Bad taste in the interior: 6 problems and solutions

As you know, markers are different in taste and color. However, there are things in interior fashion that most people don’t like..

Problem 1. Too many things from Ikea

Ikea is cool, inexpensive and cute. But when everything from furniture to curtains is bought in this store, the interior starts to look too mediocre..

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Solution:

• If possible, try to dilute the atmosphere with things not from Ikea. For example, if you bought a table and kitchen set in Ikea, then pick up chairs for him in another store. For example, in this interior, Ikea furniture is set off by repainted old Viennese chairs..

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• Paint furniture in an interesting color, decorate it or change the upholstery to make it less recognizable.

The IKEA modular kitchen is complemented by furniture panels, lattice fronts and handles from the IKEA children’s department

• Change the pens for more interesting or better ones..

Decorated dresser Malm with new handles

• Personalize your interior with decor (not from Ikea!) And items with a history.

Problem 2. Too much gilding, stucco molding, monograms and other eye-catching details

When planning a classic interior design (especially in a palace style), it is easy to overdo it with decorations and get housing like a gypsy baron. If this is not the effect you dreamed of, try to fix it..

Here are some bad examples of Empire and Baroque interiors..

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Solution:

• The most effective way to balance the pretentiousness is to introduce calm and complex colors into the interior. For example, you can paint walls, furniture, change curtains, furniture upholstery. French gray (pictured below), eggshell shade, white, blue-gray, cobalt, olive will balance the excessive pretentiousness.

• Make sure that the classic interior is decorated in accordance with the principle of symmetry and at the same time deliberately add some asymmetry to it. To do this, just follow The “rule of three”, which we wrote about earlier.
• Reduce the number of monograms and other large and expressive patterns as much as possible. For example, change carpet, curtains, upholstery and / or cushion covers.

Here are some good examples of classic lightweight interiors.

In a small kitchen, a classic interior can also look good.

Problem 3. An abundance of chrome, metal, glossy, mirror and other shiny surfaces

This mistake is often found in neoclassical and ultra-modern interiors, for example, in high-tech style. Of course, in a small amount of chrome, mirrors and gloss look spectacular, bring a sense of lightness to the space and even visually enlarge the space. The key word is small! Let’s give an example: glossy facades of a headset are good, but glossy facades + glossy stretch ceiling are already bad. Excessive gloss makes the interior uncomfortable, cold, “plastic”.

Here are examples of unsuccessful neoclassicism.

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And here is a more successful interior with a moderate amount of shiny details..

Solution:

• Get rid of at least some shiny things if possible;
• Calm down the interior as a whole: hang simple and elegant curtains, paint walls / furniture in a complex or some light shade, reduce the number of prints;
• Add more matte surfaces to the decor, as well as things made from natural “warm” materials: textured wood, natural fabrics, perhaps even fur.

Problem 4. Tiered curtains with lambrequins

Such curtains are found both in modest apartments without a claim to luxury, and in elite country houses. In both cases, tiered curtains with lambrequins look like awkward dust collectors. Most often they are made of synthetic fabrics, they have too many folds and folds. They are also quite difficult to remove, wash, iron and hang..

Such curtains are very expensive and are called “elite”, but, paradoxically, they look cheap and tasteless

Solution:

• Just remove the lambrequin, and you will see that it has even become easier to breathe in the room. If the curtains are multi-layered, remove at least one layer of curtains (preferably the one with the pattern).
• If you still really like multi-tiered curtains with a lambrequin, then we advise you to hang neat Roman curtains instead of tulle, and instead of a lambrequin with many folds – a laconic rigid lambrequin as in the photo below.

Problem 5. Complex plasterboard structures

Plasterboard suspended ceilings or partitions help out when you need to hide communications, zone space, change the layout of the room. But if you overdo it with creativity, for example, build partitions with curly niches and openings or ceilings with many tiers, waves, colored lighting and glossy stretch canvases, you get an old-fashioned “renovation” from the 2000s.

Solution:

• Unfortunately, it is difficult to solve such a problem without radical measures. But it is quite possible to improve the situation. If we are talking about plasterboard ceilings with a stretch sheet, then you can at least change the glossy or colored stretch sheet to matte (!) White or even install a stretch sheet over the old plasterboard structure (if the height of the walls allows);
• Partitions can be brought into a decent look if you simplify the finishing as much as possible: paint to match the walls (including niches and butt ends), remove the “stone” cladding, if any, process all joints with high quality. It is better to refuse wallpaper in plasterboard construction.

Problem 6. Unsuccessful color scheme

An unsuccessful color scheme can turn out for various reasons. For example, the interior design was simply not thought out, but was formed spontaneously. Perhaps the wrong color combinations were chosen – too harsh, too banal, too bright. Or maybe the problem lies in the unfortunate basic shade – too dark, too “kindergarten”, aggressive, depressing or annoying.

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Solution:

• Learn to work with the color wheel, find harmonious combinations and act: replace curtains, pillows, wall decor, paint the walls.
• If you like bright accents, but want to avoid the clunky effect, then simply paint the walls in white or light gray. Only one wall can be left bright.

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• If some element is knocked out of the interior palette, then you just need to support it and add a couple more items of the same shade. Decor items (paintings, carpets, curtains, etc.) in the colors of which there are the necessary shades also help to “make friends” colors.