Living Room Design Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)

Living Room Design Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)

In this video, I go over some of the worst living room interior design mistakes that I see over an over again. This is part of my new design mistakes series, where I go room by room, discussing the mistakes that you might be making, and I include tips on how to fix them! So whether your tv is too high, or you just can’t find the right color palette for your home, there is something here for you!

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⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Living room design mistakes
00:29 – Doesn’t feel cohesive
02:11 – Not enough variation in your color palette
03:52 – Matchy-matchy furniture
05:57 – Rug is too small
07:35 – Not enough breathing space
09:03 – No variation in your lighting
10:20 – Living room is boring
12:09 – TV is too high
13:05 – Pushing all the furniture against the wall
14:15 – Keeping things you don’t like

📺. Videos discussed in this video:
How to make your home feel cohesive – https://youtu.be/AbFQZ8kjDOE
How to choose a colour palette – https://youtu.be/K75ynD7aAeg
How to choose a rug – https://youtu.be/lWzKsI6hxXs
Measurement mistakes most homeowners make – https://youtu.be/pQNiq6tbjAc
Lighting mistakes and how to fix them – https://youtu.be/M1vX-q69zH4

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50 Comments

  1. Jule Caesara on May 25, 2022 at 7:57 pm

    "Have a conversation in your living room", he said, while sitting on an armchair that has his back turned toward the large sofa

  2. Tay9sdaughter on May 25, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    My living room is DEFINITELY boring. My husband and I are renters. I thought we were going to be here 1 year then buy a house. But then covid hit and we are still here. I didn’t want to put time into making this space our own because we were only going to be here for 12 months. Now it’s time for me to change that.

  3. Peter Abel on May 25, 2022 at 8:00 pm

    And here I am with my blueberry blue walls and white Billy shelves, starting to sweat after seeing that thumbnail…

  4. Carol Hieronymus on May 25, 2022 at 8:00 pm

    Nick,Nick,Nick., please show us your living room. From where I sit , it looks(pardon the expression) boring. All I see is gray, black and some wooden objects. What is missing? Once you had a lovely turquoise vase on the table. How do you present your living room according to your advice? I see some blue/green pieces.

  5. A Rock on May 25, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    You boost my self esteem. Love you nick.

  6. lifeTechnicolorGuy on May 25, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    Great video with useful tips. You are also funny, loved the last topic !

  7. Lara O'neal on May 25, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    I’ve never liked matching matching whatsoever. I like eclectic spaces.

  8. Yummy Cookie on May 25, 2022 at 8:03 pm

    I recently moved to a new house, sent my son photos of the living room. He said it looks like it’s a prison decor. That is why I am here. 😊

  9. Dhrti Walter on May 25, 2022 at 8:05 pm

    Ya cause choosing the wrong things costs $$$$ I learn the hard way 😩

  10. firelyon23 on May 25, 2022 at 8:05 pm

    Totally afraid. I got the boring family room w a brown palette

  11. kristina M on May 25, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    I laughed so hard when you said it was a bathmat. Lol

  12. Dee Riccio on May 25, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    Throw pillows are my down fall, love them til I get them home , they are never quite right , so I have paired way down and gone fairly neutral with a color in the rug , a mossy green in my case

  13. Woodwrkr1212 on May 25, 2022 at 8:10 pm

    Interesting that the financial attitude doesn’t matter but not everyone is as affluent as your clientele. But $1200 for an occasional chair in your living room doesn’t make any fiscal sense for many people. Or a $15000 budget for furnishings for one room. The try it and see approach doesn’t work for all. I challenge you to work in a 15×20 living room space and completely furnish it including your fee for $5000 using your design suggestions.

  14. Kusum Ghai on May 25, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    OmG my living room is PERECT!
    I’m missing a lamp 😌
    A fan I am from 🇨🇦

  15. Marquise bonner on May 25, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    “If you’re like this looking up at your television…it’s too high. Case closed” 😆. The truth! Absolutely love it!

  16. Jorge Valdez on May 25, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    how many colors Can I use in my living?

  17. Sandra Westley on May 25, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    Sandra WestleyUK, thanks for your programme, but looking at the room behind there’s an awful lot of grey, perhaps try a little colour to brighten things up or soften the edges, sorry I know your the expert, 😂 I do enjoy your videos. I also like that jade accent chair behind you, I’m looking for one just like that, I think Wayfairer do one.

  18. Paul Ortiz on May 25, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    Are you from Canada? Or Maine, maybe?

  19. Andrea Andrea on May 25, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    I LOVED this video. Thank you, Nick. It’s so satisfying to hear you say ‘No, No, No.’ to all the things that irk me!!!

  20. Gustavo Cruz on May 25, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    Thank you Nick! Greetings from Guatemala!

  21. Shannon Stram on May 25, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Oh Nick……..I fall into the boring category, well, I have fallen in to most of these categories. At least my TV is good 😂😂 No matter how hard I try, I make it worse…..

  22. Miss Ink on May 25, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    To be honest, I think I got here cos I play the sims 4.

  23. Clifton Mcnalley on May 25, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Need to be VERY careful with 2 non-matching sofas in a small to average room. It’s very easy to have one style overpower the other as there isn’t always enough space to balance both large pieces with rythmic accessories.

  24. Brenda Ramsbottom on May 25, 2022 at 8:20 pm

    I’ve gone to the Darkside I have chocolate coloured carpet dark brown furniture dark brown end tables dark brown entertainment centre I have silver decor and white decor I have the polished nickel lamps with the marbly opaque shades I have one dark brown wall and 3 much lighter tan coloured walls what do I change besides the paint colour cause that’s got to go! Help!

  25. Andrea Andrea on May 25, 2022 at 8:24 pm

    NO TVs OVER THE FIREPLACE!! (Or even right next to the fireplace). I personally think this is in poor taste. But in Feng Shui, this is considered very bad (bringing discord) as both are fire and that is too much of the fire element in one place: They fight each other. (I’m always surprised when people do this because it FEELS so wrong to me and it perplexes me that people don’t sense this).
    And as ridiculous as having the screen way up near the ceiling!

  26. KaiZen on May 25, 2022 at 8:25 pm

    "It’s practically a bath mat!". It’s funny because it’s true 🙂

  27. ProgressiveHeart on May 25, 2022 at 8:28 pm

    I’m moving into my new apartment next week. I’m not buying any new furniture, but rather, utilizing stuff I found in the basement (after getting rid of 90% of the crap), and being given a loveseat and a dining room table (almost brand new), by my best friend. I have a Tiffany stained glass print (Magnolias and Irises), which is blues, pinks, lavenders, pale green. I’m bringing in a navy “bear chair” (a large cushy recliner), and a steel blue loveseat. I think finding a (large enough) rug in shades like the Tiffany print, but subtle, would work. Thoughts?

  28. Stacie Haneline on May 25, 2022 at 8:28 pm

    "… or friends, when you maybe have friends again." Lolol. I feel seen.

  29. Begemot Esquire on May 25, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    "boring living rooms, we’ve all been there" you’re still there from the looks of it

  30. FouZ Iya on May 25, 2022 at 8:31 pm

    15:30 camaïeu!

  31. Susan B on May 25, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    I think he nailed it when he said bad design is likely the result of fear-fear of making a bold decision, not knowing where to start, fear of making a "mistake." So you go the ultra safe route and make no statement at all about who you are and what makes you feel good.

  32. ArrogantBaSStard on May 25, 2022 at 8:32 pm

    Thank you, thank you for pointing out the Tv over the fireplace thing. I don’t understand this “design” technique. If it is the last possible place to put the TV, still don’t put it there. It seems like people are putting their tv above the fireplace by default. They are building the house around the tv, and the fireplace is a prerequisite.

  33. KER on May 25, 2022 at 8:33 pm

    What about two rugs in a livingroom if you cant find one big one?

  34. Nick Meeder on May 25, 2022 at 8:33 pm

    Pretty sure you and I have the same sofa, so my living room must be on the right track! 😌

  35. Dhrti Walter on May 25, 2022 at 8:33 pm

    Like friends. When you have friends again 😂😂

  36. robotempire on May 25, 2022 at 8:34 pm

    Finally someone teaching to my learning style!!

  37. Jule Caesara on May 25, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    I don’t do interior design, my room barely fits a desk, sofa and bed. I still love these videos. I don’t know, it feels like listening to a person who is super passionate and knowledgable about this specific subject and yeah, I like that

  38. Aanchal Sharma on May 25, 2022 at 8:38 pm

    I had a boring living room :p and the reason was actually that I just assumed that I needed to spend a ton of money to make it better but then I started watching these videos from you and others and realised that there are just certain elements that we need to take care of and it doesn’t involve spending a mountain of money so that’s what I am doing now. 😀

  39. Sheri Bowie on May 25, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    I have a brown (chocolate) microfiber sofa. Can someone give me ideas on how to decorate? Pillows decor in my living room etc.

  40. Ryczard Petroo on May 25, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    Man, the room you’re recording in is kinda matchy-matchy 🙂

  41. Alex Wright on May 25, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    Sooo Funny and True. My husband is definitely is the Ashley Furniture Guy with the small ass rug and boring beige walls 🙄
    Of course I’m completely opposite and trying to find medium ground instead of freaking him out with bright colors and textures (which I love). I’m sooo happy I found this channel. Everything you said makes complete sense to me. Totally get your vibe ✨️ 👌 😉

  42. Mahu Mike on May 25, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    Great but the room youre reporting from makes me wanna SCREAM its so ugly

  43. Andrea Andrea on May 25, 2022 at 8:43 pm

    I’m always shocked by houses/rooms devoid of books and Art. People will spend thousands on tech crap that, a few years hence, they will have to replace … yet claim that they haven’t money for Art. (Worse still are factory made pictures bought at big box stores. I die a little each time I see one of those).

  44. G M on May 25, 2022 at 8:48 pm

    Boring living rooms and bedrooms are also depressing and can make you hate your home

  45. TabaquiJackal906 on May 25, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    I think the biggest mistake people make is having totally blank walls. No pictures or art or little shelves of things….just vast expanses of some random neutral shade. So boring!

  46. Linda on May 25, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    One mistake that some people get to make is putting the back of all the furniture pieces against the wall creating a huge volume of space in the middle whereby you almost need megaphones to carry on a normal conversation. Same thing can occur in a large room with a large rug where all the furniture is somewhere near the edges of the rug. No useful conversation without communication devises. For human interaction we need human sized spaces.

  47. Nick Lewis on May 25, 2022 at 8:53 pm

    Which of these mistakes have you made? I’ve been guilty of some of these myself in the past!
    As with all my videos, I’ve included timestamps to you can refer back to later:
    00:00 – Living room design mistakes
    00:29 – Doesn’t feel cohesive
    02:11 – Not enough variation in your color palette
    03:52 – Matchy-matchy furniture
    05:57 – Rug is too small
    07:35 – Not enough breathing space
    09:03 – No variation in your lighting
    10:20 – Living room is boring
    12:09 – TV is too high
    13:05 – Pushing all the furniture against the wall
    14:15 – Keeping things you don’t like

  48. Janice Chiaretto on May 25, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    Yes!!! Trying really hard to make former items or sentimental things work. Tried so hard to make it all cohere together – they don’t. Don’t hang on – move on!

  49. Music Nature on May 25, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    Folks you can do whatever with your life.

  50. Cindy Lavertue on May 25, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    I love this video! No to matchy matchy!

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