
18. Bring Furniture to the Middle of the Room
One of the most common mistakes people make when decorating is that they try to create space too literally. They think that by pushing their furniture up against the wall, it will take up the least amount of space. In theory, they might be correct, but this leaves space in the middle of the room. It might make it easier to walk across the room from one end to the other. However, it actually gives the impression that this was necessary, because the room is so small. It also usually looks awkward, and it’s difficult to design around.

A better strategy is to place your furniture in a good design, even if it means going in the middle of the room. For example, if you’re converting a second bedroom into a home office, you could put the desk in the middle of the room, and have the shelving against the wall. This gives the impression that you have plenty of space to pull off that design. And if the room truly is too small to put your furniture anywhere but the wall, try to work with the angles of the room. Even something as simple as a chair in the corner can give the space variety.