Creative outlet. And you know how some people clean when company is coming over? I decorate.

Wow Bkw that is alot of work everytime company comes by:) From your pics you are very creative and I think your house is very refreshing and you have taken risks that certainly have paid off.

My decorating plans revolve around visual appeal and efficiency. :-)

If I find pleasure in looking at something, then I know it's "right." There are aspects to my 1983 house that are not visually appealing, so I have been working to change and re-decorate those things - fluorescent light boxes, dark paint on the walls, cracked and buckled cement driveway, etc.

Efficiency - if there is a way to do LESS work, AND be visually appealing, I'm all for it. Old rotting wood deck replaced by new composite deck - yeah!

So, visual appeal (and other sensory appeal) as well as great ergonomics are big motivators for me to "decorate" or re-decorate. :-)

For me, it's creating a comfortable home and a creative outlet.

I had not thought of ergonomics as a motivator but Kees you are so right it is a very important factor in design!

For me it's mainly creating a comfortable home for my family. I have a special needs child so I spend alot of time at home. I want our home to be relaxing and make me happy :)

I was born decorating and it has never stopped.
The forts in the bottom of my closet were decorated.

For me, it's a creative outlet and all about having a home that is reflective of our own tastes. Until we bought our house 5 years ago, decorating was a limiting experience because we were in apartments with a very strict budget. Not much that you can do with that! I love color and enjoy thinking outside of the box. Now that we have a house and the budget is more forgiving, I'm making up for lost time and enjoying every minute of it! (well almost every minute :c)

I think I too have been through all of the stages and for me now it to create a comfortable space for my family. A home that welcomes and encompasses everyone who comes in like a wellworn blanket or quilt.

When I think of "ergonomics," I think of things like this that I would like to change/redesign/re-decorate in my house:

1. My kitchen - I want pull-outs on my bottom cabinets so that I don't have to crawl around on the floor trying to find the right pot or pan in the BACK of the cabinet.

2. Laundry chute in my upstairs bathroom?? It goes to the downstairs bathroom closet - NOT the laundry room (so, it's not really a time or labor saver -- what were they thinking?). That space would be better used as a pull-out laundry hamper in the bathroom so that I can free up some closet space that has my current hamper.

3. Replace my wall-to-wall blue and mauve carpeting with wood floors. Not only will it be easier to decorate with colors I like, it will also be easier to clean up after the dog when he vomits grass and dirt on a regular basis.

4. Steel siding - I don't want to pain my house EVER again.

5. Replace beachy fabric couch with brown leather couch - easier with pets and my dust-mite allergies.

6. When I replace the old wooden fence with a new poly fence around the backyard, I will also put down some sort of ground cover - paving stones, rocks with cement curbing, etc. so that I don't have to use a weed-eater or manual hand trimmer to trim down the long grass that grows along the fence (on BOTH sides).

And now I realize that I've officially become my mother. LOL! She says the same things about some housing designs and decorating choices - "What were they THINKING?!" Actually, what she really says is, "A man must have designed that because they obviously don't know how difficult that will be to clean, etc."

Creative outlet, boredom prevention, the challenge of taking disparate pieces and making them work together, interest in making our house all it can be and a way to make our house unique. I never think about making things easy to clean, probably cuz I detest cleaning and don't do it very often. If there's enough color, texture and interest, the dirt/dust and dog hair don't show as much, at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

sandyponder

Creative and comfort. My home surroundings being pleasing to my eye is very important to me.

I enjoy making even small changes such as swapping out candles or handsoaps. These things make me smile but I'm sure most people that come visit won't notice or care that I changed the cream & wheat color tassel out for the gold one, you know. LOL

It occupies my mind- thinking about how to fill spaces, finding things, trying things out, (returning things!). None of my other interests stimulate my mind as much!

I don't think I am an outstanding decorator at all, but that doesn't seem to matter. It's the thinking about it, doing it and having a fairly decent result that sometimes other people notice and compliment you on.

So I guess that's- creative outlet.

I just like pretty!

Sometimes I have to work at the motivation.

I know if I start with one little change - move a piece of art, a candle, a lamp - something just clicks and the domino effect starts. I get in a zone (a wonderful zone!) and will be consumed by it for hours, maybe days or weeks.

If anyone knows what I mean, you all do!

Its a creative outlet and I like to feel comfortable in my environment.

One of my first clients was a woman who never stayed home. When I saw her house I understood why. She had moved in 10 years before and some things sat exactly where the movers put them, the colors were not good and the lighting was awful. She kinda rolled her eyes when I said I wanted to give her a house she wouldn't run away from. But when we were done, she understood. I have done another house for her since. Her sister, who lives in her own wreck of a house, now drops by hers uninvited all the time. She hasn't quite gotten to the point where she understands her own house is driving her away, but she gets closer to getting it.

I enjoy moving my "sh?#@" around a bit. I get sick of looking at the same design/placement all the time so I'm constantly moving things around from place to place - it's refreshing to me to walk in the house to see something that isn't "expected". My husband on the other hand rarely notices unless it's something major. At that point he might say "how long has that been there?" and I usually respond "oh, about 3 weeks!".

I think just the love of beauty and also as a creative outlet. When I was in school nothing went together in my house and I didn't have the time to put into it, everything was a hand me down, but later I got inspired by friends houses that were beautiful and I wanted mine to be like that because you felt good when you were in them. I want my home to be comfortable and attractive.

I don't mean to get all deep here :-) but I grew up (due to some random, unfortunate circumstances) in a home that was monetarily poor and somewhat chaotic. The two homes that were my home-away-from-home were my grandmother's and my "BFF"'s, both of which, on top of being a calm safe haven, were also beautifully decorated. So I now equate "good decorating" with many positive emotions. So I guess I am striving to recreate that calm beautiful space for both me and my children. I want our house to be that calm beautiful, organized safe haven for our family, and for any of our kids' future friends that may need the same favor! Oh, and yeah, I have to add that I just love looking at "pretty" too and I even appreciate when someone takes the time to decorate, even if its not my "style".

Definitely not trying to keep up with anyone. They'd always win!

For me, it has always been about cozy. I started looking at decorating magazines (my neighbor would save them for me!) when I was about 11. My mom's friend always lived in apts., and no matter where she moved, it was ALWAYS cozy. In a cruel twist of fate she is now blind. I am so sad about that. She has such a gift visually. I looked forward to her helping me decorate, but now there is no chance.

I grew up in a family where one parent was an alcoholic, so that was one of my motivations for this feeling of cozy-- I even was super into FAMILY CARS (knew every make/model) since they represented a family that was safe, together, and could afford one. Same with a cozy house. Mine was nice enough, but it didn't have that feeling of cozy due to one parent always working and one emotionally unavailable.

So, if people walk into my house and say it is cozy and inviting, that would mean far more to me than any other compliment!

My other thing is efficiency. We live in a small house, and there are 6 of us, with one more baby due in December. Since we can't move (upside down mortgage!) I like the challenge of making the most of my space and seeing how I can maintain a clean and cozy environment with minimal effort. I notice that my children love, love, love it when everything is clean . . .I do, too. So peaceful!

Palimpset - that's exactly it! There are places that I've worked where the interior just "absorbed" my energy and left me depleted, and apartments that I didn't select because they made me want to run away from them - layout, lighting, etc. Running away from them - so true! You're right. My current home needs updating (and I'm working on that as finances allow), but I like being here, and I'm more of a homebody again. And I think that fits in with a number of concepts/motivations that others have spoken about on this post - whether childhood memories or the need for change.

Also, Palimpset, I meant to ask, "What is your background?" I've really enjoyed your knowledge regarding the history and purpose of design throughout your posts.

Similar to Jennie on the Block, I grew up in a home with challenges for various reasons.

So I've been very motivated to have comfortable, very tasteful spaces. My family and friends love to come here to eat, drink and be merry.

Kees,

I work primarily as a health care provider, but I have an interior design degree. At the time I was getting the ID degree I was mostly treating patients through pharmaceutical and device-based clinical research. So, I also put a lot of research into my design projects in school, but also have continued to IRL. I also have a head for remembering this stuff. (Although I have problems with the basics...birthdates, addresses etc.)

I was very lucky and grew up in a comforting and stable home with parents who also seemed to have the decorating bug so I guess I am emulating my parents example while it seems many people are rebeling against their upbring. I really respect you Jenny,jerseygirl, anele and pps7. I have seen glimpses of your homes and you are accomplishing what you have set out to do. You all have created warm and embracing spaces!
Anele maybe you could still have your friend help. I have a very close friend who has lost her sight due to RP and she is wonderful at helping me with the tactile and logistical aspects of decorating.
I have always been a homebody so i agree with the observation that your home must work inorder to induce the desire to stay in it.
And yes love the pretty things too!

I've always loved decorating. My parents always struggled with money and I also had a bit of a chaotic childhood, so I have always admired homes that looked more "put together"- there was something so calming about how orderly a well-decorated home looked and felt. So complete! My parents bought what they could afford, and we never went without, so I can't complain... but my parents' home always looked unfinished. My Dad would start a project, they'd run out of time or money, and it would sit about 90% complete for years at a time. They could only buy cheap furniture and hand-me-down things, so nothing ever went together. They also just don't really have an eye for decorating, so even when they were able to finish a project, it looked nice... but "off" somehow. But, they never really made the home a priority and they are happy with their choices, so I guess that's really what matters.

In keeping with that sentiment, now my biggest motivator is the fact that after 8 months, the house we moved into still needs so much work. I have three rooms with damaged walls that desperately need to be painted, I have a living room with no furniture other than a stray coffee table, and I have a kitchen that remains 75% finished. Right now, I am desperate to have things feel "put together". It doesn't need to be perfectly decorated- I just want things to feel more like we live here and less like we're still moving in. I want that some-what finished feeling since I never had that at home... and of course Hubby and I don't have the money to do much else. It's frustrating because I just don't want this house to be a repeat of my parents', you know?

Woah, getting a little deep here... sorry about that, lol.

Control.
It's all about control :)
This world is a crazy place and there's not much I can do about 99.9% of it.
I need my little corner to look and feel the way that most makes me happy.

Interesting that many of the responders described their childhoods as chaotic. Mine was like that too, and the decorating reflected that. I need to have my surroundings be calm, quiet, and uncluttered. I need to have stuff "go together"- if it doesn't it's kind of upsetting and I will work at it until it seems right to me.

I think Pal said it very well, in wanting a home that you don't want to run away from. I never looked at it that way, but yes, that's what I do. I want a home that's welcoming to family and friends, that works for how we live, which means not only pretty but functional. Function is very important to me since I'm quite obsessive about things being organized. You know "a place for everything and everything in it's place" sort of home, but only if it functions well enough that keeping it that way isn't a chore.
What's great about all this is that it's also a creative outlet. I inherited this all from my dear Mom.

Home is a feeling of welcoming loving arms wrapping around you when you walk in the door.

I started out decorating with my the primary intent to organize. I had a small house with 1 closet that housed the heating/air unit and absolutely nothing else. Once I got into it then it became a creative outlet. Now I'm addicted. I don't know what I will do when I am done. LOL Walking into my living room, my only 90% finished room, I just smile. It makes me so happy. I also think your home should be a reflection of you and make other people feel welcome. I've lived in chaos, my parent's home, and a museum, my grandparent's home. I like to think of my home as a happy medium.

I decorate for comfort, as a creative outlet, and to keep my home visually stimulating. (I change things up periodically...though I don't move paintings around as often as I ought.)

Nancybee said,
"It occupies my mind- thinking about how to fill spaces, finding things, trying things out, (returning things!). None of my other interests stimulate my mind as much!
I don't think I am an outstanding decorator at all, but that doesn't seem to matter. It's the thinking about it, doing it and having a fairly decent result that sometimes other people notice and compliment you on."

Wow, Nancy, you beautifully articulated my own experience. That's how I feel, what I do and believe...that's it!

And I thought that *I* was Queen of Returns!

Decorating is a way of expressing myself. I can tell alot about a person when I look at their home. I've been decorating my apartments, high rises, my condo, my townhouse, my new house, my historical house all of my life.
I'm talking about the different places I have lived in throughout my life.

And for some reason I don't care if I ever walk into a antique shop or auction or furniture store. But, hopefully this will pass, it has before.

.....Jane

It's a creative outlet. A way to express myself. I decorate for comfort and I like to stay visually stimulated (and visually comfortable) at home.

Not surprised by the chaotic childhood home comments - makes sense.

I grew up close to both sets of grandparents and stayed with them often. Their homes didn't change much at all the 30-45 years I knew them. My father, and his father before him, owned furniture stores. Their employees were part of my family.

I like pieces with history. When I find something, I always want to know where it came from, etc.

For FUN~~~pure and simple.
Love to help friends with their homes, too...

"Home is a feeling of welcoming loving arms wrapping around you when you walk in the door."
That's lovely, Becky!

For me it's both visual and physical comfort.

But for the life of me I still cannot decorate my kitchen countertops! lol

For me it's making a house a home. Making a home OURS. An expression of the people living in that home. It is also a creative outlet.

Allison - my grandparents were the same way. Updates over the years, but very few real changes. And that was comforting to me.

I treasure old things and family pieces. I could care less what anyone else (other than my husband!) thinks of our home!!

I can't be comfortable in my house if I deem something aesthetically jarring or unappealing. I constantly tweak, adjust, refresh, or move things around, but I don't go out and buy objects expressly to make changes. I slowly acquire things that I love, and work them into my environment. My goal is a certain harmony and serenity, but it's completely to my taste and preferences--which is decidedly eclectic. No one would ever come into my house and see a particular or identifiable "style."

Thank you Lori.
I also love what you wrote...."For FUN~~~pure and simple."
That would fit my feelings too.