6 Surprising Reasons Your Home Might Be Giving You Bad Vibes

Studio McGee

You decorate your home to make it feel more comfortable, welcoming, joyful — but in your effort to paint, decorate, and style every inch of your space, it's all too easy to fall into subtle design traps that work against you by sucking the happy energy out of your home. From enervating wall colors to cluttered corners, here are the six design mistakes that are making you feel sad in your home and how to fix them.

Mistake: Clutter
Julie Blanner

Mistake: Clutter

Feeling overwhelmed every day in your home? We've all been there. The stack of bills that need to be filed away. The boxes from your last move that you just haven't unpacked yet. The pile of clothes waiting to go to Goodwill. What you may be defining as "things to take care of" are actually clutter.

Fix: Put It Away
Set a timer for just 10 minutes. Pick something you want to clear away, and just dedicate that time. When your time is up, either move on with your day or set another 10 minutes. If you chose to move on, tackle the same pile the next day for 10 more minutes, and then the next, etc.

Mistake: Overlooking Corners
Studio McGee

Mistake: Overlooking Corners

If your mood is leaning toward sadness, take note of the corners in your rooms. Often overlooked, your corners are the perfect place to create a useful and aesthetically pleasing space in your home. Turning them into functional areas and interior design eye candy will surely make you feel better.

Fix: Create Useful Nooks
Design the corner as if it's its own zone in your room. Love lounging and reading a book on your iPad? Happy to be listening to your favorite music while flipping through your Instagram feed? Create nooks with comfy chairs, accent tables, lamps, even a small rug.

Mistake: Heavy Furniture
Rebecca Orlov

Mistake: Heavy Furniture

An overabundance of clunky, heavy pieces in a room can actually make you feel tired.

Fix: Furniture With Legs
The extra space between the floor and the furniture will make your room appear even bigger, lighter, and brighter. And you can expand on your personal design style by selecting legs that go with your flow. With added light and natural flow in your home, you can't help but feel more energized.

Mistake: Wrong Paint Color
Studio McGee

Mistake: Wrong Paint Color

Did you know that color affects your mood? Red can often make you feel a bit angry, and yellow sometimes can make you feel a little anxious. There is a lot of research that explains how and why this happens, and it's definitely something to consider when you are choosing color palettes for the rooms in your home.

Fix: Go Light
For soothing, good vibes, ditch the dark and bold colors for light and neutral. Add in the bold color choices through decor and accent pieces like throw pillows or artwork.

Mistake: Copying Your Favorite Furniture Catalog
Rebecca Orlov

Mistake: Copying Your Favorite Furniture Catalog

If you did your best at emulating the look you saw in Pottery Barn this month, but instead of making your home photo-ready, it made it look sterile, it's because your design is too impersonal. And we're betting it's leaving you feeling cold and disconnected.

Fix: Personal Touches
Balance inspiration photos from magazines, catalogs, and Pinterest with your own unique touches, such as family heirlooms and photos, artwork, and more. Personal and sentimental pieces will fill your space with warmth and personality that will spread to not just you but everyone who enters your home.

Mistake: Not Settling In
Rebecca Orlov

Mistake: Not Settling In

By not unpacking all of your moving boxes, sorting through your knickknacks, and hanging your art on the wall, you're creating an undercurrent of anxious energy. When you don't unpack, you feel unsettled. It's the equivalent of keeping your coat on while at a party; you're sending the signal that you already have one foot out the door.

Fix: Unpack Everything
Don't wait. Tackle all those boxes. Unpack, hang up, go through everything. You already know the time management tool from Design Fix #1. Set your timer, put everything in a place (in your home, in your donation pile, or in the trash), and break down every box when everything is out of it. Put up personal photos. Just decorate your walls with your personal style, and you will be on the fast track to living happy in your home.