When it comes to my personal home decor style, I love things that are both compliment my style, but also serve a purpose. Whether it’s a memento to remind me of an experience or a trip, or something I use on the daily. In addition, I really try to keep things that are functional and don’t require top much upkeep so I can actually live in my house. From Pinterest posts to beautiful blogs, the photos of homes these days can leave me thinking - does anyone live there? Having a space that doesn’t allow you to comfortably do what you need to do can be stressful. To avoid headaches - read below my list of no no’s or things to stray away from when it comes to home decor, unless you have a full time maid or butler :)

1. Pine floors

This is one my sister learned the hard way in past rental she lived in. If you’re like me and want to keep your floors looking new, pine isn’t the best flooring material as similar to other softwoods, pine is susceptible to dents and scratches, and shows wear soon after it’s installed. You’ll have to be very careful when moving furniture, or wearing heels (what?!) to avoid causing deep scrapes or gouges in the wood.

2. High gloss finishes

This is a big trend right now - especially in kitchens. While it makes it easy to wipe clean, high gloss reflects a lot of light, thus showing all fingerprints or making dings in walls very evident. Unless you keep things in pristine condition, these surfaces can often look dirty or dingy. Where this does make sense is for paint in the bathroom and kitchen, specifically as noted above, it makes cleaning the walls much easier than a matte finish.

3. Expensive wine glasses

So this is me. I purchased a set of 8 really expensive wine glasses as I LOVE wine and am particular with what type of glass I drink it out of, and when I purchased them, I swore I would never care if anyone broke one, since its just money and I want to share this experience with people. Okay, all good when thought of, but in reality, I can find myself on pins in needles when someone takes one, slams it on the counter and bangs the wine bottle on it when pouring (eeeekkk!!). If you’re fine with them breaking and don’t mind forking over the cash to replace, then okay, but if you’re like me - skip this one. Go to Home Goods and buy the 8 pack. You’ll thank yourself later and your friends will too :)

4. White carpet

Duh! Just don’t do it - okay?! If you must - opt for a small rug that you are able to wash in your machine.

5. Dark finish hardwood floors

Okay, I’m not trying to give hardwoods a bad rap, but dark finishes on floors in general are challenging to keep clean. Especially living here in San Diego where the weather is generally warm, we have our windows open, bringing in all kinds of dust, sand and debris. The lighter finish floors mask this, so you can clean when you want to vs. all day ery day.

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