35 Truly Horendous Home Decor Ideas
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Ever feel like you're a bit too stylish for your own good? Intimidating friends with your effortless vignettes, balanced compositions and trend-setting colour choices? Don't worry, even if you're not the most confident home decorator you'll feel pretty good once you compare your house to these 35 examples of truly awful home decor disasters...
Prepare your eyes for a visual assault and be sure not to follow the tips to "get the look" in your own home...
1. Sponge Painted Cupboards
A particularly liberating time in the history of DIY was the sponged-on paint trend. This stunning example brings a warm, homey touch to this stylish kitchen.
2. Bile Green Shower Curtains
These shiny green shower curtain and bath trim certainly bring a fresh feeling to this bathroom - neutralising the vibrant pink and eggshell blue colour scheme.
3. Matching Wallpaper and Bed Spread
Pro tip: To enlarge a small bedroom space, find a bed spread to match your floral wall paper. The bed will visually disappear, making the space feel much larger than it is. Just watch your shins while navigating this room.
4. Textured Tiles
Bring that day spa look to your home by incorporating textured tiles in neutral, earthy tones.
5. A Smear of Green to Brighten the Bathroom
Green is a fresh, lively colour that's the perfect addition to a bathroom. Simply smear your paintbrush across the walls to achieve this lively, textured look.
6. Trompe l'oeil in the Bedroom
This stunning example of trompe l'oeil tricks the eye into thinking this bedroom is actually open to the sky. Combined with the brick effect walls and floral bed pattern, you'd be forgiven for thinking you're actually falling asleep in your own ruin, surrounded by stunning wildflowers.
7. Eggplant and Brown
Eggplant and brown are a terrific colour combination to liven up any living area. Consider incorporating other luxurious textures and patterns like the decorative cornice and elegant lampshade shown here.
8. Red, Black and Gold
Red and black alone can be a dramatic colour choice. Incorporate shimmering gold to amp up the look the glamour a notch. Just like that vintage Hollywood style.
9. Floral Chic
When it comes to mixing patterns it's best to use similar designs to really amplify the look you're shooting for. Here, a combination of florals combined with a ruched drape really highlights the light feminine design.
10. Bold Colours
Don't be afraid to choose bold, dramatic colours to highlight your designer prowess. Once you have your pallete of five or six striking colours, mix and match them throughout the house to give each room its own unique style without compromising the overall consistency of your colour scheme.
11. Easily Update a Tired Kitchen
If your kitchen is beginning to show its age, you can easy update it with a coat of paint. Don't be afraid to paint the tiles, the texture of your brushstrokes will enhance to final result. Remember to mimic the effect of real tiles and paint the grout a contrasting colour (in this case a sparkling gold). If you're especially creative you can even incorporate a fun mural on your cupboard doors.
12. Mad for Mosaic
Mosaic tiling is a DIY activity you can easily achieve yourself. You can pick up pre broken tiles from your local tile shop either for free or very cheap. And don't feel limited to the floor or even tiles. Polished stones also look great a mosaic vanity top.
13. Stick with One Hue
If you're worried about overdoing it with colour, the experts advice is to stick with one hue to keep your look consistent through the home. In this case, the homeowner has selected their favourite colour range from rich reds, spicy oranges through to hot pinks. Because these colours are all in the same colour family, they look great and feel cohesive from the bathroom to the bar.
14. Textured Cabinets
Richly textured kitchen cabinets (especially in very dark stains like this) are never a bad idea. Combine with a bright counter top for a modern, funky look.
15. Colour and Pattern
For best results, combine colour and pattern of the same tone, like this vibrant bathroom.
16. Mirrors Aren't Just for the Bathroom...
They can also add some pizzaz to the bedroom.
17. Christmas Colours
By choosing carefully you can make your home seasonly appropriate with ease. This red and white colour scheme only needs the addition of holly or mistletoe to get into the festive spirit.
18. Pendant Lighting
Bring some class to your dining space by hanging a beautiful pendant light overhead. It will instantly enhance the dining area and make it feel more elegant.
19. Show Off Your Favourite Things
Gun enthusiast? Soft toy collector? Show off your unique personality by displaying your favourite things like they're decor items. Simple wall shelving is a stylish start.
20. Always Be Ready to Entertain
Don't restrict yourself to the bare minimum of furniture. What happens when friends stop by? Make guests feel welcome by providing more than enough comfortable seating.
21. Don't Be Afraid of Bling
It's hard to overdo bling. Especially in the formal sitting area. Don't be afraid to show off the glitzier side of your personality by adorning your spaces with gold, luxurious fabrics and rich mahogany.
22. The Answer is Always Brown
If you're finding it hard to come up with a feature colour, the answer is always brown. Mission brown shouldn't be relegated to the history books. Tie it all together with a dark timber stain rust coloured shag.
23. You Can Never Have Too Many Flowers or Candles
If a corner of your room feels empty and sterile, a floral arrangement or candle holder will add instant charm. The cost of real flowers can add up. Don't worry, plastic flowers last forever and will fool even the more savvy observers.
24. Statement Shiny Curtains
Your statement piece shouldn't be limited to a wall colour or artwork. Curtains are a great way to make a statement in any room. If you're a risk taker, these shiny green curtains are sure to wow at your next dinner party.
25. Think Black
Get that cinema experience at home by blocking sources of natural light and painting the walls of your TV black or dark charcoal. Pop some popcorn in the microwave and get ready to experience the latest feature from the comfort of your own couch.
26. Feeling Exposed
A real trend at the moment is the exposed look for plumbing. Pair a modern sink with PVC pipes for a fun, honest look in the bathroom.
27. Statement Furniture
Aren't we all tired of the same boring furniture styles? Choose contrasting statement armchairs in round, triangular or more traditional square shapes for that wow factor in your living space. Our top advice? Make sure you mix up the fabric choices on each chair.
28. Monochromatic
Stick with one statement colour for consistency. Here vibrant teal is used to great effect. The addition of greco-roman elements freshens up the space and adds character.
29. Busy is Better
When it comes to the bathroom, busy patterns are your friend. They'll hide all the dirt and grime that invariably builds up in the bathroom, saving you hours of cleaning time a week.
30. Optical Illusions
Trick guests into thinking your home is much larger and more grandiose than it really is by putting mirror behind a false arcade. Trick the arcade up with some candle-style lighting to really play on the illusion. Your grand dining room will be the talk of the town.
31. Black and Pink
Black and pink are a timeless colour combination. In this bathroom you can see how fresh the combination looks when paired with gold fixtures. Bold and modern at the same time.
32. Mustard
Not just a condiment for hot dogs, mustard is a terrific colour choice to add spice and vibrance to any room.
33. All Over Wall Paper
Sure, it's called wallpaper. But that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to the walls! Wallpaper looks equally appealing on the ceiling as this flowery bathroom proves.
34. Bring the Outdoor In
Make your sunroom feel like an outdoor patio by running with a green floral fabric and astro turf carpet. Even in the depths of winter you can pretend you're in a flowery field.
35. Pastel
Pastel didn't disappear in the '90s! It still looks great, especially when paired with aluminium venetians and desert art.
To ensure your home doesn't end up in the world's ugliest house list, you can find professional interior designers of Service Central. And rather than attempting the project yourself, we also have plenty of qualified tradespeople to get the work done properly. Get quotes today.
Be sure to check out http://www.uglyhousephotos.com/ for more hilarity.
About the Author
Brodie Norris runs Lunchbox Architect, a website featuring one exceptional, architect-designed family home every weekday. To see homes that don't make you want to hurl, check out our recently featured designs!Get Quotes
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