Decorating your home can be tricky. There are many elements to consider, like color, style, statement pieces, and focal points. There are also many elements you shouldn’t consider, just like these 18 tacky house decor items you need to avoid.
Bean bags
A large, sprawling beanbag can dominate a small living space and make the area look cluttered. While cheap and comfortable for dorm rooms or even kids’ bedrooms, these chairs often don’t align with more mature or sophisticated decor styles. It’s also an absolute nightmare when they inevitably burst!
Neon signs
Bright neon signs can create visual noise and detract from a more refined home aesthetic. The commercial connotation of some neon signs can conflict with a home’s comforting and personal nature. There are also practical reasons for not having neon signs in a home, such as higher electricity usage and possible maintenance issues.
Taxidermy
According to Forbes, taxidermy is making a comeback, but as decor, it can be off-putting to guests. It also probably won’t fit your home’s aesthetic unless your home is an old Scottish castle! A lot of maintenance is required to keep taxidermy in good condition, which can be both costly and time-consuming.
Plastic furniture covers
Although plastic covers on furniture are great for keeping sofas and chairs clean and new, they can also detract from their comfort, as they can be sticky and uncomfortable. Protecting furniture with plastic covers can make even high-quality furniture seem unwelcoming and make the space look dated and uninviting.
Inflatable furniture
While inflatable furniture is great for camping trips or kids’ sleepovers, it can easily puncture and leak air, and it generally lacks the durability required for long-term use. Inflatable furniture also doesn’t contribute any aesthetic value to a home setting, and it is not as comfortable as traditional furniture.
Fake flowers
Synthetic flowers gather dust easily and need to be cleaned frequently to keep them looking good. They also tend to look very obviously artificial, which can cheapen the look of a room. They’ll also degrade over time, losing color or discoloring, sometimes fraying, and ending up looking even more plastic.
Popcorn ceilings
Popcorn ceilings are considered outdated these days and are generally unattractive in modern interior design. Cleaning and painting popcorn ceilings, compared to smoother alternatives, can also be a real pain, and as The Spruce points out, they get dirty easily and can end up looking grubby and discolored.
Vibrant patterned wallpaper
Vibrant or clashing patterns can overwhelm a space and make it feel smaller or more chaotic. This type of wallpaper can be difficult to match with other home decor elements, which limits design choices. They also tend to go out of style quickly, so it’s best to choose something more subtle and timeless.
Mirrored furniture
Reflective surfaces show fingerprints and smudges more easily than other finishes, making cleaning and maintaining mirrored furniture more trouble than it’s worth. This kind of furniture can also feel outdated, and mirrored surfaces can chip, crack, or shatter easily. It’s just not worth the hassle!
Novelty toilet seats
The materials used in novelty toilet seats can sometimes be harder to clean thoroughly, leading to a great breeding ground for bacteria. This once-popular item also tends to give bathrooms a dated look and can undermine their aesthetic.
Too many throw pillows
Too many pillows can make seating uncomfortable. Furthermore, when they’re not in use, they need to be stored somewhere, which takes up space. Southern Living recommends keeping them to the minimum; otherwise, we’re at risk of making our space look cluttered and detracting from the overall decor.
Bookshelf or brick wallpaper
Wallpaper that looks like bookshelves or a brick wall looks tacky and is easily identifiable as fake, which can reduce the elegance of a space. Real bookshelves can add warmth and a personal touch to a home, but the wallpaper equivalent only limits decor choices, clashing with other styles or themes in the home.
Inspirational quotes
The world of interior decoration has been saturated with inspirational quotes, making them feel cliched and uninspired. This kind of decor often lacks personal relevance or connection, making living spaces feel less genuine. They also take up wall space that could otherwise be used for family photos or more elegant and stylish artwork.
Oversized furniture in small spaces
Large furniture can make small rooms feel cramped and disrupt the flow of movement. Scale and proportion are important elements in interior design, and oversized furniture can overwhelm other design elements, making it hard to achieve a balanced decor. If your home is small, stick to smaller, more tasteful pieces.
Ceramic figurines
Ceramic figures accumulate dust easily and require frequent cleaning, which can be frustrating if you have a lot of them. While they may create an element of character and charm in moderation, an abundance of figurines can also create a cluttered and outdated appearance unless organized in uniform.
Lava lamps
Lava lamps are undeniably groovy looking, but they’re associated with the ‘60s and can clash with more contemporary decor styles. Smithsonian Magazine says they are not as practical as lamps, as they provide minimal light. They are more of a novelty item for bachelor pads than an effective light source.
Beaded curtains
Much like lava lamps, beaded doorway curtains are outdated and impractical, but they have further problems. They can be a danger to children, and they’re noisy and annoying, often tangling and obstructing easy passage through doorways. They provide no privacy and cannot be easily cleaned and dusted, so think twice before buying them!
Zebra print rugs
Finally, while some people love zebra prints, it’s difficult to match them with other decor styles without them clashing. They also feel like they’re trying too hard to be trendy when, in reality, they’re pretty dated. Small pieces might be fine if you really like them, but large zebra print items will only distract your guests from other decor.
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