When decorating your home some of you may be inclined to rush the process (Yeah, I’m looking at you big sister) and get it done ASAP because you are excited to get the end result. I get it, I am not the most patient of people, but I’m just gonna stop you right there. No…I’m serious, slow the heck down!
You will thank me later, trust me.
Slowing the design/decor process down will save you costly mistakes, frustration and possibly even remorse. When you excitedly handed over your money for that item and put into your space you might say “Ugh, WHY did I buy that? It’s looks awful in here.” I can say with confidence the main reason it doesn’t work in your space is because it doesn’t work in your home environment.
A common trap a lot of people fall into is seeing a room online that they love and click (bait) the “SHOP THIS LOOK” button to avoid the uncertainty or confusion of making the decisions themselves. That may work on the odd occasion, but as your design style evolves and your space takes shape that “look” you so hurriedly bought into may not be a good fit anymore. Now you are stuck with pieces that don’t work in any part of the home and it gets banished to the basement with the rest of the cast-offs (insert sad face here).
By taking the time to do your research, formulate a plan, create a mood board and mindfully choose what you want will give you a space that you love and that is truly YOU.
When a designer/stylist works on a space for a client they are trained to get the necessary information from the client and interpret that with their extensive design knowledge and experience. They are able to produce a Design concept package in very little time compared to what it will take you. Quite a few designers I have worked with choose to live in home for a year or more before deciding on a design concept for themselves, myself included. By doing this we have the time to understand the space and “let the house speak to you“. (read about that here)
Before adding anything to your home you should know a few things. Such as, what kind of light does your space have? Is it bright and sunny or dark? What architectural details are in your home? How big is the space you are working with? High ceilings or low? and so on…
Light affects colour in so many ways: it can make grey look green, yellow look washed out and so on. Placing colours side by side will also alter the way it looks as some hues just aren’t meant to be friends. sA sunny room vs darker room also affects the look of colour drastically.So that green pillow you saw on an Instagram account will be vastly different in your space. That rug that an influencer or blogger is peddling won’t have the same impact in your place as the size of your space is not the same as the one that the rug is shown. Maybe a vase or piece of art on a mantle has caught your eye and it’s in a magazine so it must be perfect right? Nope, think again. That look has been carefully curated by a team of stylists and photographers to ensure that everything compliments each other.
I hope that this helps to prevent you from any impulsive decisions or clicking on the “Shop this look” button before knowing if it will work in your environment. Always have a design plan.
As always if you have any questions feel free to reach out or comment below! Until next time!
If you enjoyed this article please share with someone you think might like it as well.
The Blind Thistle 
Leave a Reply