7 Home Design and Layout Mistakes Everyone Makes, According to 3 Genius Space Planners

Your home should feel like a haven, not a hindrance. That said, nearly 7 in 10 Americans admit they’re embarrassed to invite folks over because of the aesthetic choices within their walls, according to one 2023 survey.

When things start to feel “off,” it can seem daunting to know where to start. It might appear to be a pricey proposition, too. However, curating a space that’s comfortable — and that you can be proud of — need not be challenging or costly, design pros confirm.

“Design for how you want to feel in the space, then design for function,” says Hannah Jacobus, director of interior design for Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design in Des Moines, Iowa, who has designed more than 120 homes. “While function is incredibly important, it's often how a space makes you feel that is the most impactful. If you start with the feeling — cozy, energized, restorative, social — the layout decisions get clearer.”

Ahead, discover 7 common mistakes many of us make when it comes to home decor and space planning — what to do instead.

It can be tempting to follow a trend you spotted in a magazine or on a home design show. But even the most stylish spaces can lack flow, coziness or usability.

Think about how you plan to use a room to help determine where to place your furniture, suggests Laurin White, interior designer and founder of Cambridge Row in Birmingham, Alabama.

Beyond that, lifestyle preferences and needs can help dictate much of a room's layout, says Julie Jones, a San Diego, California-based interior designer, space-planning pro and owner of Julie Jones Designs, who has designed hundreds of homes to date. An ideal place to begin to hone in on this is by drafting a wishlist of your needs and wants, Jones notes.

Landing zones are especially impactful, Jacobus adds, because “a proper drop spot, console, tray, lamp or catchall makes the home feel calmer and more personal because it supports how you actually live,” she says. “A good rule of thumb is that every seat should have a place they can reach to set a drink down, along with proper lighting nearby. And whenever you enter a home there should be a place to set your belongings down. The ease of actually using a home is crucial for comfort.”

We can’t be the only ones who have had unexpected collisions with the corner of a coffee table (ouch!) or groan when we have to take a detour around some stools to transfer dinner from stove to table.

“People get into trouble when they don't consider their paths of travel,” Jones says.

It’s wise to treat circulation like a design element, Jacobus tells us. When possible, aim to keep primary walkways clear so each room feels effortless to move through.

As for the pieces that should be closer together, such as lamps and side tables, “keep in mind that you'll want to keep around 14 to 16 inches between furniture pieces. This means they’re comfortably spaced, yet still close enough to be able to reach the table to set something down or flip a switch,” Jacobus says.

To allow for easy walkability, White sees many homeowners who push all their furniture to the perimeter of the room. While it might seem convenient, White warns that this “can quickly feel like a doctor's office waiting room,” she says.

It’s wise to float pieces towards each other to create intentional “zones” for conversation, even in small rooms, Jacobus chimes in. Even scooting elements in a few inches off the wall can make a space feel more designed, and more conversational.

In large spaces, including open floor plans, White recommends creating zones for different purposes, say, board game areas with a table, reading nooks with chairs near the fireplace, and a movie spot surrounding the TV.

“This will help the scale of the space and it will allow for you and your guests to have options as to where to sit,” White says.

In rooms, a rug should anchor the seating area, ideally with all of the furniture legs on the rug. If that’s not possible, aim to position the front legs of key pieces on the rug, Jacobus says, because “this instantly improves proportion, comfort, and cohesion of the entire space.”

White is a firm believer that “you almost always need a larger rug than you think you need. If your rug is small in scale, it condenses the room's furniture into one smaller, centralized space. A larger rug will let your furniture breathe instead of feeling confined.”

Shoot for a style that’s 12 to 24 inches from the wall in large rooms. In smaller spaces, such as bathrooms and hallways, leave about 6 inches of space between the edge of the rug and the wall, Jacobus suggests.

“If you can customize the area rug to allow for that ‘border’ to be even on both sides, that helps the space to feel designed instead of a typical rug that doesn't quite fit,” she notes.

A key consideration for furniture layout should be conversational distance, Jones believes. To ensure no one needs to shout to be heard, “I typically stay within 10 feet,” Jones says.

In addition to proximity, direction matters, too. Jacobus coaches her clients to arrange seating to face each other, even slightly, rather than always parallel to the walls. This way, “a room immediately feels warmer and more welcoming, like it was designed for real life, not just viewing,” Jacobus tells us.

When it comes time to sprinkle in books, candles, sculptures and other items, Jacobus relies on intentional clusters of odd numbers, with breathing room between each and an overall variance in height and texture.

“If you have a collection, group like items together, such as a collection of lovely bone boxes on your cocktail table. A few strong vignettes beat lots of little items every time,” Jacobus says.

In terms of art, use it to enhance the overall layout rather than just cover blank walls.

“Art can help direct the room,” Jacobus continues. “It anchors where the eye rests, reinforces a focal point, and brings emotional resonance. When art is selected and placed thoughtfully around a space in a way that takes advantage of the lighting, wallpaper, and millwork, the whole layout feels intentional and personal.”