Interior design experts reveal their biggest decorating mistakes

They’ve built stellar careers based on their sense of style, eye for detail and technical knowhow. Yet it is heartening to know that even the experts stuff it up sometimes.

Domain asked some of the best in the interiors business to reveal what mistakes are lurking in their decorating pasts, and what lessons they have learnt along the way.

Sara Chamberlain
Director of The Real Estate Stylist and The Artwork Stylist in Melbourne

Our biggest mistakes have generally occurred when we have underestimated scale, for sofas, in particular. Sofas are often big. Doorways, staircases and elevators are not. We once had a sofa customised for a job. We knew it would fit exactly in our apartment, however, we didn’t think to measure the rotation allowed on the elevator and hallway junction. The sofa was on loan and had been customised for us in lightning speed. We were trying to seek permission from the developer to bang a hole in the wall when a slip of genius saw the sofa pivot at the correct angle and slide around the corner. You always need to consider the transport option, the height of the elevator and rotation at doorways.

Georgie Leckey
Director of Heatherly Design Bedheads, with showrooms in Melbourne and Sydney

In the late 1980s, I worked in the buying department of a leading British-based decorating brand in Melbourne. The brand was famous for its floral festoons as window coverings. It was a one-stop-shop, promoting similar patterns and tones for decorating. It was really popular in that era but it was so predictable. Those festoons just ended up gathering dust and looking like a wedding dress on a window. Interior styling today is all about textures, layering and using interesting elements that don’t necessarily match. Window coverings are streamlined to include plantation shutters, roman blinds and roller blinds that slip away to allow as much natural light as possible in the room. I love the freedom that design allows today rather than the more formal style of the ’80s.

Jacinta Woods
Interior designer at Woods and Warner

I was straight out of design school and shabby chic was all the rage. I would often find items on the side of the road, spend all my earnings on the latest Porter’s Paints milk wash paint and change the item into masterpieces. I would beg my parents to hunt for nana’s old floral quilt and then find myself stencilling mirror image flowers on my walls to match it all perfectly. The style made it so affordable to have the latest look, but really my room looked like a circus of past trash and treasures. I now appreciate great design and have a more minimalist approach to styling my bedroom. I’ve learnt to carefully select gorgeous, subtle linens to create my sanctuary and leave the patterns for a fabulous upholstered chair or cushion.

Belinda Cendron, of Sourceress. Photo: Supplied

Belinda Cendron
Interior stylist and founder of Sourceress online store

I’ve made the mistake of choosing a rectangular table that fills up a room right into the corners. It makes you think you’re maximising the space, but usually it makes a room feel overstuffed and cluttered. Now, I’ve switched to a round dining table, which leaves room for a buffet or console at the wall for additional surface area when needed. It also means you can move around the room without smashing into sharp corners at each turn, and it stimulates conversation, too.

Jason Grant
Interior stylist, author and blogger at mrjasongrant.com

Being a stylist, I’m quite partial to a lot of different styles. My home is an eclectic space but that’s kind of a tricky look to achieve because it’s easy for it to look a little crazy. You need to learn how to edit. Sometimes, less is more. For example, I have a gallery wall of art at home. Originally, I had everything on display, but I recently pared everything back into a more refined and considered colour palette and story. I like that it can be changed and updated. Style is an evolution. It’s not about having a lot of things. It’s more about decorating your home with things that have a story.

Louise Bell, Table Tonic Photo: Supplied

Louise Bell
Owner of Table Tonic online homewares store and shop in Sydney

I used to always put a patterned doona cover on our bed, and themed ones on the children’s beds. Ditto matching pillowcases to doona covers. It’s extremely hard to make a space look modern and hang together when you’re committed to blue and white stripes. Or Astro Boy. Now, I always prefer plain white cotton bedding and sheets. I add to the vibe and texture by layering interesting blankets and throws, and changing them when the mood strikes. If I need a bit of extra visual action, I have some fun with the pillowcases.

Kittyhawk, a bar in Sydney inspired by post-war Paris. Design by AZB Creative. Photo: Supplied

Peter Harley
Sydney-based interior designer at AZBcreative


We once commissioned a grand custom balustrade for a commercial interior space. We designed every detail down to the millimetre but, when it came time to manufacture, all our regular suppliers told us it couldn’t be done. Eventually we found a supplier that was willing to give it a go, at a really reasonable price. Alarm bells should have been ringing but we pushed ahead with fabrication. When it came time to install, the reality of the workmanship and finish was far from our original dream. We eventually made good on the design, but not without a lot of tense meetings and head scratching. You need to choose suppliers and trades because they do a great job and can be trusted with your vision, not because they come back with the cheapest quote. Listen to your trusted trades and choose your challenges carefully.