Q: I have an idea for a blog post. “Design mistakes we won’t make again.” As I look through pictures of all the beautiful work you’ve done, I’m thinking of choosing many similar styles & purchases. But then I wonder, over time – did you ever regret a design choice? – Shannon
A: That’s a good one. And now for 1,970 words on the subject. We’ll start by saying that we definitely don’t always know what we’re doing when we do something (us = so not experts) so we just try to take things one day at a time and learn as we go. We make tons of mistakes. You’ve just gotta feel your way around and course-correct along the way.
The reality is that doing something, even if it’s a bad something, is so much more of a learning experience than doing nothing and being frozen in indecision (which never really gets your house anywhere). So here are a few live-and-learn mistakes of ours that come to mind:
1. Buying an expensive-for-us Pottery Barn sofa. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to buy a sofa without seeing it in person (and sitting down on that baby). The reason we got a PB one for our first house’s den was because we ordered a cheaper sofa from target.com and then it arrived and it was terrible. The scale and proportion was all wrong and it was hard as a rock. Thankfully it was fully returnable, but we were left feeling like “maybe you have to spend a lot on something to get something good” so we saved up and ordered the PB Basic sofa after sitting on it in the store (to the tune of around $1300 with delivery at the time).
But in all of the 3+ years that we spent with it, we never really loved it. It’s totally just one of those personal preference things but it always felt kind of baggy and frumpy. Here’s a less glamorous glimpse of those top cushions from this old old old post from back in the day:
It just never felt/looked as nice as the living room sofa that we actually paid $400 less for from Rowe (read about that here). Even Karl the sectional (who is three times bigger) was less expensive! He’s also more comfy and looks more like “us” than our old PB sofa (which we craigslisted for $500 before the big move). So I guess the lesson that we learned was that just because something is more expensive, it’s not always better.
2. Black trim in the bathroom. Bad idea. But I’m glad we tried it. I had this cool graphic Domino vision and it was not just working. But it only took about two hours to paint it…
… and then unpaint it. And it didn’t hurt to eliminate a few other odd items like the blue plastic shower curtain, my blue pashmina window treatment (that was definitely a work with whatcha got oddity), and those funny old shutters on the windows (among other things).
So the black trim was definitely a mistake worth making, just to learn that it wasn’t the right move so we could get past it and find out what we really liked. Turned out white on white on white made for a nice spa like effect until we could reno the entire bathroom (up close the original tile was a disaster, so it sadly couldn’t be saved).
3. Not bringing enough furniture into a room. Like our stark and completely non-functional living room in the early days:
This mistake was pretty easy to remedy over time. We just saved our pennies and slowly added items to fill out the long skinny never-used-it-at-all room. Here’s here’s how it looked a few years into the whole evolution (adding a dining area off of the kitchen was a lot more functional, so we used the room a lot more).
4. Going too crazy with our whole house color scheme. At first we thought every room called for a different color of the rainbow- read more about that here).
The black trim bathroom debacle taught us to try something, even if it doesn’t always work out. And this is more of that lesson. Slowly over time we tried a bunch of colors, identified the ones we loved best, painted over the rest, and ended up with a sea-glass inspired palette for our first house that was really welcoming and serene.
For our current house we’re in the mood for something a bit more moody, risky, and sophisticated (who wants to clone the same house twice?). Could be awesome. Might suck. Only time will tell!
5. Dinky, not-big-enough items. Even if your space is small, we’ve learned that lots of small furniture or art & accessories can actually make it feel smaller (and more cluttered) – at least through our eyes. Yup, we’re definitely fans of a nicely sized sofa or a large scale art item to add a little something extra. Some might say we like things too big (that’s what she said), but the drama of a giant light fixture, like this one in our current bedroom…
… or an oversized vase, like this one in our hallway…
… seems to add interest and presence to spaces that might not feel as special without them. Whatever tickles your pickle I guess (one more time, that’s what she said). Of course when Clara gets a little bigger we might have to nix the giant glass objects, but we’ll cross that bridge hide that vase when we get there. Ha.
6. Growing grass everywhere. A bag of grass seed is definitely cheaper than a bunch of bushes, and the easy-care regional grass that we use doesn’t need much water or weeding once it’s established (we don’t use fertilizer or sprinklers or anything). But it’s still a lot to mow. It used to take John at least an hour and a half to mow the front and back yards of our first house. And in the summer it would grow like crazy so it definitely ate into our “fun family time.”
Keeping a more naturalized landscape with a few areas of grass for the pup and the kiddo(s) is more of the plan when it comes to this house. So we’ll definitely add some grass in a few places for t-ball and picnics, but we hope to leave other areas au naturale (and add low maintenance wildflowers, grasses, ground cover, etc).
7. Not relying enough on craigslist and thrift stores for furnishings. Some of our favorite items, like our old living room coffee table (which is now being borrowed by John’s parents), the white slipcovered chair from the den (which now lives in the sunroom), the white pedestal table from our old sunroom (which now sits in the living room by the window) and Clara’s old dresser (which still resides in her room) are secondhand finds that cost less than $30 each. Yup, we paid under $120 for a giant 6-drawer dresser, a large white pedestal table, a crisp slipcovered armchair, and a two tiered glass and iron coffee table. Insanity.
We’re so glad we didn’t end up dropping $200+ for each thing from a big box store. And since moving into our new house we’ve added eight dining chairs from craigslist (scored for just $25 a pop) along with two $35 chairs from a secondhand shop, and all of the fun thrifted finds seen here. Secondhand treasures = yes please.
8. Not building things. It’s not that hard. Even though we’re the first to admit that it sounds intimidating (it took us three months to work up the nerve to tackle our latest build). But everything from our custom door-topped desk and our postcard shelves to the book ledges that John made in the nursery were so affordable and doable when we think back.
And now that John’s tackling our 140″ console table (he’s still hard at work – details soon). There’s something sweet and poetic about making furniture together at home (even if you’re just the cheerleader, and even better if you’re the one slinging the drill). Petersik-style romance is building something under your own roof (or outside in the yard). Sawdust + teamwork (even if it’s just me watching Clara and cheering John on while he works) = amore.
9. The whole matchy-matchy crime. In our first house we learned that we love a mixture of dark wood and white painted pieces along with brown faux leather upholstery mixed with white slipcovers and and even a few soft painted pieces (like a celery toned bookcase or bench). And in our current place we’re having fun switching things up by adding more boldness, different wood tones, and even things like gray beams or deep saturated walls. But one thing’s for sure. We’ll never have a room full of furnishings that are all the exact same wood tone or the same upholstery fabric. It’s just too much fun to switch it up with things like a green luggage-rack-turned-side-table (see how we DIYed that here)…
… or create a two-tone dresser like Clara’s (that we DIYed here).
10. Buying things that don’t work with anything else in our house. We thankfully never bought a giant piece of furniture that didn’t fit in with anything else that we own (other than the PB sofa we never really loved), but we’ve definitely picked up pillows and accessories that never felt quite right with other items in our house (and eventually they made it into the Goodwill/yard sale pile). Read more about trying to avoid grabbing tons of stuff that doesn’t work with the rest of the stuff that you already have here.
11. Refinishing the floors of our first house with traditional materials like oil-based stain and polyurethane. It stunk for months. We both got headaches for weeks and it felt really unhealthy, even though we ran fans and cracked windows (even in the dead of winter). Thank goodness it was two years before Clara was born (read more about that floor refinishing process here and here).
Moving forward we’d only use green products like just-as-amazing water based stain and eco sealants that aren’t full of nasty VOCs and odors that hang in the air for months on end (a local place called Eco Logic here in Richmond sells that stuff, which we plan to use when we redo our floors someday).
12. Buying a boob lights (yes, that’s a technical term). Or buying any interim item for that matter. For us it’s usually best just to wait and get something amazing that we love when we can afford it instead of rushing to buy something just to fill space until the real purchase is made later (read more on that here). We bought a boob light for something like $10 to get rid of the old never-used ceiling fan in our first house’s tiny guest bedroom.
The switch instantly made the small space feel ten times bigger, but we later switched El Boob out for a nicer long term fixture (learn how we made it here):
So if we really plan things out we’ve learned that we can save a step or two (and some money, even if it’s only $10) and not introduce boob lights to begin with. Or any other just-for-now-and-we’ll-upgrade-later item.
And so ends our little hope-we-don’t-make-these-mistakes-again-but-will-probably-make-others roundup. Of course all of these “errors” are subjective. You know what they say: “one man’s decorating ooops is another man’s decorating booyah.” Wait they don’t say that? Oh well. These are just a few of the things that came to mind when we looked back and tried to come up with “stuff we don’t wanna do again.” We’re sure there are probably fifty other decorating and renovating whoopsies looming in our future. But I guess I’ll be corny and say whisper “bring it on.” How else will we learn what we love (and don’t) if not by trial and error? Happy mistake making to one and all!
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Katie says
Hilarious, our first night in our new house we started calling our lights “boob lights”. They are horrible, but we’re living with them for now.
Stephanie B says
Hi!! This is my first comment to your blog that I truly love reading. (a friend told me about the blog) What a great post. This is very encouraging to try and step outside of the box. I love the ideas that you both share! Thanks for posting this. I am more open to looking at 2nd hand furniture items.
Paula/adhocmom says
The PB square sofa was the first “real” piece of furniture that I ever bought. I thought I was crazy. . that I didn’t really like it. I mean, I loved the style, but it saggy. Kind of like an elderly camel. It’s holding up strong (although it has about a billion juice stains), so we’re making due, but I’m totally with you on the pb sofas. What’s up with that? As for boob lights – my new house is FULL of them. It’s like we’re living inside a pregnant dalmatian.
Erin says
What a great post! :) I totally agree on the point about interim items ~ I need to remind myself of that, sometimes!
Becky says
I thought I was the only one who called those ugly lights boob lights. My husband thinks its hysterical to hear me saying that as we walk through big blue/orange. I have had them and HATE them.
Monique says
About finding furnishings from Craigslist…a friend of mine just purchased a small home and furnished 95% of his house with Craigs, thrift store and yard sale purchases. There are a few pieces that he’s going to paint or stain but for the most part he has everything he needs and they are in good condition. The house doesn’t look like a Goodwill annex either. It took him about 7 months and he probably furnished the entire house for about $800-$1000.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing! Wow. What a cool project!
xo,
s
Ann says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for mentioning the tip on floor refinishing. I have been thinking about the best (and easiest) way to fix ours. I am a chemical “freak” (my family laughs at me) and usually will not do something if I think it has the potential of giving off fumes. :)
Brooke says
Thank you! I loved this post. Too often, I get so hung up on making the perfect choice… it can be paralyzing! This is a great reminder that everything is part of the learning process.
hdstoker says
We bought an identical couch to the PB Basic from Dania. Almost bought the Basic, but ours is slightly deeper, for my husband’s long legs. And we’ve hated it since day #2. Totally the same problem… it looks frumpy and the slipcovers are too loose. But with two kids making messes on it now, I’m just biding my time (until hubby gives me the go ahead for something new!) It’s nice to throw the slipcovers in the wash, but I hate how it looks! We have the PB Greenwich loveseat in our living room, and it looks as new as the day we bought it!
Heather : )
Cassie says
Sherry, this was an excellent post. I learn the most from YHL when you guys break down your reasoning for choosing this over that, or why this works and that doesn’t. It also is a big confidence booster to those of us who don’t exactly have a good record of getting it right on the first try. It’s nice to see that people such as yourselves who have a true gift when it comes to decor don’t always nail it either.
Thanks for another great post!
Nikki says
I call then boob lights too! Thank you for confirming what I always knew in my heart…avoid the boob lights like the plague : )
erica says
One thing I’ve learned from you is to always paint a swatch on the wall first before leaping and buying a gallon of paint. Last week, I bought a sample of green paint that looked so great on the little paint chip. Got it home and was so excited to show it to the husband. Painted it on the bathroom wall and immediately thought “industrial hospital green.” Fortunately, we realized it before it was too late and had spent the money on the gallon. Now we have a beautiful blue bathroom.
I feel like I should pay you money every time I say to my husband, “on the Young House Love blog they did…” I’ve said it so much that sometimes my husband says, “So did they talk about this on the Young House Love blog?”
Ali says
I JUST found your blog like 20 min ago and LOVE it! I’ve been reading through almost every page here and feel like I’m already addicted. You guys are truly an inspiration!
As for comments on this current post, I have a few of my own mistakes I hope never to make again… biggest one is the oversized sofa we have in our living room – my fiance thinks I’ve started training our dogs to destroy it so I can replace it, but I think they just hate it as much as I do! Also, totally love the boob light comment, since I’ve always called them that as well!
Maya says
Great post! And perfect timing as we stare at our new floor mirror that just. doesn’t. work. Sigh – back to the store. Not everything’s always a winner…
Cheryl says
Did you know your hallway is featured here?:
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/roundup/deck-the-halls-art-in-our-corridors-143468
I was trying to find some pallet furniture and somehow wound up on that site…and lo-and-behold there your hallway was!!!
:)
YoungHouseLove says
Cool! Thanks for the heads up, Cheryl!
-John
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
Boob lights, ha ha ha!!!! We actually call them “Nipple lights” here. :-D
Lindsay says
I found your blog a few days ago and am so excited/happy/relieved! I find myself in my first home, and am so overwhelmed with blank wall space it was starting to wear me down. After looking over your posts for an hour I now have so many fun and affordable ideas that I’m getting excited about this again. Thanks so much!!
Heather @ REOlisticRenovation says
This is a really good list! I am thankful to report we haven’t done too many of these YET only so tempted especially by the expensive Pottery Barn one. :)
reny says
i know you guys like your furnitures simple and chic, but i just thought you might like this: http://dreamesh.com/
i know i feel like i wanna buy the whole lot.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, the link’s not working. But we’d love to check it out!
xo,
s
Amanda says
You know it’s funny, your post make me take a mental inventory of where we acquired our furniture and I just realized that almost none of it was purchased new. If I had to ballpark it, we’ve probably spend around $1500 on furniture total. I’m just cringing thinking about how much it would have cost if we had purchased all of our furniture new. Thank goodness for family and generous friends!
Julie says
Great post! Mistakes are great to read about, it makes me remember that things don’t always go according to plan, if there is a plan, lol!
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who thinks those lights look like boobs! I had a whole house full of them at one time, and I used to chuckle every time I looked at them. So glad not to have them anymore!
Amber says
LOL literally to the boob lights, and since I have some in my house that I cringe at continually!! Only one actually has the nipple though…. I think I can deal with the non-nippled ones for awhile, but the nipple one has to go!!!
Elizabeth Horn says
I can so relate to this post. I am finishing up redecorating my girls’ room and keep thinking about all the successes vs mistakes that I’ve made while doing it. It is so frustrating to put the time and money into something and then realize that it’s not right, but when it all comes together it is so satisfying! Here’s a little excerpt from my blog that describes exactly what I’m talking about:
“I love it when a plan comes together. There are those times why I take a risk with a project and it bombs. Then I’m frustrated and wonder why I even bother putting all my time and money into these things. On the other hand, when I get results like this, I remember why I love creating and I realize that I really am good at this and this is what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s a small thing, I know, but it makes me so happy.”
YoungHouseLove says
Love it. So true!
xo,
s
Heater Duren says
I love that you let Michael Scott make an appearance in your post. ;) Great advice!
Monica says
Thanks so much for the lumpy, bumpy comments about the PB sofa. I was looking at purchasing a similar one (though a much less expensive version) and coming from owning a sofa with ZERO loose cushions, you’ve made me rethink. No way I could handle lumpy back cushions!
HudsonHero says
These are my favorite kind of posts – mistakes or bloopers that DIYers make. Besides the natural joy (LOL!) of knowing you’re not perfect – I get to learn too. Thanks. This was a fun read.
Nicole says
Thank GOD you decided to take down the pashmina and blue shower curtain!!! Whew!
I wanted to ask…where do you get your EXTRA LONG SHOWER CURTAINS? I need to find one..and a liner too. What is the size? Thanks:)
YoungHouseLove says
I just look up “95” shower curtain waffle” on amazon.com and it usually comes up. It’s actually by Target but only sold on amazon.com (and not their site).
xo,
s
Jessica says
I love that you called it a “boob” light. That’s what we call our similar light fixtures, ours are “bronzed”, ever since our first was born 3 years ago and couldn’t quit staring at them when she was a baby.
Sarah Jane says
HAHAHA…our house is full of “boob lights” and I hate them!!! So…I totally agree with that one.
Jennifer says
:) I am glad you call it a boob light too. We have a couple in our apartment and anytime I look at them I think the same thing. (Although, ours do not look as “cold” as yours did, if you catch my drift – no pun intended :D )
Yolanda says
It’s “La Boob”, isn’t it?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, how silly of me.
xo,
s
Doss says
I’ll have to agree with some of the others that say if you’re going to refinish the floors, do it before you move your stuff in. I don’t know if we’ll ever get around to refinishing our’s now.
Interim items – buying those just cuts into your savings for the thing that you really want. Be patient and buy what you like… not a stopgap.
Sarah@StyleandCentsability says
Great post! We can definitely relate. You live and you learn:)
https://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/
Jess says
Re: #12
I call those “Boob Lights” too, and yes… it definitely is a technical term!! haha
Joy says
I still love seeing pictures of your first house — so many of the things you had were things I had in my condo in Boston (which I left behind when I moved to Portland)! Also, totally agree about the Craigslist finds. Just found a fabulous, classic couch for $75, and the owners even delivered it. What did people do pre-Craigslist?!
Bromeliad says
Excellent post. So practical.
Kirsten Smith says
I have been scowering the web looking for the bulbous jars/vases of hand-blown glass similiar to the ones that you have in the hallway on the hall table. Where did you get them?? (Do you know what I’m talking about by my very vague description?? Hope so ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Ours were from ZGallerie a while back but we don’t think they sell them anymore. I see them all the time at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s and HomeGoods though. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
ashley jensen says
I think you should slap a fidora hat and a scarf on your dog and call it fixed!
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! He’d be doing a 24/7 Justin Timberlake impression.
xo,
s
Julie Napoli says
My husband and I and our dear little monster (6 month old son) are moving into our first home in a month and I love your old house’s color theme. Can you share what the paint colors were. (We could use a little serene about now. We got one that doesn’t sleep. haha!)
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a post all about that for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/02/our-homes-recently-expanded-color-palette/
xo,
s
Melissa says
I refinished my floors with Osmo Polyx-Oil and Osmo stain in Havana. I absolutely love how they look but they do scratch if my 90-pound dog digs his nails in while stretching. Personally I prefer that to polyurethane but I know water-based poly is way better than oil-based at least.
Kelley McDaniel of River City Floors was the only local contractor willing to apply this finish, and he did a great job. I got a quote from a local eco-contractor who had never heard of the finish and wasn’t sure he could get out the gouge marks from the previous owner’s bad DIY refinishing. Kelley read all the material on applying the finish and it came out great. I ordered the stain and finish myself from Ecohaus in Seattle and they were excellent to work with.
Exciting! Good luck!
Teri Larsen, ASID says
As a professional interior designer, I would just like to chime in on a couple points (really important ones, I might add):
1) I LOVE using second hand and thrift store items in my home. Refinishing and repurposing items is a hobby of mine – so fun to recreate something! I’m all about saving money where you can.
2) Designers call them “Boob Lights” too…it IS a technical term. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it.
xo,
s
gia says
The Ektorp couch is nice to look at, affordable and stays clean with washable slipcovers but is a nightmare to sit on and even worse to try to lay on it. It is NOT comfortable at all no matter what position you try to get into, within 15 minutes of sitting on this sofa you are in pain. We tried it out in the Ikea showroom and it felt firm but not hard and everything about it seemed perfect but once we began using it – right away we both found it irritating to our extremities, ie, shoulders going numb, etc.
The problem is that this sofa doesn’t have good quality foam or springs and it doesn’t “give” at all. It puffs in places but not in a comfortable way and is downright hard in others. On this site I see it mostly has good reviews but on other sites, I’ve seen the same kind of complaints about it. We will live with it but other than its’ looks, I would not recommend this couch for normal use
Carly says
i actually have a couple questions:
1. how do you clean your jute rugs? i noticed that you mentioned you were happy with them and i have to say that we have had the most trouble with ours. anytime we spot clean ours, we end up with a lighter spot from where it was cleaned (even if we just use water). i don’t know if we can save ours, short of painting them, but i just wanted to ask.
2. we are struggling with a sofa dilemma. we currently own a very good quality norwalk sectional, but it is much too big for our tiny condo. i keep telling myself that if we hang onto it, it will be great when we move to a house (still a few years off). my aunt just purchased a PB sofa and offered it to us for free. if we accept, we will have to get rid of our norwalk. i am afraid that we will regret letting the norwalk go but the PB is slip covered (we have a frenchie and a nine-month-old son) and it is a much better scale for the space. i know it is a personal decision but i wondered what you might do in a similar situation…
thanks!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we just spray them with water or use some gentle dabbing (not scrubbing) with a mild cleanser (like Dr. Bronners) and let it air dry. We actually got Burger with a jute rug in our living room and while potty training him he had a few accidents but we just sprayed them with a mild (it was eco) pet spray and let them dry and there weren’t any lighter marks. Maybe it just has to do with the type of jute or the way it’s woven/sealed/made? Might be a thing that varies by quality or manufacturer?
As for your sofa dilemma, that’s such a tough one! One one hand you want your home to work for now (saving things for later and living with a way too big sofa for years might be frustrating) but you also don’t want to be short sighted and sell the big one and take in a smaller one that only works for a few years. I’m completely torn. Maybe if you sell the Norwalk and get the free PB on you can use the money you got from the Norwalk to get another sofa or a few chairs to create a larger seating area down the road? Or you can save the money you got for the Norwalk and then sell the PB one down the line and combine those funds to get another sectional later? Your tastes might change, so getting to re-pick the size and color and configuration might be better than holding onto this one for years only to realize it still doesn’t work as well in your future space as something darker or lighter or more modern or more traditional, etc. Good luck!
xo,
s
Carly says
Thanks, Sherry! Happy New Year!
Michel says
Thanks for the backsplash update. We’re about to put ours up. Just read through your list of mistakes. We are on our second house reno. (it’s kinda addicting) This time around we decided to do our kitchen entirely off of craigslist. Everyone thought we were CRAZY! We are about a month away from being done, and wow, do i love craigslist!!!! We were able to purchase $40,000 worth of 2 year old cabinets, and island and granite counter for $3,000. The entire project cost us under $5,500. Not bad for 400 square feet. We put in a door, window, recessed lighting, and reused a beautiful wood flooring. So yeah, I love craigslist=) and your blog. thank you!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing! Wow, congrats!
xo,
s
Crystal says
Hi! I just came across this post the other day and now Kate at Centsational Girl has linked up to it in her blog! Talk about timing. I did really enjoy this post and I’ve a future post in mind now for my blog…”What I’ve learned from J&S from YHL” :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s sweet! Would love to read it!
xo,
s
Elvie Look says
I have done almost all the same mistakes, including the boob lights… I laughed out lout at that one. Honestly, I didn’t know it was called that, and I can see why. Sadly, we still have it! … yes I know. Now you are laughing out loud! Hugs for such a fantastic article.
Sara says
You know before seeing this post, I was all for the minimalist view of decorating. That whole “less is more”thing, but the way you re-did the living room is fantastic! It looks pretty overwhelming to decorate but I sure do love it!!