Kitchen Sink

Amateur and professional designers alike fall victim to the occasional decorating mistake. From getting a little too excited about every latest fad (to the point where your home decor feels like an ever evolving trend report to investing in a too-small area rug to stay on-budget, we’ve all been there. Fortunately, there are a few designer-approved tips you can follow when decorating your home to avoid these common pitfalls — like the four-to-six-inch curtain rule or the rug size guide. Being mindful of these simple tricks of the trade can help you create a truly elevated, memorable space.

Over-decorating

There’s an understandable temptation, especially in small spaces, to keep all the furniture and decor you’ve ever owned, and to decorate every nook and cranny. This can result in an overdone space that feels too cramped and cluttered that’s in desperate need of some negative space. Instead, it’s best to edit, pare back, and practice restraint when styling. Most importantly, saying goodbye (or storing) to some furniture and knick-knacks will ultimately result in a space that feels calmer, cozier, and more inviting.

This means customer success plays a role across the entire customer life cycle:

• Onboarding and activation: Successful onboarding gets your customers into your product, set up, and getting value from using it.
  • Renewal and retention: Customer success works in partnership with your customers, helping them get value from your SaaS throughout their contract. This should improve customer retention and lower customer churn rates.
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• Customer advocacy and referral: Customer success focuses on meeting your customers’ individual needs and making them successful with your product. A successful customer is a happy customer, and only happy, successful customers will recommend your product to other people.

Conversely, Under-decorating

There’s a time for rebranding scant furniture and bare walls as “minimalism,” and that time is college. Successful minimalism is actually incredibly hard to achieve — you want your space to feel calming and understated, not unfinished and stark. Make sure you have enough furniture to adequately fill up the floor plan (even poufs and nesting tables can do the trick) and remember: going minimalist doesn’t mean cutting out decor. Save budget for the finishing touches, like books, vases, florals, candles, textiles, and beyond.

1. Lining the walls with furniture
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2. Overstyling shelves
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3. Going all-in on one design style

If everything in your home came from the same brand and feels lifted straight out of a catalog, that’s a designer no-no. The most interesting spaces include a curation of different elements —purchased, inherited, discovered, and thrifted. Weave in pieces from different brands, artifacts found locally and while traveling, and special elements that are personal to you, like an heirloom ginger jar from your grandmother or vintage sketches you found on a favorite trip.

Below, we break down seven customer success best practices for growing SaaS companies. These are actionable ideas you can put into practice to improve customer retention and satisfaction, turning one-time customers into long-term advocates.

1. Make customer success an early priority for your SaaS business
   The earlier you start focusing on customer success, the easier it’s going to be. Jason Lemkin believes customer success should be a “single-digit hire” — one of the first 10 employees in your business.
   Hiring a dedicated customer success manager early will help you build a customer-centric company. This makes it clear that your customers are your priority: You’re investing valuable time, energy, and money in helping them be successful with your product and your company.
   But if you’re looking to build a customer-centric SaaS company, it can’t just be the responsibility of your customer success team. Customer centricity needs to be a mindset that’s shared across the company.
2. Keep an eye on your customer data
   Usage data is a customer success manager’s best friend. At its simplest, you need to know whether customers are actually using your product. A customer can’t be successful with your SaaS if they never use it.

A foundation for a successful future

A solid customer success program is foundational to creating a healthy business. Of course, you need to attract new customers, but if none of them stick around, neither will you. Be intentional about building a team, look for tools that can help lighten the load, and cover all your bases.

As the cliche goes, what you put in is what you’ll get out. Remember, your customers made an investment in you — it’s only right you do the same for them.

Ignoring the Scale of the Room

One of the most common mistakes that people make when decorating a room is ignoring the scale of the space. This can be anything from choosing furniture that is too large for the room to using small accessories that get lost in a large space.

Customer relationship management software (generally referred to as a CRM) is generally marketed as a sales tool. A CRM houses customer details and can even be used to enroll people in different email campaigns and other things of the sort. You can think of it as your HQ for current, previous, and potentially new customer data.

When it comes to choosing furniture, it’s important to consider the size of the room. A large sectional sofa may be comfortable, but if it takes up the entire living room, it can make the space feel cramped and cluttered. On the other hand, a small loveseat in a large living room can look lost and out of place.

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When choosing accessories, it’s important to consider the scale of the space as well. Large art pieces or sculptures can look great in a large space, but in a small room they can make the space feel cluttered and overwhelming. Small accessories, such as candles or vases, can get lost in a large space, but can add the perfect finishing touch to a small room.

If you’ve yet to be convinced that a neutral color palette does not equal a sterile-feeling or yawn-inducing space, consider this cozy Connecticut home. Its warm neutral palette gives it a sense of cohesion, but more eclectic elements, like playful light fixtures, sculptural side tables, and cozy textiles, give each room its own unique personality.

Electrifying colors are not for the faint of heart. So if vibrant, over-the-top color and patterns call to you, be willing to commit. This home is full of plenty of vivid hues and dynamic prints that may seem at risk of clashing — but deliberate pops of black and white pull them all together.

Here’s a cheat code for creating a relaxing color palette: Just pick one hue and stick with it — just varying the tone to keep things looking interesting. In this coastal-inspired home, blue elements, in varying shades, create a harmonious vibe. With this approach, it’s easy to layer in whichever neutral colors speak most to your sense of style.

• Select an anchor hue
• Commit to bold
• Take a temperature check

Going catalog cookie-cutter

If everything in your home came from the same brand and feels lifted straight out of a catalog, that’s a designer no-no. The most interesting spaces include a curation of different elements —purchased, inherited, discovered, and thrifted. Weave in pieces from different brands, artifacts found locally and while traveling, and special elements that are personal to you, like an heirloom ginger jar from your grandmother or vintage sketches you found on a favorite trip.

Skimping on art size:

We get it — it’s so tempting to save money and opt for a smaller rug, but in our opinion, this is not the area to skimp. When rugs are too small for a space, the room automatically feels unfinished and bare. It’s better to shop at a more wallet-friendly brand and purchase a rug that’s the appropriate size for your room and your layout, rather than investing in a smaller (but high-end) piece. The go-to designer rule is to make sure at least the front legs of all your furniture sit easily on the rug.

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Choosing the Wrong Color Scheme

Choosing the right color scheme can be a daunting task, but it’s an important one. The colors you choose can set the tone for the entire room and can affect the mood of the people in the space. One of the biggest mistakes people make is choosing colors that clash or are too bold. While a bright red accent wall may seem like a good idea, it can quickly become overwhelming and distracting. Instead, it’s best to choose a neutral color palette and add pops of color with accessories or artwork.

Another mistake people make is choosing colors that are too similar. While a monochromatic color scheme can be sophisticated, it can also make the space feel flat and boring. It’s important to add contrast and interest to the space by incorporating different shades and textures.</p>

Playing it Safe

At the end of the day, well-designed spaces — the ones that make you think, Wow, now that’s a home — often involve a little bit of risk-taking. Whether it’s the addition of bold colors or patterns, a statement piece of furniture (we’re into curves these days), or tackling a new paint trend, our best advice is to never take design too seriously. Have fun, play around, try something new. The risk is often worth the reward.

Overcrowding the Space

When it comes to decorating a room, less is often more. Overcrowding a space with too much furniture or too many accessories can make the room feel cluttered and overwhelming.

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops,
You all stand still.
When the wind blows,
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?

When choosing furniture, it’s important to think about how much space you really need. Do you really need a large coffee table, or will a smaller one suffice? Do you need two armchairs or will one be enough? When it comes to accessories, it’s important to remember that they should complement the space, not compete with it. Instead of filling every empty surface with knick-knacks, choose a few statement pieces that will add interest to the room without overwhelming it.

Neglecting the Lighting

Lighting is often an afterthought when it comes to decorating a room, but it’s one of the most important aspects. The right lighting can make a space feel warm and welcoming, while the wrong lighting can make it feel cold and uninviting.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is relying solely on overhead lighting. Overhead lighting can be harsh and unflattering, and it doesn’t provide enough light for certain tasks, such as reading or cooking

Not Considering the Flow of the Room

The flow of a room is the way people move through it. It’s important to consider the flow of a room when arranging furniture and accessories. A room that is difficult to navigate can feel uncomfortable and uninviting. One common mistake people make is placing furniture in a way that blocks the flow of the room. For example, placing a sofa in front of a doorway can make it difficult to enter and exit the room. Another mistake is not leaving enough space between furniture pieces. This can make the room feel cramped and uncomfortable to move around in.

When decorating a room, it’s important to add personal touches such as family photos, artwork, or favorite objects. This can help make the space feel more inviting and comfortable. It’s also important to choose pieces that reflect your personal style, rather than just following the latest trends.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

Albert Einstein

Ignoring the Importance of Balance

Balance is a key component of good interior design. When it comes to decorating a room, it’s important to strike a balance between different elements such as color, texture, and scale. A room that is too busy can be overwhelming, while a room that is too plain can be boring.

One common mistake people make is using too many patterns in a room. While patterns can add interest and texture, it’s important to balance them with solid colors and neutral elements. Another mistake is using too many bold colors in a room. While a pop of color can be great, it’s important to balance it with neutral tones to create a cohesive look.

A well-sized rug can pull a room together and create a cohesive look. However, many people make the mistake of choosing a rug that is too small for the space. This can make the room feel disjointed and incomplete. When choosing a rug, it’s important to consider the size of the room and the furniture that will be placed on it. A rug that is too small can make furniture look awkward and out of place, while a rug that is too large can overwhelm the space. A good rule of thumb is to choose a rug that is large enough to fit all furniture legs on it, or at least the front legs of larger pieces like sofas and chairs.