When not to decorate. Have you ever wondered if there was a moment that you should leave your space alone?
I really belive that there are times in our lives when we need to step back and evaluate the plans we have for our home. Normally I would always say ” Decorate, Decorate, Decorate….” But actually in reality there are some moments that for my self I push the “wait” button. Wanna know what they are?
1. Know what you don’t like. Spending time realizing what absolutely does not float your boat. If you know this, then you’re one step ahead. If you haven’t figured this out, then I would suggest making the choice to hold off on making some changes to your home. Spend some time looking through magazines, the internet, or watching Home shows. You will be amazed how quickly you will be able to distinguish what stands out to you that makes you want to look the other way. Something like this image would trigger this reaction in me.
2. Buying your first home. Moving into your first home can be ONE of the many exiting times in our lives. I remember the first day we moved into our home. All 2200 sq. feet all to us. With only a mattress on our bedroom floor we had so many dreams for this new beautiful home we just purchased. The only thing we were lacking other than enough furniture to fill all the rooms, was an idea of what we liked and didn’t like. This took some time to figure out.
For quite a while, one of our upstairs bedrooms had a table and puzzle pieces on it. We called it the “puzzle room”. I’m telling you this to help you understand that just because you have the space, it doesn’t mean that you have to just fill it with anything and everything. This can lead to bad decisions ( we’ve made our share) and more work in the end.
After moving into your first home take some time to get settled. Get to know the space you’ve been given.
- How are you going to use each room? Things like…. Is it important to have a home office, or save one the extra rooms to be designated for sleeping quarters?
- How much storage are you really going to need? I think a lot of us forget sometimes how much storage we really need. Figure out how much you need and then add 10-20% more space. This is one of the reasons why we designed our home office downstairs like we did. There are always things that need to be stored, so why not make the space for those items, instead of trying to shove hundreds of items in one small space. This is where I am bad. I find I am successful with keeping things organized if there is enough space for all my belongings.
- Where in your home are you going to spend the bulk of your time? Kitchens and living rooms are the rooms that most of us spend the most of our time in. If this is important to you then spend your money wisely on these spaces. Enlist in someone who can help you make decisions if you hit the wall with this type of project. We knew how much time we spend in our kitchen so we designed a space in our kitchen that would be a joy to use. One thing we needed was a new sink and taps. Ours was getting fairly dated and this Apron white sink and Moen taps was just what our kitchen needed. Was it more money then the average sink? Of course, but I love using it and I have never regretted the money we spent on it.
While making your first home purchase is an exciting time in our lives, I encourage you to step back for a while. This may not be your first home purchase but the lay out of your new home could be totally be different. In the end when you have patience to figure out what works, the payoff will be outstanding!
3. When we are feeling rushed and tired we can’t make good decisions. Have you ever tried to do something and felt that it was forced? You all the know the feeling. Nothing is working out, and decisions that should be a joy to make leave you with the overwelmingness to quit. I know we’ve been there before. When we tore down the walls in our staircase to installing railing in our stairway there were times when we definitely could not make good decisions. Our hallway looked like this at one point. I know it’s very tiring to look at isn’t it? With two small children it took patience, good thinking skills, and the ability to work under a lot of pressure. But we got through it. I still remember all the moments we needed to step back and take a rest to move forward.
I have been always been into designing things, and all things creative (even at a young age). The experience we have gotten from doing renos and designing all the spaces we have has really taught me how to guide others and help them to ask the hard questions about their own space, and in the present in my own home as well. I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but I want to ensure you that it’s okay to make mistakes. That’s how we learn. I’m still learning. The difference is are we going to let mistakes push us down? Heck NO!!!
I hope you found this helpful to make better decisions if you are facing the ” I really should be doing something with my home feeling”. Don’t feel threatened, Relax, and figure out what you like or don’t like and then entrust your questions to someone who can help you. If I can help you, then it would be my honor to answer any questions that you may have. I’m always glad to help someone create the home that they feel inspired to live in and call HOME. After all that’s why you’re reading these words right now.
Happy Monday to you all.
Jodi