WHILE style is all about personal expression, it still takes skill and a wealth of knowledge to transform a home from an everyday suburban dream to glossy magazine ready.
So, to help separate the good from the bad, we asked three interior experts to share their biggest styling no-nos.
Miscalculating the amount and size of furniture needed in a room is a crucial mistake of DIY decorators.
"Getting the proportion of the furniture right whatever the room's size is key to creating a warm, liveable interior," says Greg Natale, owner of Greg Natale Design.
"Large interiors require a good amount of furniture to make them feel livable and welcoming, and sizeable pieces too.
"You could try using three-seater sofas, a pair of coffee tables, and even creating extra 'breakout areas' for separate groups of furniture, such as a side table and a couple of chairs, or a pair of ottomans.
"In smaller interiors, a common mistake is to stint on the furniture, which only serves to make the area appear unfinished and unwelcoming. "Try more petite pieces such as side tables instead of a coffee table, a low sofa with narrow arms, and single-drawer bedside tables."
Interior stylist Julia Green, founder of Greenhouse Interiors, says "scale is super important for visual harmony".
"Artwork that is too big or small for a space, or worse still, hung too high, drives me totally bonkers."
You might not have guessed it, but the humble rug is a common culprit of styling faux pas. "My pet hate are rugs that are too small," Green says.
If you have a rug, then your furniture must sit within its edges to avoid the room looking disconnected, she says.
It might be worth reconsidering the feature wall you had in mind.
"As a design team we tend to not be keen on whole 'feature wall colour' movement," Emma Hunting from Bloom Interiors says.
"It seems to create an unfinished feeling to space and is more striking if all room walls are painted."
