I find that people are always second guessing themselves when it comes to decorating their home. I have met with some amazingly creative people who lay out for me their choices and it's brilliant. They just need that validation that they are on the right track.
Here are 5 decorating rules according to me...
1. Your home should reflect the people living in it. I had a dear friend who passed away last year. In every nook and corner of her home were little collections of hedge hogs. She didn't strike me as the hedge hog loving kind so I was intrigued and asked her to tell the story behind the hedge hogs. She had a wonderful story to tell that reflected so much love from her friends and family. The hedge hogs, though not a trend, were a part of her style and it seemed to fit just perfectly.
2. Your home should be a refuge. It should be comfortable and inviting to those who live there and those who visit. What I'm saying is, there is more to a home than the knick knacks or furniture pieces that fill the space between the roof and the floor. There's a spirit or feeling to a home as well and that should speak through the comfortable and inviting decor.
3. Fill your home with things that you have a connection to. Create a place where stories are told. Where each little thing you hang on the wall, or place on a shelf has meaning. It doesn't have to be a big, dramatic story just something that inspires you. Just because someone gives you something, doesn't mean you are obligated to display it. Then again, some things we stash away in a box are really meant to be out for everyone to enjoy.
4. If you create something you need to live up to it. If you choose to decorate your home in white lacquer, white furniture and high maintenance floors and you have 5 kids under the age of 6, then be prepared to maintain that look. If you don't like cleaning, then you should really reconsider your choices so...keep it real.
5. Create a space that is universal so everyone can function well. The kitchen is a great example of this. As parents, we often expect our children to help out with chores. Give them lists but have you ever watched a little 6 or 7 year old struggle to empty the dishwasher. They end up scaling the drawers and teetering on the counter in order to reach the cupboard where the glasses go or they leave everything on the counter for you to put away later. Consider a kitchen with lots of deep drawers so that everything is at an accessible level. It's called Universal Design and it works. That's just one example but there are many ways we can change the way we function in our homes to create a more functional dwelling.
I love this advice. It's hard though to choose decor that reflects who you are when you love so many different styles.
ReplyDeleteKris
It is hard to choose. To me that is the hardest actually because there are so many cool things out there.
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