!”

If you don’t have a specific piece in mind while shopping, measure a spot on your floor and the wall you’d ideally want to fill. That way, if you’re shopping for a piece at an outdoor tag sale or at an antique market, you won’t have to guess at what a properly sized piece would be.