Don't start nailing something into the wall unless you're ABSOLUTELY SURE you want it there.

I'd say a decorating don't is getting too caught up in "matching" rules. Beautiful design can come about from the juxtiposition of two contrast colors, prints textures or styles. Home decor is an evolution!

I never face my Bed away from the door (so that the door is behind your head) I think it might be a feng shui rule but i'm also just kind of superstitious

Don't buy everything from one store!

matching bedroom set furniture urks me (ie: bed, vanity, night stands)

Don't do something just because it's trendy.

Don't pay attention to decorating "don'ts". What's "out" this year may be "in" the next.

Do not purchase art for your walls because it matches your present decor. Buy what you like and you will enjoy it forever!

I don't know if it's a "don't" but I absolutely HATE matchy matchy furniture sets.

Don't be too cluttered. Less is more.

Any furniture on a diagonal is BAD.

Don't feel that it's necessary to shove all the furniture up against the wall.

Oh, and attention Kia Steave-Dickerson from Trading Spaces ultra-themey rooms and wallpaper borders are both big, huge, DON'Ts.

Like Swp2885, I still have a tendency to arrange furnishings in certain positions based on feng shui though I know there's no truth in it---putting your bed facing a door especially a bathroom door. And never get a house that is located on the bottom of a slope ---

Do whatever will make you happy even if others say don't. It's your room and you're the one who is going to live in it.

Don't clutter with nic nacs... minimalism!
Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)
please do not use the same patterned wallpaper, curtains sheets and duvet cover in one room!( unless you are a heritage bed and breakfast)

I don't like spiral staircases because, in feng shui, it's believed that the steps are like daggers spearing through your home. I don't know... there might be some possible truth in feng shui or it wouldn't have been around for so long.

I agree with Jhuck, do whatever makes you happy! If you like to match, go for it. I just re-did my kitchen in not so grown up neon green and white with pastel accents...and it makes me so happy. I actually like spending time in my kitchen, whereas before I loathed cooking and cleaning it just because it was so lame (chocolate brown glossy wall..big mistake), now I have fun.

Don't put glass-fronted cabinets if you aren't willing to invest the time in keeping them organized.
Don't try and overcompensate for white walls that you're stuck with by making everything else too bright. A light, sunny room with white walls is fine, you don't have to cover your house in red slipcovers to make up for it!
Don't get tied into whatever you've done with your furniture before, move it around! Just rearranging the furniture in your bedroom can really help you live with the space so much better.
Don't just set up your living room with the TV as the focal point, let it be a place for people. I think this is probably my biggest pet peeve for decorating.

Dont put carpets on walls as decorations...unless u r absolutely sure its art.

yep I hate white walls too, and I always position my bed so that I have a direct view of my door- it's just my personal choice. I would suggest saying away from accent walls, if you want colour blend it in in various ways like accessories, paintings, cushions, not just one big wall!

i hate seeing mirrors all over a bedroom - i don't want to see myself in bed. this is especially bad when closet doors are mirrored. I also dislike having the tv as the focal point in a living room.

i hate seeing mirrors all over a bedroom - i don't want to see myself in bed. this is especially bad when closet doors are mirrored. I also dislike having the tv as the focal point in a living room.

I like my furniture to match. When you have a dark wood piece and a light wood piece in the same room, it just doesn't mesh with me. I also don't think putting too much stuff in one room is a good idea. Spread it out through out the house!

Absolutely no reproduction prints on the walls; no matter how high the quality I think there's something awful about them. By "reproduction prints" I mean fake-vintage, for example, reproduction vintage travel posters, botanical drawings, perfume advertisements, etc. I think what bothers me about them is the laziness. It's always possible to find the real thing on eBay or elsewhere within a couple weeks, with a small amount of effort.

Posters tacked on the wall! UGH!
Frames are 4 bucks at IKEA! Frame those posters!

I have been decorating and loving it for over thirty years. My advice would be make your home show your personality. For instance I live in a log cabin in the mountain and I am a very family, home oriented person so I have a place that makes you feel warmth and welcome when you walk in the door. I go for the cosy, comfort look and I am constantly looking at books and magazines for something to move here or there.
A big no-no to me is if you have a curio or other place to display items, dont have it so full you cannot see them. People get into collecting one particular thing and just go crazy and then you have so many you dont have room. I had a similar thing happen when my husband and daughters bought me angels for my curio. Once it got full, I said, "Okay, I don't need any more." And if I do happen to get another one, I try to weed one out. I still have probably too much for some traditional, young decorators but I love what I do have.

I really think that decor is a personal thing and therefore everyone should be able to have things they really love everywhere in their home. With that being said there are a few things that bother me. I really don't like bright walls especially if everything else is dark or bright as well. I've seen some beautiful rooms done like this but I don't like the look.
Don't get to caught up in matching everything. I love to have symmetry but I don't fret over it. A little variety makes it look more like your own.
Don't cover every inch of the perimeter of a room with furniture. I hate that. Mine is like that right now because I have too much stuff. It looks so cluttered.

NO FAKE PLANTS!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont be afraid of some color on the walls!!! I absolutely hate white walls and believe that nothing can pull a room together quite like a coordinating wall color.

Don't sacrifice comfort for looks, because even if it looks nice you'll hate it if you can't use it.

those patterened cielings are awfull!

I think a place should feel comfortable. I dont really think leather couches belong anywhere except in offices and shrink rooms. Make it feel like you would want to sit in it. Personal taste is really what you have to look for in a room. I hate blank walls and impersonal feeling furniture.

- wallpaper
- wicker being used indoors
- more than a couple throw pillows on the sofa
- furniture being placed on a diagonal

Don't overdo things, less is more. Having a focal point and building the room's design around that gives a sense of order and style.

Don't buy things that are the wrong scale for the room (i.e.: oversized sofas for a tiny living room)

Don't be afraid of color!

Don't copy your mother's style!

Don't be afraid of white! Tv's should not be the focal point of a room. Functionality and comfort are the two most import qualities of a room. Less is more. Tomm many nicknacks just makes your room look unclean and messy.

I know someone already mentioned this, but don't overlook the importance of SCALE! I live in New England where many of us have houses with teeny tiny rooms...just because that big, over-stuffed round arm sofa physically "fits" into a space doesn't mean it's the right proportion for the space. Look for furniture that feels balanced, not overwhelming.

Also, I know it's durable and easy to clean, but I cannot stand Ultrasuede. ::shudder::

Also, I love adding color to walls, but can't stand it when people paint each room a totally different bold color. Do you really need a deep red dining room, a cobalt blue living room and a mustard yellow kitchen? Think of the harmony of the ENTIRE house, not each room as an individual theme.

fake plants and people who set their table when it's not in use.

Don't overstuff the rooms. I live in a nice size apartment but my bedroom is kind of small, I make sure to use only necessary furnature and decorations in there and spread the rest out around the house. I want to have enough space to walk around

I hate wallpaper & borders. I hate when beautiful, natural wood is painted. I hate knick knacks, to me they are just dust collectors. I rarely like bare windows unless they are the focus of the outdoor scenary (ocean or mountain view). I dont like trendy decor. I like good old fashion, lasting, comfort that can be recycled & revived with color.

Don't paint the entire room one color. Add contrast by developing a color scheme (in the same color family). For example: for a flirty feminine room, without being too girly, paint 3 of your walls a pale pink (Behr Brook Trout 110E-2) as your base color, and pick an accent wall such as your head board wall to paint a more vivid color (Behr Rose Garland 100D-6). Use an Eggplant bedspread with rich brown accent pillows, a delicious mauve cashmere throw blanket and gold leaf pieces to add to this new look...By choosing earthy tones, chances are that you will be less likely to get sick of the color over a short period of time. Earth colors tend to be easy on the eyes and also very soothing. I like experimenting with color using Behr's interactive color tool: http://www.behr.com/behrx/workbook/
Also, don't be afraid to be your own artist. You can use your accent wall to also paint a silhouette of a design you like directly on the wall...Later if you change your taste, you can always paint over it and do something new...

I'll have to disagree, Ms. Behr. Those kind of paint jobs remind me of the Maybelline eyeshadow kits I spent my allowance on when I was 12: one color for your lids, one color a shade darker for "contour," etc.

I'll have to disagree, Ms. Behr. Those kind of paint jobs remind me of the Maybelline eyeshadow kits I spent my allowance on when I was 12: one color for your lids, one color a shade darker for "contour," etc.

Sorry for the double comment!