16 homeware mistakes I made (and why they didn't work)
When bad decisions happen to good furniture.
Mistakes, I’ve made a few. Hair mascara and tooth gems were two of them but these days, homeware makes up the majority of my shopping errors. My poor flat has had its share of furniture flings – it deserves some stability for once.
Hate to blow my own trumpet but I have a gift for buying homeware that doesn't look right once in situ. Impressive considering that interiors – writing about them, styling them, choosing them – is my actual job. My flat is a 725 sq ft holding pen for ill-advised purchases that I’ll sell a few months later, having realised exactly what went wrong (but not to such an extent that I won’t do it again).
Honestly, the rubbish I’ve bought when I’ve been hungry, or in a weird mood because of the moon, or I liked that thing when I saw it in a hotel in Mexico, or I didn’t bring my tape measure, or I was in a rush and the panic made me forget that I don’t live in a bright loft in Amsterdam.
Regrettable purchases happen to the best of us and surprise surprise; most of mine seem to revolve around homeware. Most but not all. See also; shoes that were in the sale but never truly fit, vitamin supplements that I’ll never take, niche stationery that I stockpile for when I become a person who sends thoughtful cards for no reason. I once blew £75 in Choosing Keeping on black cat stickers and pumpkin greetings cards?! Halloween is coming up soon, so you never know (we all know I’ll still have those stickers and cards in the year 2053).
I digress.
Keep scrolling for 16 interiors mistakes that I’ve made at home over the past four years and what I learned from each one. To tell you the truth, it’s not 16, it’s actually 32 (so far) but that felt like a heck of a list to wade through, so like any good saga, I decided to split it into two parts. Here’s the first instalment…
1. I turned the living room into a giant game of Tetris
When there are lots of severe angles and blocky shapes in a room, you lose the flow and it feels awkward and clunky. I realised I’d inadvertently done this a couple of years ago when I had a cube-like side table next to the sofa, a rectangular cupboard next to that (without legs, so it sits heavily on the floor), plus a new rectangular dining table. I really liked the table when I ordered it but once in place the shape added a few more straight lines joined the party, so I returned it and replaced it with a round tulip style, which felt immediately more friendly to look at. In any room, make sure there’s a curve or an undulating line somewhere to soften the space.
2. I got caught up in scarcity hysteria
Nothing makes you want something more than the idea you can’t have it and I’ve fallen for this old chestnut a few times. It’s happened with various pieces but mostly with artwork and limited editions of things (I have a particular painting and a screenprint in mind). Now, I try to put my disciplined and rational pants on before rushing into a purchase simply because it’s one of only 25 in the world. Would I still desperately want it if it was mass-produced or available anytime in any quantity?