...or Dining Rooms...or Family Rooms.
In a decision process-most* thought processes consider previous data gathered: What were the actions taken, what were the results, and what did we learn?
*While these probing questions and their relevance might be brushed aside when one is considering, oh-say another slice of pizza...another 'new and fun' hairstyle...or re-connecting with an 'ex'... it arises mightily when it's time to re-think a previous decorating decision that went badly.
Yes, indeed-Ghosts of Living Rooms Past come flooding back with a vengeance!
DISCLAIMER: By definition, "trendy" has a useful lifespan, so going in know it will look cool and wonderful for a while, then it will look old.
But what about paint colors on the wall that looked nothing like the 0.25" square in the paint store, that ivory damask sofa you vowed to keep up, the dining room table or sectional that engulfed the room, the canopy poster bed with while lace your little-league loving daughter hates...the 'whatever' because it was the 'newest and latest', or that 'everyone was doing it'.
I had a client once who even channeled her mothers, her mother-in-laws and her neighbors' past decorating misdeeds!
Decorating is about fulfilling dreams...but it involves dollars as well. Dreams not met will often involve introspection of some degree, but when dollars are lost in the process it stings doubly.
When ready to make new decisions after a bad experience, hesitation and self doubt is natural, but not productive. Here are my suggestions for what is valuable in this process, what to toss, and why:
KEEP
- An open mind.
Chances are your life-needs-tastes are all different now. Give yourself that. The past is the past, move on.
LOSE
- The negative emotions you've put on this bad decision.
Look-no one died, and trying to re-write history just because you can will get you outdated solutions to problems you no longer have.
Decorating is about making good plans and wise decisions so you can get on with your life, and fully enjoy your space. Focusing on the past keeps you from making decisions, and living your life.
guarantee the result you want. Trust me, it will not. It WILL make you unhappy, nervous, cranky and unsure of yourself...not how to make good decisions.
For most rooms, it's the shortcut to not getting anything done, or making bad decisions. If you are doing a kitchen or bathroom over, yes, you will need to decide on many of the elements prior to the start of the work. But maybe not all... like the backsplash, a wall color or a ceiling fixture. Or in a bedroom, what you put on the bed makes a big statement, but is not critical to the room's function.
And if "worst comes to worst" <imagine mischievous smile> you could always start a conversation with a kind and confident decorator.
Life is too short to have a space that doesn't work. Marie Graham specializes in helping homeowners make good plans and wise decisions, so they can get on with their life.
