The Worst Interior Design Mistake Everyone Makes!

Hi Everyone,

You would not believe what I’ve been doing the last several days.

I’ve been scouring the internet for the perfect area rugs for my living room and den.

And, I’ve also been working on the rest of the furniture for my living room, mostly.

 

So, what is the worst interior design mistake everyone makes?

 

Excuse me for interrupting. We already know what that is. You start furnishing without a design plan. Are you trying to say you don’t have a plan, Laurel?

 

No, I have a plan, or at least the key pieces in the plan. I never said one had to plan out everything down to the knickknacks (if you’re into those). But before getting in too deep, one does need a solid plan.

Okay, you’re right. Not having a plan IS the worst mistake.

This is the second worst interior design mistake.

Are you listening? Please do, because we all do it, including me.

 

The second worst mistake is eyeballing it without actually mapping it out.

 

Okay, what does eyeballing it mean exactly? It means we’re looking at a space and making up our minds based on what we think we’re seeing. In other words, there is no visual scale plan. However, just like an architect makes a scale drawing for the builder to not look at, lol, we must put everything down on paper or in an app before ordering.

Or, You also use tape on the floor, pieces of newspaper, and anything else you have to help you visualize with the greatest amount of accuracy. This will help ensure that you are getting the right size(s).

 

What inspired this post is the dining table I want to get.

 

For certain I want to get a table from Englishman’s Furniture. Some of you will recognize the name as they have been mentioned in ten other blog posts going back to the very beginnings of this blog. I worked with them a number of times from 2011-2014. In fact, they sponsored my trip to Americasmart in the summer of 2014.

Englishman’s is such a fantastic company with a gorgeous product that’s not inexpensive, but you can get a big gorgeous dining table that looks authentically antique without being an antique. And I mean a custom table, with a gorgeous hand-planed custom finish and alll for under $10,000. And in 2024, that’s a damned good price.

I love this company so much that they’re in Laurel’s Rolodex as one of the 36 sources I can’t live without.

 

So, here’s what happened that nearly caused me to make a substantial interior design mistake.

 

I have a good amount of space at the far end of the living room. So, I was thinking of a 60″ round table with two leaves that expand to about eight feet. Then I can seat ten people at one table.

I spent considerable time looking and when I had narrowed it down, I contacted Ann Chapman the first week of this month. I should’ve contacted her months ago, but I didn’t.

In the end, I decided on this amazing beauty, below.

 

However, I also wanted to work out a deal with them and needed to speak to one of the owners, but it was too close to the just-ended High Point Furniture market.

Well, it’s a good thing there was a delay because, in the interim, I discovered something. To show you what I’ve been working on, I created a few Picmonkey floorplans.

 

The 60″ round looked okay (above) but looked better when only four chairs were around it with the settee. (below #1a)

 

However, when I put in the two leaves,  the table looked HUGE on my plan. (below)

 

It was also a little cramped all the way around. It’s not the worst mistake one could make, but it made me wonder if a 54″ extending table would be better.

 

Laurel, if I may say, you don’t seem to do a lot of entertaining, and your family is tiny. Do you really need a table that seats ten?

 

Ah… yes. That is a very good observation. I believe the last time I sat that many people at one time, was Cale’s bar mitzvah in 2003. haha.

I guess I keep thinking that one day, Cale will get married and have eight children, and I will be kicking myself that my table won’t be able to seat everyone.

 

Okay, yes; that’s delusional on my part.

 

He’s already 34, and at most, he’ll probably only have three kids, so we’d be fine with a smaller table. Even if he never has children, I do have other opportunities to have women over for socializing. It’s super nice when there’s enough dining seating for 10. However, if it were only seating for eight, that would be okay, too.

On the other hand, I could do a 60″ table that doesn’t open or a 54″ table that does extend. I think the latter is the best of both worlds. A 54″ table comfortably seats 6. Plus, it’s a better size for playing Mahjong, a relatively new hobby of mine. (More about that, in a sec.) My current table set-up is 48″, and it’s adequate most of the time, but I think a larger round table would look better.

 

I redid the plan, and the 54″ round extending table is so much better.

 

And below is the 54″ table extended with seating for eight.

 

However, here’s the point. Me, Laurel had EYEBALLED the space and ascertained that the 60″ was the right size. And while it wouldn’t be terrible, the 54″ is better.

 

Why didn’t you do a floorplan to begin with, Laurel, if it’s so important?

 

I didn’t do it because I thought it would be fine. Of course, I would never just eyeball it if it were for a client. However, I take shortcuts when it comes to myself, and that’s when mistakes happen.

 

Okay, I haven’t talked about the rest of the living layout and furnishings yet.

 

 

 

As you can see, it’s very simple. There’s the Jules sofa, with two garden stools, a coffee table, and two club chairs. By the kitchen are two small demi-lune tables with lamps, possibly.

 

I did one more plan because of the Mahjong mentioned above.

 

A bunch of my friends and I get together a few times each month to play. We almost always play at my friend Cheryl’s lovely home. (Yes, the same Cheryl who insists I borrow her car.) However, sometimes she’s away, or maybe she’d like a break. I do have a card table, and I have the space, as well.  Usually, there are two games going simultaneously.

 

Or, maybe that’s where my grandkids will sit and do art projects or have a snack.

That is… If I can get them to come down from the loft! (behind those darling jib doors Brendan and Eugene made for me last July.)

 

You can see them more easily in this over-exposed den version below.

 

Okay, that’s all for now. We’ll keep going with this. Frankly, I could take my time. However, I signed up to host a party the third week in February. I’m not trying to complete everything, but I would like most of the basics finished and enough seating for everyone.

Oh! I just found out. My Gracie Chinoiserie panels are going to be here very soon!

xo,

 

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