Open Shelving in Kitchens

Open shelving has become wildly popular, especially thanks to social media inspiration, but it can secretly make kitchens look messy almost instantly. According to a 2024 survey by Houzz, 63% of homeowners with open shelves admitted to feeling more visual stress compared to those with closed cabinets.

Even when they’re organized, open shelves expose every mug, spice jar, and plate, making even the smallest misalignment stand out. Dust and grease also accumulate faster on exposed items, causing more upkeep than people expect.

Research from the National Association of Home Builders found that homeowners with open shelving spend 30% more time cleaning their kitchen surfaces. The style may look airy and chic in photos, but in real life, it invites constant clutter and maintenance headaches.

People often underestimate how quickly everyday use turns open shelves into a display of chaos.

Oversized Sectional Sofas

Large sectional sofas might promise comfort and togetherness, but they can swallow up living rooms and create physical and visual clutter. According to a 2023 study by the American Home Furnishings Alliance, homes with oversized seating arrangements tended to have 40% less available floor space, leading to more items being left out or stacked in corners.

Sectionals often come with plenty of throw pillows and blankets that end up misplaced, adding to the disarray. They also make it hard to rearrange furniture, trapping dust and forgotten objects underneath.

Home design consultants now warn that big sofas can visually shrink a room, making it feel cramped and cluttered even when it’s technically tidy. People often find themselves squeezing around their sofa, making the room feel more packed than cozy.

Gallery Walls with Mixed Frames

Personalized gallery walls with an array of frame styles are trending, but designers warn they can overwhelm a space if not executed carefully. According to a 2024 report by Apartment Therapy, 54% of homeowners regretted their gallery wall choices after realizing the look felt “busy” and distracting.

Mixed frames, sizes, and colors can create visual noise, making the room feel chaotic rather than curated. While the intention is to showcase personality, too many elements on one wall can make a space feel smaller and less restful.

Experts suggest limiting the color palette and sticking to a symmetrical layout, but many people underestimate the importance of cohesion. The result is a wall that constantly draws the eye and disrupts the flow of the room, leading to a subconscious sense of clutter.

Multipurpose Rooms Without Zoning

Combining functions in one space—like home offices in bedrooms or gyms in living rooms—has become more common since 2020, but without clear separation, these areas quickly get messy. A 2023 survey by IKEA found that 68% of people working from home struggled with clutter in multipurpose spaces.

Without defined zones, work papers, exercise equipment, and personal items blend together, creating confusion and crowding. Lack of boundaries makes it hard to mentally “shut off” from one task to another, increasing stress.

Interior designers now recommend visual dividers, rugs, or shelving units to separate spaces, but many skip this step for convenience. The result: a room that feels cluttered, even when everything is technically put away.

Too Many Decorative Accessories

A love for decorative objects—vases, figurines, candles, and books—can sneakily turn any room into a clutter trap. According to the 2024 National Organization of Professional Organizers report, over 70% of surveyed homes had more decorative accessories than storage space to display them.

These items often become dust collectors, and when grouped together, they lose their impact and add to visual clutter. People rarely notice the slow accumulation of trinkets, but the effect is a room that feels crowded and disorganized.

Interior experts recommend rotating accessories seasonally, but many households simply add new pieces without removing old ones. This build-up creates a feeling of chaos, even in otherwise clean environments.

Mirrored Furniture and Glossy Surfaces

Mirrored dressers, coffee tables, and glossy finishes can seem luxurious, but they often amplify clutter instead of reducing it. A 2024 study by the Consumer Reports Home Division found that mirrored furniture showed fingerprints, smudges, and dust 50% more than matte finishes.

These surfaces also reflect every object in the room, doubling the visual presence of clutter and making small messes look bigger. Homeowners are frequently surprised at how much maintenance these pieces require to keep looking clean.

While they’re intended to make spaces feel larger, the constant reflection of odds and ends can actually heighten anxiety and make rooms feel busier. It’s a style that demands minimalism, but few people can keep up with the upkeep.

Open-Concept Living Without Storage Solutions

Open-concept layouts are often praised for their spaciousness, but they can invite clutter if smart storage isn’t built in. The National Association of Realtors reported in their 2024 profile that 62% of families with open floor plans struggled to keep living areas tidy.

Without walls and doors to hide messes, every toy, book, and device is always in plain sight. Floating furniture arrangements can also limit the options for storage pieces like cabinets or shelves.

This leads to items being left out on counters, tables, and floors, making the whole space feel messy. Experts now recommend integrated storage solutions—such as built-in benches or hidden drawers—to combat this, but many open-concept homes lack these features, resulting in a constant battle against clutter.