HOW TO GET UNSTUCK WHEN DECORATING
It’s that feeling you get when you walk into a room. Instead of feeling joy, you feel dread or nothing at all.
The room that had so much promise now makes you feel paralysed to make a decision. You may have no time to look for ideas or or you’ve got renovation fatigue. Or you can’t agree on what colour to paint the walls and whether to keep Aunt Beryl’s velvet chair. And that argument with your spouse over which tiles to use in the bathroom, was the last straw! Sound familiar? So, how do you get unstuck when decorating?
Here are 5 ideas to help you move towards completing your home:
Get inspired – this is 101 in decorating. Start flicking through magazines to see what grabs your attention. Use social media apps like Instagram and Pintrest and start searching for ideas. But inspirations isn’t just limited to looking at pretty pictures. What colour do you love, is there a pattern that you like, is there a view outside your room that is interesting? Inspiration can be anywhere.
Get warm and fuzzy – think about how you want the space to feel. Is it to be cosy, a sanctuary or is to be an inviting and friendly space for friends and family to drop in? You may want to think of a space that you’ve had a connection or reaction to. Was there a luxurious hotel room that you stayed in, a grand hotel lobby or a casual friendly nearby cafe that you’ve admired and enjoyed spending time in?
Get collecting – anything you like and that is inspiring should be collected. Whether it’s photos, ripped pages of magazines or hand drawn notes. Put them all together in a folder. Apps like Pintrest and Canva are also useful to get your ideas in the one place.
Get objective – you may start seeing a pattern in the ideas you are collecting. For example, the colour navy and moody rooms may be appearing a lot in your images. If you can’t see a pattern emerging or there are too many ideas, you may need to start editing. Maybe your ideas can be divided into rooms. Or maybe you are being influenced by too many things, like current trends, friend’s houses, too much choice or too many opinions from (often well meaning) friends and family! In this case, taking a step back and looking at how YOU want the room to feel and look may help. After all, it’s your room and it should reflect YOU (you may want to read my blog called “Is your home a fashion victim” if you think you are being influenced by too many trends).
Get help – of course a decorator can help put it all together! An interior decorator can help interpret your ideas and assist in the decision making process. He or she can advise on what may or may not work, help create a cohesive look and incorporate new items with existing pieces. And as interior decorators, we love shopping so we can avoid the “high street” stores and source products from showrooms and suppliers that aren’t generally available to the public.
These are just a few thoughts on how to tackle a decorating project. While it can start off fun, it can begin to feel overwhelming, is if it is never going to finish. If you would like help, please contact me. To receive helpful tips and inspiration direct to your email inbox, please sign-up to receive my “All Things Interiors” newsletter.
