10 Common Home Decor Challenges & Solutions

Today I am sharing 10 common home decor challenges and solutions for each one of them! 

To watch the entire video, click here.

Recently on Instagram, I asked what your top challenges were when it came to decorating your home. So many of you responded and I loved reading all of your feedback. Since there were so many common home decor challenges, I wanted to take a few moments to address them and hopefully offer some solutions that will help. 

I have said this often and just want to remind you that I am not an expert in any of these areas. The entire reason behind my blog is to share what I have learned throughout the years through trial and error. 

With that being said, I have personally faced so many of these and I am excited to share my perspective on each. Below are the ones I will be sharing about. 

10 Common Home Decor Challenges 

• Overwhelm
• Budget
• Lack of Skill
• Organization & Clutter
• Time
• Commitment to a Decision
• Space
• Settling on a Style
• Renting
• Investing in Larger Pieces

Overwhelm 

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you’re decorating a room or a space in your home. When my husband and I first purchased our home, it needed so much work. Every single room needed something done to it. 

I would be lying if I said I didn’t experience overwhelm when we moved into our fixer upper. But I learned through the process, and I want to encourage you with something that has helped me so much over the years.

Stop looking at the huge list of things you’d like to accomplish in your home, and start focusing on one area at a time. One space, one shelf, one corner, one side table even. Focus on one thing at a time.

In ten years of home ownership, some projects were done in a weekend and some projects have taken months and even years to complete. And that is okay! Stressing and overwhelming yourself only seems to complicate projects and make them harder than they need to be. 

There is a song I can’t help but think of that we learned in church as kids. The lyrics are as follows –

Little by little, inch by inch. By the yard it’s hard, by the inch what a cinch.

Never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps. Little by little, inch by inch.

These words are great for life, but they are so true when it comes to your home. Don’t try to tackle everything all at once. Take each space at a time and remember, little by little.

Budget

Budget was such a common home decor challenge shared by so many of you! I am so passionate about this one, in fact it’s one of the reasons I started my blog! The majority of my home is decorated with thrifted or DIY projects that have saved my husband and I so much over the years. 

There are so many wonderful things that come from having a tight budget. In a way, it forces you to learn new skills and try things you’ve never attempted before. It also encourages creativity as you learn how to make the biggest bang for your buck.

I have so many helpful posts on thrifting that can help you get started, but there are even more options than just thrifting. Facebook Marketplace, garage sales, estate sales – there are so many budget friendly ways to decorate your home without having to purchase new. 

Sometimes it takes patience to find the perfect pieces you are looking for at the right price, but it is worth it to be able to save and stick to your budget. 

Having a tight budget also builds patience as you discover your style. I’m so glad I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on our home when we first moved in. I would have wasted so much money on impulse purchases that would not have stood the test of time.

Lack of Skill 

I have read comments before about how “lucky” I am when it comes to my handy husband and all of the projects he has helped me with over the years.

I am so thankful for him and his shared passion to create a  home we both love, but my husband is completely self taught. Each project we have tackled – from painting, to drywall, to tiling and plumbing – he has learned by simply doing it himself. 

We live in the age of information, and there are SO many resources out there so that anyone can easily learn a new skill. My friend Marynn from Wildflower Home is a perfect example of this. Her husband is in law enforcement and he has a very demanding and stressful schedule. Marynn has taught herself so many amazing skills during the process of renovating their beautiful home. 

So get on Google or YouTube and simply search the skill you are nervous to tackle! Research it and attempt it. You would be so surprised at all you are capable of! 

Organization and Clutter 

Keeping a tidy home is a home decor challenge for so many, but eliminating clutter can be attainable with small changes here and there. 

We have four boys, and I have shared in a few different ways in which I keep a tidy home, as well as how I stay organized. This year we committed to getting everything organized again after the holidays. We have a list and we simply tackle one area each day!

I have hidden toys in so many different places throughout my home and I do my best to stay on top of the clutter, but more important than that I like to ask myself why there is clutter in the first place.

What is causing the mess? Could we come up with a better system? Can we donate toys that the kids aren’t even playing with? I am continually learning and growing in this area, and I hope you are able to visit the posts I shared for even more inspiration on this topic! 

Time

We all have the same amount of time in a day. I know there are unique situations in which time can be especially challenging – the single mother working two jobs being an example. If this is your situation, please show yourself grace. 

For the rest of us, however, there are usually ways to utilize our time better. Maybe spending less time researching different styles or projects to tackle and actually starting them. Or perhaps taking a break from watching other people decorate their house, and taking a stab at our own!

I can be so guilty of this. It’s so easy to pick up my phone and scroll through Instagram. It’s hard to get up and actually crack open that paint can and start painting. Find out what is consuming your precious time and try to redirect it in a positive way. I love this quote by Timothy Ferriss – “someday is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you”. 

Commitment to a Decision 

Deciding on a design for your space and actually committing to that design can be so challenging. 

One major decision my husband and I had to face was when we refinished and stained our red oak floors. Choosing the right stain for flooring that covered almost the entire first floor of our home was something that was scary to commit to. 

All I can say here, is be willing to fail. Be willing to make mistakes. Be willing to try something knowing that it might not work out. Wouldn’t you rather try it and know, than sit there and wonder forever if you will love it? Some of greatest successes in my home were because of decorating failures. Something I tried, but didn’t really like.

And again, start small. Before you commit to the entire floor, or an entire wall space, start small. Paint a small sample on your wall, or stain a small section of your floor first and be willing to have to sand it down again until you find that perfect color. 

Don’t let the fear of commitment to a decision hold you back from actually making the decision. In the end, trial and error will help you to love the final product even more!

Space 

Living in a smaller space can definitely be a challenge at times. The six of us live in a very small home and when all four boys are running around being boys, the walls seem to close in even more, haha! 

There are so many benefits to living in a small space, though, and I encourage you to learn to embrace them! Less decor to purchase and less to clean being two huge ones! 

I just love that quote by Doug Stone – “love grows best in little houses with fewer walls to separate.” I encourage you to see all the good in a smaller space and choose to embrace it rather than allowing it to be a challenge. 

In many ways, I have found that it’s easier to pack a lot of character into a smaller home rather than a large one. Cozy corners, reading nooks, peg racks, built in shelving, window seats, the list goes on. Again, you have to be creative with smaller homes, but that’s what makes them so special.

Defining Your Style

Having a specific home decor style or knowing what your style is was a challenge many of you shared. I have an opinion about this one, and maybe it’s not technically correct. 

Your “style” is whatever you want it to be! If you see something and fall in love with it, bring it into your home! It’s okay to mix traditional pieces with modern.

There is no right or wrong here. The point of decorating your home is to create a space you love and are excited to be in. This means patiently finding or even creating a style that fits you best. It is not necessary to have to fall under any particular category when decorating your home.

Renting 

I know that renting can be a huge challenge. When my husband and I first were married, we rented a tiny apartment together. Our landlord didn’t allow us to paint or make any major upgrades and at the time it was really discouraging. 

Looking back now, I am thankful because we weren’t there very long, but I know many of you are in a different situation. Luckily there are so many amazing options for rentals now. 

Peel and stick wallpaper comes to mind immediately. Easily apply it to your space to make it your own, and it’s removable once you move out. This is just one example, once again a quick Google or YouTube search yields so many ideas! 

Investing in Larger Pieces 

This is the last of the 10 home decor challenges I am sharing because this is the biggest one I personally face. I am so quick to pick up small items at the thrift store. Fifty cents here, two dollars there, but it is so hard for me to invest in larger pieces that I love. 

I challenge and encourage you  (and myself) to save up for those larger special pieces so when you come across them at an antique store, Facebook Marketplace or thrift store you have no hesitation purchasing them. 

Bigger statement pieces can make such a difference in a space, and being able to purchase them without buyers remorse because you saved for them makes it even better. 

All of these common home decor challenges have solutions and if you are struggling in any of these areas, I truly hope this was a help to you. I would love to read in the comments how you have tackled or how you plan to tackle some of these challenges in your own home. 

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