When it comes to selling your house or enhancing your living space, it is crucial to avoid a cheap-looking aesthetic. While most of us have budget constraints and cannot splurge on expensive decor, there are still ways to upgrade your home.
One key factor that can make your house look cheap is clutter. Additionally, certain features and fixtures can also contribute to a cheap appearance. These include budget flatpack and DIY furniture, poorly positioned lighting, awkwardly sized rugs, haphazard flooring, lack of artwork or mass-produced artwork, overwhelming themes, improperly installed unlined curtains, and vertical blinds.
By addressing these aspects and making the necessary improvements, you can elevate the overall look and feel of your home while staying within a limited budget. This will ensure that your space exudes a more sophisticated and appealing atmosphere.
15 Things that Make your House Look Cheap
Cluttered Entrance Hall
The initial impression that individuals form of your house often lingers, potentially shaping their perception. A disorganized entryway can create an ambiance of low quality, disorder, and unwelcoming atmosphere. Are your children accustomed to leaving their footwear scattered around, bags piled haphazardly against the wall, and dog toys strewn across the floor?
To address this, consider establishing a dedicated area near the entrance equipped with practical storage solutions, such as enclosed shoe racks and a lidded bench. By implementing these measures, your entrance hall will exude a refined and sophisticated appearance, leaving a lasting positive impression on your guests.
Cluttered Kitchen
Upon observing interiors featured on Instagram or in magazines, one cannot help but notice the absence of clutter in the kitchens. A refined and sophisticated appearance is achieved through clear countertops, closed cabinet doors, and unoccupied window sills.
Should one find themselves overwhelmed by an excess of possessions, it may be prudent to reduce the quantity of crockery. As a personal example, I recently discovered an excessive accumulation of eight salad bowls in my cupboard, which proved excessive for my family of three.
Flatpack Furniture
Flatpack furniture is widely regarded as an affordable option. However, one of the challenges is that it can look inexpensive, especially when used for outfitting entire homes with matching sets. Consequently, while flatpacks may serve well in certain situations like first apartments or garage storage, they tend to exhibit low quality and uninspiring design choices.
DIY Furniture
Creating pieces for your home can be a satisfying endeavor, particularly if you possess carpentry skills. In addition to the personal satisfaction, upcycling second-hand pieces can offer a rewarding experience and financial savings. This is especially true when you have acquired the knowledge of furniture restoration techniques.
However, it’s worth noting that the creations of weekend DIYers and crafters can occasionally lack charm. While a single homemade piece in a room can add a lovely and personal touch, a room fully furnished with pallet furniture or poorly repurposed knickknacks could appear cheap and unappealing.
Disproportionate Furniture
Properly selecting furniture that is appropriately sized for a room is vital to avoiding a cheap and haphazard impression. This involves intentionally designing the space by carefully coordinating furniture pieces that complement each other.
It is advisable to invest in high-quality furniture and exercise patience in order to wait for the right piece that perfectly fits the room’s aesthetic and functionality.
Too Much Furniture
Having an excessive amount of furniture in a home can indeed give it a cheap and tacky look. When a space is overcrowded, it creates a sense of clutter and disorganization, instantly detracting from the overall aesthetic appeal. In addition, it can also indicate a lack of thoughtful design and curation.
Moreover, an abundance of furniture may be associated with lower-quality or inexpensive pieces. When items are packed too closely together, they appear cramped and can emphasize any flaws that may be present.
To avoid this, it is important to prioritize quality over quantity. It is recommended to carefully select furniture that is proportional to the size of the room. Additionally, ensuring that there is ample open space for easy movement and visual breathing room can greatly enhance the overall ambiance of the space.
Bad Lighting
When it comes to choosing the right lighting for your space, it’s crucial to consider various factors. Selecting the wrong lighting can result in either harsh overhead lights that cause eye strain or a dimly lit room that hampers visibility. Neither of these options creates a sophisticated ambiance for your home.
To ensure optimal lighting, a general guideline is to have at least three sources of light in each space. These sources can include windows, overhead lights, and lamps (such as floor or table lamps). In rooms with limited natural light, it becomes even more important to augment the lighting.
While some may believe that adding more ceiling lights can solve the problem, the truth is that typical “boob” light fixtures fall short in providing enough light and often create a budget look. Overhead lighting alone tends to cast downward shadows, which can further darken a room. To counteract this effect, it is crucial to supplement overhead lighting with lamps that direct light toward the ceiling, instantly brightening the space. Alternatively, recessed downlighting can provide a softer and more diffused light.
Avoid the temptation of using stick-on strip lights as a solution. They often fail to adhere securely to the walls, resulting in a shabby appearance. Instead, consider incorporating stylish lamps. Even if you’re in a rental property, you can still update the light fixtures to create a more elegant ambiance.
By following these principles and carefully considering your lighting choices, you can transform your space into a well-lit, inviting environment that exudes both functionality and sophistication.
Haphazard Flooring
The floors of a house play a significant role in creating an inviting and visually appealing space. Polished wooden floors, bathed in sunlight, exude a timeless beauty, while worn-out and grubby wall-to-wall carpeting can diminish the overall aesthetics.
When considering flooring options, factors such as texture, color, and material should be taken into account, as these elements greatly influence the overall look and feel of your home.
While installing hardwood floors may not be feasible for every room, maintaining consistency and sticking to one style of flooring throughout can create a cohesive and harmonious environment.
Randomly transitioning from laminate in one room to tiles in another and carpeting in yet another room can result in a haphazard and inconsistent appearance. Similarly, by opting for a particular type of wood, such as oak, in one room, it is recommended to maintain uniformity and choose the same kind of wood throughout the house.
Awkward Rug Sizes
A well-chosen rug can greatly enhance the overall aesthetic of a room, bringing together various colors and textures to create a visually appealing and harmonious space. However, it is essential to carefully consider the scale of the rug in relation to the rest of the furniture. When a rug is either too large or too small, it can create an unbalanced and cheap-looking atmosphere.
When a rug is too big for the room, it extends all the way to the walls, failing to define a specific area and resulting in a cluttered and cramped appearance. On the other hand, opting for a rug that is too small causes it to appear as if it is “floating” around the room without any furniture anchoring it down.
To ensure the perfect size, it is advisable to avoid guessing and instead, take precise measurements by taping out the desired area on the floor. It is helpful to envision the rug as a frame for the room, with the furniture neatly fitting inside this framework.
By following these guidelines, you can select a rug that not only complements the room but also establishes a distinct space within a space, drawing attention to the rug itself and enhancing the overall ambiance of the room.
Empty Walls
An absence of artwork on walls or shelves can contribute to a house appearing soulless. Unless intentionally aiming for a minimalist aesthetic, bare walls may come across as bland and devoid of imagination, leaving the space feeling incomplete and lacking personality.
Adding carefully chosen pieces of art or decor can greatly enhance the ambiance and visual interest, infusing the environment with character and creativity.
Mass-Produced Art
Investing in artwork for your home can greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal of your space. While opting for flatpack furniture may provide immediate cost savings, it tends to cheapen the overall ambiance. The impersonal nature of mass-produced items can create a room that resembles a budget hotel, rather than a personalized sanctuary.
When considering design features, it’s important to approach the gallery wall concept with caution. While clustering framed prints, photos, or paintings together can be visually striking, it’s crucial to steer clear of generic, mass-produced pieces. Instead, aim for artwork that is unique and evokes a sense of personal connection.
It’s not necessary to spend exorbitant amounts on original artwork. Consider reaching out to family members, friends, or art students who may be willing to create custom pieces for you. Additionally, exploring local markets and galleries can be a great way to start building your art collection while also supporting the local art community. Take the time to discover unique and one-of-a-kind pieces that resonate with your personal taste and style.
Overdone Themes
While incorporating artwork that complements the room’s color and flow is important, it is crucial to avoid excessive repetition of themes. A room filled with numerous artworks and ornaments emphasizing the same concept can appear kitschy and inexpensive.
Specifically, let’s address the nautical theme. Overwhelming the shelves with faux anchors, lanterns, and seashells, along with covering the walls with seafaring images, tends to project a budget seaside vacation vibe.
While it is encouraged to display precious and sentimental items, it is essential to avoid diluting their value with mass-produced decorations.
Similar caution should be exercised when it comes to trendy interior choices, such as making an entire room pink. Although it may initially seem fresh, this design choice quickly becomes tacky and lacking sophistication.
Additionally, word art has reached a saturation point in terms of mass-produced trends. Although the sentiment behind phrases like “live, laugh, love” is admirable, these signs and letters have become cliché.
It is important to note that this discussion does not apply to holiday decorations. In the realms of Halloween and Christmas decor, questions of taste and kitsch become irrelevant as anything goes.
No Curtains
Having curtains in a room is essential to give it a complete and polished look. It is not necessary to spend a fortune on expensive curtains; instead, select ones that complement the overall decor of the room. Windows play a significant role in accentuating a room’s finest attributes, particularly when you have exceptionally beautiful windows to showcase.
Unlined Curtains
An immediate red flag in any home decor is the absence of lined curtains. Lined curtains not only provide an elegant drape but also offer protection against sunlight, preventing the fabric from fading. Even if you have opted for inexpensive drapes, adding a lining can significantly enhance the overall appearance, giving them a custom-finished and polished look.
Badly Installed Curtains
Proper installation of curtain rails and hanging the curtains is crucial for achieving the desired aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, many individuals lack the knowledge and skills required to effectively hang curtains, resulting in an unsightly and tacky appearance.
To achieve an optimal look, it is recommended that the curtain rail be positioned higher to create an illusion of a taller ceiling. Additionally, the length of the drapes should be such that they lightly graze the floor, adding an elegant touch to the overall décor. By following these guidelines, you can ensure a visually pleasing and polished look for your curtains.
Final Thoughts
While renovating and updating your home can sometimes be a costly affair, there are ways to achieve a high-end look while staying within your budget. One key tip is to avoid clutter and invest in quality, hand-picked furniture and artwork instead of mass-produced pieces.
Additionally, it’s important to ensure that your rugs and curtains are carefully chosen and properly fitted to enhance the overall aesthetic.
By making these simple yet thoughtful changes, you can effectively transform your living space into a comfortable and classy home that exudes elegance and sophistication.
