The Biggest Interior Design Mistakes Revealed
Words by Emma Hughes
February 10, 2026
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5m
Nowadays, there are so many options when it comes to buying furniture. With social media and the internet, it can seem like there are endless choices and too many different sources of information. All of this contributes to potential delays in achieving your dream home or causes impulse decisions that you regret in the future.
Buying furniture should be a considered process, one where you’ve really taken the time to select the right things for you. Unfortunately, this too often isn’t the case and results in people, especially first-time buyers, being underwhelmed and disappointed with their purchases.
Here at Barker and Stonehouse, we have conducted a survey on UK adults to find out what they regret buying the most, the amount of money they consider themselves to have wasted, and why they regret buying the furniture. To ensure nothing hinders you from creating your ideal home, our Head of Product and Displays, Magdalena Gierasinska, is here to share her advice.
What our surveys shows about first-time furniture buyers
Our survey uncovered a few key findings and really highlighted how susceptible first-time buyers can be to making errors in their furniture purchases:
It’s clear that the furniture market can be a difficult one to navigate, especially for new homeowners looking to furnish their houses for the first time. Below, we will give a deeper breakdown of the main regrets that we’ve found first-time buyers have, clearing up some of the biggest interior design mistakes people make.
The main reasons that people regret purchasing furniture
With so many different factors to consider when purchasing furniture, home décor mistakes can come easily. Here are the most prominent ones we discovered from our survey:
The purchases are poor quality
A primary finding in our survey is that 29% of UK adults regret buying furniture because it’s poor quality or breaks too quickly. With time pressures to furnish a home, or even showroom illusions masking how furniture handles real-life usage, this can be a frequent occurrence.
Garden furniture in particular needs to withstand weather conditions year-round and still offer a comfortable space to enjoy in the summer.
Magdalena Gierasinska says that to improve your chances of buying high-quality furniture, a little research can go a long way. If furniture is made of solid woods like oak or has a steel frame, it would most likely be a smart investment. Looking into warranties and protection plans is also key, as items with longer warranties are more likely to last, whereas shorter ones would have an increased chance of letting you down.
Aesthetics are chosen over quality
Our survey also uncovered that first-time buyers are guilty of aesthetics taking the lead over genuine quality pieces. This, in part, is due to people following trends on social media. More than half of respondents stated it looked good online but not in real life, and 14% stated the furniture they bought was trend-led but dated quickly.
When building your own home and developing living spaces, it’s no surprise that people look towards online platforms for inspiration with anything from small bedroom ideas to how to maximise space. The internet is full of readily available ideas, but it’s best to not take everything at face value, especially when investing in high-impact areas like your bedroom, where furniture is used daily.
Our Head of Product and Displays has listed a few things you can do prior to making your purchases, helping prevent any furniture buying mistakes in the future. Firstly, you can reduce the chance of impulsive decisions by asking yourself, ‘where will this live in my home?’ This question will get you to think about the specific location it will reside in your house.
Then, if you ask, ‘what problem does it solve for me?’, your answer can tell you more than you may realise. If it is purely for aesthetic reasons, it could be a warning, and if the item you’re considering doesn’t improve your comfort, storage, or daily flow, it’s best to pause and truly reflect on if you should buy the product.
The furniture is rarely used
Another big takeaway from the data is that one in five first-time buyers admitted to making a purchase but hardly using it. This is largely due to overconsumption and buying things with the intent of using them before factors like work and fatigue kick in and change plans. What this means for buyers is that they end up with lots of unnecessary furniture in their homes, rather than the curated and comfortable environment they’d envisioned.
Magdalena Gierasinska believes that living in your space first can help you select the ideal furniture for you and your home. The best period is about one to three months as it allows you to learn where you feel you need things such as storage or seating. This means you’ll have an increased chance of investing in more premium items, because taking your time allows you to ensure you make the right choice without needing to get replacements later down the line. That’s why we’re passionate about the ”Buy Better, Buy Once” movement.
Price ranges where first-time buyers are most likely to be caught out
Now that we’ve covered some of the biggest regrets, let’s discuss where first-time buyers can overspend and end up disappointed. This can help to refine your spending, ensuring you only invest in higher-quality items.
The results of our survey showed that 28% of respondents spent between £251 and £500 on items they disliked after purchasing.
Though not drastic amounts of money, this still represents a meaningful expense where any losses can certainly be felt. Especially if this happens multiple times with items in this price range, it’s a cost that could quietly add up over time.
Furniture that resides in this price bracket can often be purchased without people completely testing it or thinking it through. Though appearing as value for money with them being cheap enough to feel safe, they’re also a high enough cost to matter.
Advice from our Head of Product and Displays suggests not to avoid items in this price range just because others have felt like they’ve misspent their money. When looking at this type of furniture, taking a moment to think first can allow you to evaluate without being misled by reasonable prices.
Key takeaways for first-time buyers
After covering some of the more prominent regrets first-time buyers experience, it’s best to go over the biggest tips from Magdalena Gierasinska, so that they’re fresh in your mind when making your next furniture purchases:
So, hopefully you’re now more aware of how to avoid common interior design mistakes when making your future furniture purchases. If you feel ready to take the next step and begin furnishing your home, look at our bespoke bedroom furniture or garden furniture pages to view products that are handcrafted to last.
Methodology
All results in this blog have resulted from 2,000 UK adults being surveyed by OnePoll between 27-29th January 2026.