Expensive Decor Troubles
The richer among us may decide to use their money upgrading their home. Fair enough! But sometimes upgrades aren’t upgrades at all, they’re just expensive mistakes. Here are no less than 35 things home owners adjusted in their house, spending a lot of money, and regretted later on.
Oversized Sectionals
That massive sectional looked like just what you wanted in the store, but once you got it home, you soon realized oversized sectionals are a bad idea. You end up rearranging endlessly to make space for actually walking around, only to realize you can barely fit a coffee table in the room with it.
Trendy Wallpaper
This is what happens when you plan out a room for Instagram without thinking of the future. Suddenly, you’re staring at flamingos or oversized florals every single day, and you soon get sick of them. And the problem is, removing wallpaper is pricey and time-consuming.
Designer Rugs
Dropping thousands on a fancy rug sounds like a good investment if you’re rich enough - until someone spills red wine or your dog has one of those nasty accidents. Basically, high-end rugs rarely survive daily life, no matter how careful you try to be. Many a sitcom plot has focused on an expensive rug, destroying them is so common.
Marble Countertops
Marble is actually a pain in the long term - it stains, scratches, and etches if you so much as look at it funny. That hefty price tag doesn’t save you from constant maintenance. Before long, those “luxury” counters look worn and stained.
Built-In Entertainment Centers
If you’ve got a lot of games consoles, a built-in entertainment center can seem like the perfect solution. Wrong! Fast forward a few years, and everything is outdated, the shelves don’t fit modern gadgets, and you’re stuck with a giant piece you can’t repurpose.
Fancy Chandeliers
A grand chandelier can transform a space - until you realize how much dust it collects and how annoying it is to clean. Not to mention, styles change quickly, and what once looked timeless can feel like a badly done Phantom of the Opera set in just a few years.
Formal Dining Rooms
Designing an olden-days-style dining room with ornate furniture seems like a good way to show off… until you realize you eat there only when you have guests round. The rest of the time, everything just collects dust. Unfortunately, people just don’t eat in dining rooms everyday anymore.
Statement Art Pieces
So many people splurge on a fancy art piece when they come into some cash. But styles change, and so do your tastes. Before long, you might be stuck with an expensive painting that no longer fits your home's look - or worse, one you don’t even like anymore.
Open Kitchen Shelving
It looks fantastic in design magazines - perfect rows of dishes lined up just waiting for you to use them. But in real life, people find the open shelves look cluttered and it also turns out they need constant dusting. Suddenly, you regret tearing out your perfectly functional cabinets just to follow a hot new trend.
Glass Tables
Glass dining or coffee tables look cool and all, but they’re also magnets for fingerprints, smudges, and scratches. You’ll spend more time cleaning them than enjoying them, and heaven help you if someone drops something heavy. They’re especially not recommended for people with young children.
Floor-To-Ceiling Curtains
Another trend we can blame Pinterest for. Fancy drapery often comes with a shocking price tag, and once you add in the hassle of dry cleaning they feel more like a burden than a luxury. Plus, if your style or wall colors change, they can turn ugly fast.
Custom Drapery Hardware
Oh, you thought we were done with the curtains? Nope, you have the drapery hardware to think of too. Spending big on custom curtain rods and the like might seem like one of those small details that elevates a room, but most people barely notice.
Leather Sofas
A leather sofa feels like the ultimate expensive purchase - until you realize how easily it scratches, cracks, or sticks to your skin in summer. Suddenly, you’re spending all your money on maintaining it. It’s just not worth it.
Built-In Bars
Imagine, your own custom bar! How glamorous! But consider first just how much time and money it’s going to cost you vs how much you’re actually going to use it. Unless you host cocktail parties every week, it’ll probably just become wasted space. Sorry.
Mirrored Furniture
Those shiny mirrored dressers and nightstands look nice in the store… but they have a whole team of people to keep them nice in the store. Once you get them home, they’re dust and fingerprint magnets. Most people regret how much work comes with them.
Accent Walls In Bold Colors
Accent walls in snazzy colors were really popular a few years back, but tastes have changed. Now, loads of people are left with a brightly colored wall in their house that needs to be painted over. And painting over takes more time and money than some people realize.
Expensive Outdoor Furniture
The garden is part of your house too, and it could do with some furniture. But the high-end, fancy stuff isn’t what you need, because it will go bad fast. Cushions fade, metals rust, and wicker unravels faster than you expect. Look for weatherproof stuff, don’t go with aesthetics alone.
Vessel Sinks
They look so cool in photos… but photos don’t tell the whole story. In real life, vessel sinks are splash-prone, hard to clean, and awkward for daily use. The trend has more or less gone away now, and loads of people are stuck with an expensive sink they no longer want.
High-End Bedding Sets
Spending hundreds (or thousands) on matching bedding sets is a terrible idea. Those fancy fabrics often can’t survive normal washing. Before long, they fade, pill, or fray, leaving you annoyed at how much money you’ve wasted.
Statement Tiles
That bold patterned tile floor or backsplash looked amazing at first glance. But once it’s installed, you’re stuck with it. Trends change fast, and replacing tile isn’t cheap. Better to always go with neutral tiles, no matter how tempted you are with the colorful ones.
Floating Staircases
They may be popular nowadays, but floating staircases are pricey to build and often feel unsafe. Elderly parents, pets, and even guests get nervous on them, and they’re harder to clean than you’d expect. What’s wrong with a regular staircase?
Indoor Water Features
No, no, no. Indoor water features are a terrible idea, no matter how much money you have. Maintenance costs stack up quickly, and instead of the peaceful vibes you dreamed of, you’re stuck with constant upkeep. Even more so if fish are involved!
Carpets Everywhere
Some people love carpets and cover their house in them, but they soon live to regret it. Stains, wear, and trapped odors set in fast. Even the most expensive carpets don’t stay perfect for long, and cleaning them professionally isn’t cheap.
Canopy Beds
These advertise themselves as dreamlike and romantic, but in real life, a canopy bed dominates the room and becomes a dust magnet. Decorating around it is tricky, and if you want to rearrange the room, you’re stuck with a giant, expensive piece that feels dated.
Overly Themed Rooms
Going all-in on a theme - say, a nautical living room or a Star Wars bedroom - sounds fun but gets old quickly. Once the novelty wears off, you’re left with a space that feels more like a movie set than a home. Worse, it costs a fortune to redecorate.
Built-In Appliances
That built-in espresso maker or wine fridge felt like the ultimate luxury upgrade… until it broke. Oops. Repair costs are sky-high for those things. And if you ever plan to sell your home, buyers might be put off by the built-in appliances.
Beds With Built-In Storage
They sound practical - extra drawers under the bed! - but in reality, the drawers are hard to open, collect dust, and make moving the bed an absolute pain. The storage isn’t as useful as you think, and the frame usually costs a fortune.
Indoor Hammocks or Swings
They’re fun for about a week (and kids love them) but then they become awkward, impractical, and often dangerous. Hanging hardware damages your ceiling, and once the novelty fades, you’re left with an expensive and unsightly regret.
Overdecorated Mantels
Some people get a mantelpiece and go completely OTT with expensive knickknacks and vases to put on it. Don’t worry about it so much! Just put a few nice things on the mantel, it’s not an art exhibit.
Expensive Paint Finishes
Specialty paints like Venetian plaster or high-gloss finishes advertise themselves well, but they’re tough to apply, easy to damage, and a nightmare to touch up. You need to consider what’s practical as well as what looks nice.
Swimming Pools
Many people dream of having a swimming pool, and spend thousands to make that dream a reality. Then, it turns out they don’t actually use it all that much. And if you have a child in the house, a swimming pool makes life very dangerous for them.
Custom Headboards
A giant fancy headboard feels luxurious - until you realize how quickly styles change. Cleaning one is a hassle too, especially if it’s upholstered. And since they’re usually pricey and custom, swapping them out isn’t easy.
Designer Throw Pillows
Spending $200 on a single throw pillow might seem like what the kids would call “a baller move”, but they fade, flatten, and go out of style fast. And guests and children inevitably end up tossing them on the floor. Stop wasting your money!
Wall-Mounted Fireplaces
They look nice, but most are more style than substance. They don’t actually heat much, they’re expensive to install, and once trends change, they can feel awkwardly dated. A freestanding electric fireplace will serve you much better.
OTT Christmas Décor
Going all out with pricey seasonal decorations - giant wreaths, life-size nutcrackers, faintly ridiculous inflatables - sounds fun if you’re a Christmas lover, but where are you storing all that stuff? Nobody wants to hear this, but Christmas décor can really be a waste of time and money if you’re not careful.
