Designers Say This Tiny Tweak Could Save Your Living Room From Looking Tacky

Decor overwhelm, ignoring scale, and losing sense of what you really want your space to look like can lead to a living room that looks tacky. While style is completely subjective, there are a few helpful rules of thumb that two design experts shared with us that’ll help you stay on track.

These tips include one tiny tweak that makes a major difference in how your living room looks, and additional ideas for creating a space you love and feel right at home.

How to Save Your Living Room From Looking Tacky

Two of the biggest factors that result in a tacky living room are having too much decor or visual clutter and creating discordance through poorly proportioned furniture and awkward layouts.

“Thoughtful editing goes a long way in our homes,” says interior decorator Andrea Thompson.

So one tiny tweak? Take one or two things away from your living room. That could be a throw pillow from a growing collection on the couch, or a plant if you have a dozen of them crowding your space.

Interior designer Courtney Batten agrees. No matter what your design style is or what objects you gravitate towards, these issues can happen to anyone.

“Thoughtfulness is key,” she says.

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How to Keep From Doing Too Much

To ensure this doesn’t happen in your own living room, here are several areas to focus on that can help you maintain simplicity and scale, according to the experts:

• Remove at least two pillows from your sofa. Thompson says you don’t need six or more.
• A multitude of chairs isn’t necessary unless you’re hosting a party. Stick to just two and a couch.
• Get your rug sizing right. Batten notes your furniture should fully fit within the rug, or at the very least, each piece’s front legs should.
• Keep cords out of the way. Batten says to use flat extension cords, floor plugs, or cord channels to better hide them.
• Ignore the overhead light; this can cast weird shadows and create a not-so-welcoming atmosphere. Thompson says to use matching table lamps on either side of your sofa or lean on one large floor lamp.
• Choose only two large plants to have in your living room; all the rest should be moved to other spots around your home.

“I find that tacky can easily be tackled by taking everything down a notch,” Thompson says.

4 Features Making Your Living Room Look Tacky

There are a couple different things that can lead to a living room looking tacky.

“The biggest culprits tend to be poor scale, awkward layout, and visual noise,” Batten says.

Here are four other things to keep an eye on and save your living room from being overwhelming in the worst way.

Clashing Undertones

If you’ve ever looked at a room that wasn’t quite right, but couldn’t put your finger on what was wrong, it may have been clashing undertones. This creates disharmony that, although subtle at first, becomes hard to ignore.

“Even when you’re using neutrals or complementary colors, if the undertones fight (like warm cream next to cool gray), it creates subconscious tension,” says Batten.

Once you have the palette right and have determined the tones and color temperature you want, you can continue decorating.

“Choose the pillows and a throw that best complement the color of the sofa and the side chairs,” says Thompson.

Busy Walls

While the intention of an art or photo-adorned wall is nice, it can quickly turn chaotic. Too many pieces make it hard to maintain a focal point and cohesion. Try to pare down your collection or move art pieces to other walls in your home.

“Have between one to three large art pieces over the sofa, not 12 medium ones that are all competing with each other,” explains Thompson.

You can do the same with the color of your walls, too, which might contribute to a sense of overwhelm or busyness.

Lack of Spatial Symmertry

Just like proportion, balance and symmetry are important for avoiding tacky spaces. If one side of the room is heavy on furniture and the other isn’t—or you’ve placed lighting fixtures or plants in just one area—you instantly lose a sense of equilibrium.

“Make sure low and high pieces work together,” says Thompson. “For instance, the tall floor lamp, the two large plants, and the large art pieces will all be symbiotic with the sofa and chairs, coffee table and side tables (your low pieces).”

Cluttered Coffee Tables and Surfaces

Your coffee table may be unassuming, but with too much stuff on top or the wrong decor, it can bring the space’s energy down.

“Remove the clutter from the coffee table and add a small plant or flowers, and a few (very few) books or sentimental items,” Thompson says.

She also recommends swapping out your coffee table for a storage ottoman if you’re short on space. This is a great way to hide clutter and still have surface area for setting magazines, cups, or remotes. Together, all of these tips will prevent your living room from ever feeling tacky.