It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time condo renter or not - decorating your home will always be difficult to do the right way. There are tons of elements that you need to consider, and many other mistakes you'll want to avoid. Without the right guidance from local leasing services, you can very easily slip and fall into making the worst interior design mistakes at your condo for rent today.
Luckily for you,DMCI Homes has come up with a comprehensive list of mistakes to avoid as a renter. From picking the wrong wallpaper to buying furniture that won’t fit through the door, you can prevent yourself from making these common mistakes with the help of this complete guide.
Ready to make your condo property look and feel like a home this year? Then keep on reading this list of expert tips right now.
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Importance of a well-designed condo interior
A well-designed condo interior is incredibly important when it comes to creating a warm and inviting home. Whether you're a first-time renter or a veteran to the lifestyle, the design of your unit can make all the difference between a comfy living experience and a stressful apartment life.
Imagine stepping into a space with no clutter, with its own clever storage solutions and versatile layouts. Now, imagine stepping into a messy space with little to no room for you to live or breathe at all. Having a well-designed interior matters, not just for the functionality or aesthetics it can offer, but because it can also foster an atmosphere that makes you feel comfy and at ease.
A well-designed interior allows you the space to personalize your home in accordance to condo rules while leasing, making it a true reflection of your style and personality. So if you want to enjoy your time in your unit, you should set the stage for a delightful and memorable experience with a well-designed condo interior today.
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18 common condo unit design mistakes to avoid
Avoid turning a smaller living area into a poorly-designed one with this comprehensive guide today. Here are 18 of the most common condo unit design mistakes to evade as you decorate your condo for rent this year.
1. Forgetting about the focal point
Forgetting about a focal point - an eye-catching and timeless design piece that gives any room an overall sense of order - might leave your whole home looking directionless and bland. Give your decorations a focal point by inserting a prominent item, like a huge painting, on a visible wall, then basing the rest of your design from there.
2. Insufficient lighting fixtures
Lighting is one of the important elements of good condo unit design. Without it, your tiny unit will look gloomy and lifeless. Bring life into your room by using more than one light fixture that you can freely adjust according to your lighting needs. Also, enhance the entry of natural light through the use of mirrors and non-intrusive curtains.
3. Letting curtains hang too low
Letting curtains hang too low does three things: it leaves your room looking cramped, your window looking tiny, and your space looking dark and heavy without natural light.
One of the best decorating tips you can try is to play to the principle of scale and proportion. Do this by hanging the curtains as close to the ceiling as possible and avoid letting them reach the floor. Doing this provides space, height, and natural lighting, all at the same time.
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4. Making it hard to appreciate wall art
Paintings are a great way to decorate your condo walls without going through the arduous task of repainting all the walls of your home. However, most first-time renters make the mistake of placing their pieces of art too high for people to appreciate at all. Artworks are supposed to be appreciated, so keep them at an eye-level, or approximately five feet off the ground.
5. Failing to consider natural light when choosing wall colors
One incredibly important tip that designers give first-time renters is to put natural light into consideration when choosing wall colors.
What many first-time renters don’t understand is that natural light plays a huge factor in bringing out the true merit of a wall’s color.Your walls will look different under various types of light - and with natural light being the most common form of lighting, you’ll want the colors of your unit to harmonize with it at home.
That’s why, when choosing a wall color, make sure to do it under natural lighting first.
6. Forgetting that paint comes first before furniture
This happens to first-time renters a lot: they rush into buying furniture for their new home, only to find that their current wall color doesn’t match their brand new furniture. While repainting is a straightforward solution, it’s still too much of a hassle, especially for first-time renters who just want to relax in their new home.
Avoid making this time-consuming mistake by bringing a fabric swatch of your wall paint when shopping, and then choosing furniture based on the swatch’s matching color palette.
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7. The improper use of wallpapers
Wallpapers are great design additions to any unit. However, putting them in areas that are exposed to moisture and high humidity will only leave them bubbled and peeled up, making them a hassle to maintain. To avoid wasting time and resources on damaged wallpaper, avoid applying them on bathroom walls and other rooms with no proper ventilation.
8. Not leaving space between walls and furniture
Backing up all your furniture against a wall is a common home decorating mistake that many first-time renters make. It spreads out your furniture too much, taking up floor space that could be optimized in other ways. What you’ll want to do is to huddle crucial pieces of furniture together to create an intimate atmosphere and breathe life into your unit.
9. Settling for rugs that are just too small
One important piece of advice that experts give when designing floor space is to never choose small rugs for a big room. Make sure to get the best rug you can afford that is sized appropriately for the room. This can create the illusion of expansive floor space and make your small rooms seem wider than they actually are.
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10. Neglecting proportion
Sometimes, first-time renters can get too playful with their decorative pieces, leaving them with disproportionate furniture pieces that make a room seem messy and cluttered. Tone down the messiness of a room by matching your furniture sizes and fixtures with one another, thus keeping your interior design looking simple and proportionate.
11. Focusing on form over functionality
It’s easy to get lured into purchasing new furniture based solely on its looks and form. However, if you don’t think your purchase through, you might have a hard time fitting a random piece of furniture into an overarching design theme - or even through the door of your apartment. Before you buy any piece of furniture, make sure it functions the way you need it to first.
12. Overcrowding a room
Filling up a room with random accessories, memorabilia, and collections will add to a sense of visual clutter and make your living area feel messy and overcrowded. Keep in mind that less is more; adding personal items to your rooms isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as it isn’t overwhelming. Achieve a comfy and homely feel by giving a room lots of breathing space today.
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13. Painfully monotonous pieces
While you’ll want to avoid overcrowding a room with too many items, you’ll also want to avoid turning your home into a cold-looking catalog photo with painfully monotonous design pieces. Avoid making your unit look boring and one-dimensional, and spruce up your home with just a few fixtures to add that pleasant sense of color, life, and personality.
14. Keeping your pillows too formal
Want your home to feel warm and inviting? Make things look a little less formal by upgrading to cozy pillows in your living room. This can quickly improve your interior design thus, creating a comfortable and inviting home environment. You can easily score great pillow sets at bazaars and mall sales, and you can even add blankets to elevate that sense of comfort.
15. Not grouping your accessories
As mentioned in the 12th tip in this list, randomly filling up a room with scattered accessories can make it feel cluttered and overcrowded. Avoid this problem by grouping your accessories instead. You can organize your memorabilia by color, shape, or pattern - whatever works to make your living area feel less messy and more inviting.
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16. Misinterpreting minimalism
Minimalism is a design concept that uses minimal color and clutter to make the most of a smaller living area, like a condo unit. But don’t assume that minimalismis all about using black and white; you can still mix in colors in order to express your personality and creativity.
Just make sure to avoid going overboard with too many colors, especially in smaller places with less breathing room.
17. Ignoring the outdoor space
Condo renters often forget that they have balconies and outdoor spaces in their unit. Avoid wasting crucial space by making use of your outdoor balcony as a relaxation area, a mini garden, or even a place to host guests during parties.
18. Forgetting to declutter your space
Whether you’re a first-time or veteran renter, the number one mistake you should always avoid is forgetting to declutter or create open spaces in your smaller sized home.
Organizing is the easiest way to brighten up any place. This design idea can easily be executed by making use of creative solutions, like drawers that double as storage and accent decor at the same time. Once you have more open space, you’ll have more room to live, breathe, and decorate based on your unique style today.
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Functionality and aesthetics for condo interior ideas
To ensure the functional and aesthetic success of your interior design, and to truly avoid making mistakes when decorating your home, make sure to do the following tasks ahead of time.
First, make sure to identify your lifestyle needs. This will help you narrow down what you really need at home, so that you can make sure these things are available throughout your lease. Next, create functional zones within the unit - these can include your living room for hosting, your bedroom for sleeping, your office for working, and more.
Lastly, don’t forget to incorporate your own personal style while maintaining functionality. You still want your unit to feel like a home - so remember to insert your own sense of style and personality with well-designed and inspired living spaces this year.
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Key takeaways
Prevent big mistakes in your brand new condo home with the expert guidance from DMCI Homes today. Take these final tips away with you as you decorate your home for your exciting new lifestyle this year.
- Balance functionality and aesthetics. Identify what you need from your living spaces, then decorate around those needs to balance function and aesthetics.
- Less is more, especially in smaller spaces. Avoid falling into the trap of filling your home with too many things, in order to free up space for a less cluttered lifestyle.
- Always ask for help. Feeling lost or uninspired with your interior design? Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from the experts at DMCI Homes to enjoy a better condo experience today.
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