Common decorating mistakes in outdoor decorating

In outdoor decorating there are a few things to avoid doing, in order to achieve the best possible outdoor decoration:

Fill every little space available
In outdoor decorating the empty spaces are also important to achieve a global effect. The rule "less is more" works in outdoors too. Whether is space to move or space for plants to grow fully, don't fill every little space available.

Not dare to experiment different things
Without experimenting is more difficult to achieve a look one really loves. Try different things, almost everything can be changed back if you don't like the final look and it's part of the process of learning how not to decorate.

Not recycling the pieces and accessories one already has
Give a piece a different use, paint it, turn it upside down, change its location... sometimes it's easy to change the impact one piece does on the whole decoration.

Use always the same favourite colours
Don't rule out immediately the use of certain colour in favour of others. Each colour has several shades and you may love one you still haven't tried or a different combination of two or three colours. Your favourite colour will also have more impact when used together with others. Also try to think about seasons and its colours. For instance, in fall outdoor decorating, one might prefer warmer colours for textiles and check to see what colours your plants have in fall (flowers, foliage...).

The "shop / catalogue" effect
Buying everything in the same shop or catalogue, sometimes has the effect that a decoration looks exactly like the one on the shop, without space for creativity and individual style.

Evaluate the decoration from one point of view only
Sit down, get in and out of your space, walk trough it and see if the decoration needs something changed or works every time. Sometimes an outdoor decoration that works beautifully while one is standing, looses a lot of interest when is seated and vs., because all decorative elements are on the same eye level for instance. Also check how the outdoor decoration works by day and night.

Use too many accessories and decorative pieces
Decide what kind of effect, theme or style you want for your outdoor space and then keep only the pieces that contribute to achieve it. But do try different ones.

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