The Most Common Decorating Mistakes I See in Norwich Homes (And How to Fix Them)

After designing homes across Norwich and Norfolk for several years, I see the same mistakes coming up again and again. Not because people have bad taste, they don't, but because decorating is genuinely hard. Here's my honest, no-judgement guide to fixing them without starting from scratch.

Mistake 1: The rug is too small

A rug that only sits under the coffee table anchors nothing. At minimum, the front two legs of every sofa and chair should sit on it, ideally all four. When in doubt, go bigger than you think you need.

Mistake 2: All the furniture is pushed against the walls

This feels logical but almost always makes a room feel smaller. When sofas are pressed against four walls, the centre becomes a dead zone. Pull everything away (even 15cm!) and arrange it around a central point like the fireplace or coffee table. The room immediately feels more intimate and paradoxically more spacious.

Mistake 3: One overhead light doing all the work

Norwich's Victorian and Edwardian homes often have beautiful features but limited lighting infrastructure. A single ceiling light flattens everything. Layer it. Floor lamp in a corner, table lamps by the sofa, candles on the mantelpiece. Switch off the overhead one evening and you'll immediately understand what I mean.

Mistake 4: Matching everything too perfectly

The matchy-matchy bedroom set. Every cushion from the same collection. When everything matches perfectly, nothing has any tension or interest. Introduce one thing that isn't from the same source - a vintage lamp, a piece of art from a local maker, a market find. That outlier is often what makes the whole room sing.

Mistake 5: Ignoring the hallway

The first thing anyone sees when they walk into your home , including you, every single day. A bold paint colour, a mirror, a good lamp. It sets the tone for everything that follows and costs very little to transform.

My Style Session is two hours in your Norwich or Norfolk home going through exactly this, room by room, with a clear action plan at the end.