Insider Solutions
The 'Right' Choice for Room Décor Is the One You Will Make
Q: I am about to begin decorating a room in my home. There are so many choices and decisions to make. How do I know when I am making the right choices for my room?
A: There are no right choices for the room because the room doesn't care how you decorate it. The only right choice is the one you make for you. It's the choice you have to live with.
To discover that correct choice, begin by looking inside yourself—into your interior. This may sound unusual; however, I have learned through my many years of working with clients that it's your internal room you are actually decorating.
What does that mean? We all have reactions to what we see. We can even include our four other senses. What are the sounds we like? What are our favorite aromas? What fabrics do we like to touch? Think about other reactions from our environment. Our feelings are telling us if we are creating an environment in which we can live happily. This is where many people can go wrong. Instead of trusting that we know what's best for us, we ask other people. Why do you think that is?
Well, as you go about creating this room through thought, discussion and purchasing, you will be talking to many people. You'll find that everyone has an opinion and wants to share it with you. They'll also think that you should do what they say or advise you to do.
You have to be your own general contractor and interior designer. When you are doing a major remodeling or just decorating a room, every worker who comes to your home—whether an electrician, cabinetmaker or painter—will have an opinion of how and what you should do.
Don't get scared, and don't lose your confidence. You started the project for a reason; stay focused on that. This also applies to well-meaning friends and relatives who want to help you get what you want. What they don't realize is that they are advising you from their interior.
This can sometimes apply to magazine pictures, too. I do highly recommend that you look through them to help identify your taste and to get ideas. But as you gain a better understanding of yourself, you must make sure that there is a lasting value to those ideas - and that they are not just trends that look good for a short time.
When you react from inside yourself it is a greater indication that this might be the true you. Otherwise some people end up living in homes that are not a true reflection of them selves.
I know this sounds like a lot of time and energy. You will find it is time and energy well spent. The result: You'll spend your time in happier, healthier and more beautiful spaces that give you more energy. You will also discover that you'll spend less money, make fewer (and hopefully no) mistakes and live in an environment that reflects the real you.
Remember, rooms have no feelings, You do!
Come back for a new article every day!
