lisknits: “Never have a red, orange or harsh yellow bedroom. No matter how much you like it, those colors are too energizing/irritating to foster rest.”

nnigrt: “Never paint a bedroom before buying the bedding.”

tatts: “Never paint test swatches directly on your walls. The color and or change in finish will telegraph through the finished paint job unless you spend extra time and money to sand and prime. Paint big swatches on poster board so you can move them around to different areas and in different lighting.”  I have done this for years and find an extra coat of paint where you sampled the colors works just fine. 

decoenthusiaste: “Never buy a ‘set’ from the big-box furniture stores, especially if it includes a love seat.” I have seen way to many homes where this is done.  It never looks very good.  It looks like you put no thought into buying furniture. 

bellburgmaggie: “Never buy that big ugly leather sofa sectional for an itty-bitty tract home and then wonder why it doesn’t look right.” Proportion is everything.  Smaller house should equal smaller furniture. 

Quirkymimaw (Clarissa): “Don’t let yourself get talked into something if it’s not right for you or the way you and your family live and function.” Here is a great reason to work with a professional designer.  They are not just a salesman. 

ckp88: “Rethink front-loader washers, side-by-side fridges and double sinks.”  Love my front load washers, as it is so easy to transfer to my front load dryer.  Mine are both counter height, so I have a countertop that goes on top of them. One big sink is so much easier to wash big pans and a freezer at the bottom (French Style) is so much easier. 

laurie0714: “Never put the kitchen sink in a corner.” Totally agree! 

Sun Lions LLC: “I recently learned the hard way to never, never buy furniture unless you can first take home a cushion or fabric sample. I ended up with a pink couch and side chair when I thought I was buying cream. Now if I can’t get a sample to see how the color will really look in my own home, I go somewhere else.”  Duh!  

Sylvia Carlson: “Never buy furniture until you have measured your apartment building’s elevator and all the doors the item will have to pass through.” When I worked at Macy’s years ago, a lot of furniture had to be returned because it did not fit through doors or up stairs. 

Royal Carpet Galleries: “Never attempt to buy an area rug before you are sure you have the proper measurements.” Another Duh!  

robin701: “Never buy artwork or accessories just to fill a space. Buy what you love and find a space for it.” And buy original art.  Go to college shows where you can buy from up and coming artists. 

auntthelma: “Never have white floors. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once. I’m a slow learner.”  I do love my light gray floor. 

tedbixby: “Never (ever) carpet your kitchen, laundry room, well, every room in your house, especially with peach plush carpet. Where was Houzz when I needed you guys to tell me, ‘No way. You can pull up that cheap white vinyl flooring. No need to cover it with carpeting’? Oh, the 1980s were such a learning experience.”  Never, never, never!  

lobelia: “Never install very dark wood or laminate floors. They will only look good for about five minutes after you clean them. And you have to clean every square inch or the undone areas will be very noticeable. Trust me. I made this mistake. We kept the floors for about a year and then had them replaced.” I still remember when black wood floors were the in thing.  What a nightmare for maintenance. 

Contracts and Construction

Jillian – Interior design student: “Never ever sign a contract/agreement without reading it. Read the whole agreement — each and every clause. Understand what you are reading/signing. If you don’t, ask someone. Make sure everything you were promised verbally appears in writing.”

tdee56: “Never ever let someone start a job in your home or for you without a written contract. Smiles and handshakes are for the easily duped.”  Smiles and handshakes have not worked since the 1950’s. 

cambier: “Never leave subcontractors alone on a renovation. Try to be there 24/7.”  Pick subcontractors that have been recommended by people you trust, and this won’t be necessary. 

Julia Barulina: “Never hire relatives to help you renovate. When something doesn’t go your way or if you don’t like their ideas, it can be a disaster. Hire someone who can guarantee their work.” Don’t hire relatives for anything.  Remember they do not need to impress you. 

Metropolitan Design Concepts: “Never take the lowest bid to save money. Go with your gut. It always knows what is right for you.”

labincurlers: “When you buy a house, especially a resale, don’t change every single thing you don’t like before you live in it a little while. You find some things are a certain way for a good reason and you are glad you didn’t ‘fix’ it.” Hire a designer. 

tedbixby: “Never ever do something because it is a trend. Do it because you love it.”  Classic style is always in style. 

nnigrt: “And the corollary to tedbixby’s: Never don’t do something you like because it is a trend.”

tedbixby: “Never ever drink wine while operating power tools. The dust will spoil it.”

Amy Wolff Interiors: “Never design by committee. Your friends, relatives, neighbors etc. aren’t paying for it. You are. Get what you love.

nnigrt: “Never renovate aspirationally. If your family isn’t crowded around the kitchen table now playing games, they won’t suddenly do it (more than once) in a new game room. If you don’t have company now in your ‘humble home,’ odds are you won’t suddenly have friends who want to visit your fancier one. You will be just as much of a slob in a nice space as in your current one. Renovations change little that is wrong with us or our relationships.”

Sylvia Carlson: “Never tell your teenager he or she can decorate his or her own room unless you are prepared to live with black paint, plastic skulls and a coffin-shaped bed.”  Remember paint is cheap, when they off to college. 

mcolabucci: “Never, ever, ever buy your wife brand-new kitchen appliances for Christmas. ‘They are not gifts! They are machines for doing work.’ So I am told.”  Maybe it is old world, but never buy a gift with a cord attached. 

teamaltese: “One poster’s ‘never’ is another poster’s ‘always.’ Never assume what’s right for you, your taste, your budget, your situation, is right for everyone.” Duh!  How many homes have you visited that you just loved everything in the house?

Your turn: What are your design “nevers”? Tell us in the Comments.