Decorating Guides
9 Design Mantras We Sometimes Fail (and Why That Can Be OK)
Ever feel like a naughty child who’s constantly breaking the renovating or decorating ‘rules’? You’re not alone
Have trouble decluttering, sticking to a budget or avoiding impulse buys? We all have picked up valuable tips over the years about how to renovate, decorate and maintain a house, but putting them into practice is another matter altogether. Here are some design mantras you may be struggling to follow — and why you should go easy on yourself.
2. One in, one out. The last time you turbo-tidied and purged your closet or, indeed, the kitchen cabinets and bathroom drawers, the feeling of chucking loads of stuff you no longer needed or wanted was euphoric, right? And what about all the newfound space? Bliss.
Visitors, your spouse, your children, even the pets may well have been treated to an open-door demo of how tidy and user-friendly your freshly edited storage space had become. While navigating this dizzying high, you promised yourself it would last: Never again would you acquire new items and stuff them into a space that didn’t have room for them. Instead, you would allow a new introduction only if you had dispensed with an existing item.
Give yourself a break: That didn’t work too well, did it? And do you know why? When you’ve already edited your possessions ruthlessly, it’s hard to eliminate any more for quite a long time. Instead, try accepting that this may not be a feasible rule to follow every time you buy something, but rather one you might embrace once a year instead.
Visitors, your spouse, your children, even the pets may well have been treated to an open-door demo of how tidy and user-friendly your freshly edited storage space had become. While navigating this dizzying high, you promised yourself it would last: Never again would you acquire new items and stuff them into a space that didn’t have room for them. Instead, you would allow a new introduction only if you had dispensed with an existing item.
Give yourself a break: That didn’t work too well, did it? And do you know why? When you’ve already edited your possessions ruthlessly, it’s hard to eliminate any more for quite a long time. Instead, try accepting that this may not be a feasible rule to follow every time you buy something, but rather one you might embrace once a year instead.
3. Don’t forget to factor in the tax. A project is taking shape in your mind, and perhaps it has gotten as far as your computer screen or notebook. Ideas, sketches, saved photos and wish lists gather momentum until you have something that looks close to a job for your contractor.
You’ve overseen projects before, whether small or large — perhaps a decorating job, some bedroom carpentry, a new bathroom or even an addition. You’re proud of how organized you’ve become: no last-minute decision frenzy midproject for you; no realizing that the tiles you finally selected can’t be delivered until weeks after the job is meant to be done. You’ve discussed the rough costs with your professional and trimmed your budget accordingly. You’ve thought of everything. Except … hang on … what’s that larger-than-expected figure at the bottom of your contractor’s quote? Oh yes, the tax!
Give yourself a break: If it’s any consolation, forgetting about this potential budgetbuster isn’t just a rookie mistake; it’s a pitfall even for seasoned renovators. If you’re starting a new project, jot down a reminder about the tax on a large Post-It and leave it somewhere prominent!
You’ve overseen projects before, whether small or large — perhaps a decorating job, some bedroom carpentry, a new bathroom or even an addition. You’re proud of how organized you’ve become: no last-minute decision frenzy midproject for you; no realizing that the tiles you finally selected can’t be delivered until weeks after the job is meant to be done. You’ve discussed the rough costs with your professional and trimmed your budget accordingly. You’ve thought of everything. Except … hang on … what’s that larger-than-expected figure at the bottom of your contractor’s quote? Oh yes, the tax!
Give yourself a break: If it’s any consolation, forgetting about this potential budgetbuster isn’t just a rookie mistake; it’s a pitfall even for seasoned renovators. If you’re starting a new project, jot down a reminder about the tax on a large Post-It and leave it somewhere prominent!
4. Measure twice, cut once. This old adage is just the tip to avoid the too-short curtains, the tiling that stops one row short or the perfect piece of furniture that’s one infuriating inch too big to fit the space it was destined for.
And the real problem is often not that you haven’t measured twice — in fact, you may have measured twice and had someone else check your figures — but that you’re in this mess because you haven’t measured at all. Yes, this frustrating state of affairs frequently comes about with a spontaneous purchase: You spot something fabulous on sale or stumble across a one-of-a-kind piece you can’t resist and must buy right then. It looks as if it’s the right size, so you cross your fingers and wing it.
Give yourself a break: Hands up if your attic, spare room or garage (or all three!) are littered with objects you can’t return but can’t use. Don’t throw away your purchase in despair; see this as the perfect excuse to get creative and transform it into something else that will be able to find a home. Undersize curtains? Transform them into pillow covers. Oversize bedroom armoire? Turn it into hallway storage.
And the real problem is often not that you haven’t measured twice — in fact, you may have measured twice and had someone else check your figures — but that you’re in this mess because you haven’t measured at all. Yes, this frustrating state of affairs frequently comes about with a spontaneous purchase: You spot something fabulous on sale or stumble across a one-of-a-kind piece you can’t resist and must buy right then. It looks as if it’s the right size, so you cross your fingers and wing it.
Give yourself a break: Hands up if your attic, spare room or garage (or all three!) are littered with objects you can’t return but can’t use. Don’t throw away your purchase in despair; see this as the perfect excuse to get creative and transform it into something else that will be able to find a home. Undersize curtains? Transform them into pillow covers. Oversize bedroom armoire? Turn it into hallway storage.
5. Stick to your budget. Buying a key piece for your home can be exciting. Often it’s something you’ve saved for or put off until you’ve scrimped a few months to offset it. So it’s not as if you haven’t thought about the money side of things long and hard.
But when you go into, say, that sofa shop and see the perfect design — so new, it’s not yet on the website (or you would have come prepared) — something just takes over. Breathlessly, giddily, you are able to almost block out the fact that it costs double what you had intended to spend. Your home just has to have it.
Give yourself a break: It’s important, here, to hone your self-justification skills. Try telling yourself, for example, that a statement feature has the power to transform your whole home, unfurling its influence way beyond the room it’ll live in (and it’s true!). And if you’re splurging on something more expensive because it’s well-made, then bonus points for you. Just repeat to yourself the mantra “buy cheap, buy twice” and enjoy your investment.
But when you go into, say, that sofa shop and see the perfect design — so new, it’s not yet on the website (or you would have come prepared) — something just takes over. Breathlessly, giddily, you are able to almost block out the fact that it costs double what you had intended to spend. Your home just has to have it.
Give yourself a break: It’s important, here, to hone your self-justification skills. Try telling yourself, for example, that a statement feature has the power to transform your whole home, unfurling its influence way beyond the room it’ll live in (and it’s true!). And if you’re splurging on something more expensive because it’s well-made, then bonus points for you. Just repeat to yourself the mantra “buy cheap, buy twice” and enjoy your investment.
6. Take time to be mindful. Between projects, it’s important to stop to enjoy the spaces you’ve put so much energy into perfecting. So make a soothing herbal tea, recline on that new sofa you, and get lost in a book or simply pause and clear your head.
Of course, these things are hard to do when you can’t stop noticing the paintwork you didn’t finish properly or the piece of furniture that really doesn’t go where you’ve put it. Such is the curse of being an interiors obsessive. Being mindful is for those who have the inner strength to ignore the inner voice pushing for perfectionism.
Give yourself a break: What’s good to remember is that even the lifestyle gurus who appear (on social media at least) to be enjoying stylish moments of mindfulness probably don’t live like that all the time. Just out of shot, the demands, clutter and chaos of daily life are probably calling them too. So do take a moment of mindfulness whenever you need one, but also remember that if your life doesn’t feel Instagram-perfect every single minute, it’s OK. Real life is rarely neat or perfect.
Of course, these things are hard to do when you can’t stop noticing the paintwork you didn’t finish properly or the piece of furniture that really doesn’t go where you’ve put it. Such is the curse of being an interiors obsessive. Being mindful is for those who have the inner strength to ignore the inner voice pushing for perfectionism.
Give yourself a break: What’s good to remember is that even the lifestyle gurus who appear (on social media at least) to be enjoying stylish moments of mindfulness probably don’t live like that all the time. Just out of shot, the demands, clutter and chaos of daily life are probably calling them too. So do take a moment of mindfulness whenever you need one, but also remember that if your life doesn’t feel Instagram-perfect every single minute, it’s OK. Real life is rarely neat or perfect.
7. Don’t follow fashion.
There’s a lot of sense in the advice about avoiding fashionable purchases that surely will date your home. But how can you resist, say, the traditional-style kitchen painted in the blue that everyone loves right now when it’s so gorgeous? And surely it would be perversely self-flagellating to deny yourself that expensive exposed-filament bulb or those handleless plywood cabinet doors or the brass bathroom fixtures (delete or embellish according to your taste).
Give yourself a break: This wonderful terrazzo countertop is a trendy look right now. Does that mean it should be avoided? Not if it makes your heart sing, no way! The only rule is to really love it. Love it so much that you enjoy it until it hits the mainstream, leaves the stores, becomes deeply unfashionable and comes back into fashion again in 20 years.
There’s a lot of sense in the advice about avoiding fashionable purchases that surely will date your home. But how can you resist, say, the traditional-style kitchen painted in the blue that everyone loves right now when it’s so gorgeous? And surely it would be perversely self-flagellating to deny yourself that expensive exposed-filament bulb or those handleless plywood cabinet doors or the brass bathroom fixtures (delete or embellish according to your taste).
Give yourself a break: This wonderful terrazzo countertop is a trendy look right now. Does that mean it should be avoided? Not if it makes your heart sing, no way! The only rule is to really love it. Love it so much that you enjoy it until it hits the mainstream, leaves the stores, becomes deeply unfashionable and comes back into fashion again in 20 years.
8. Play it safe with the basics. Use accessories to jazz up your interiors, goes the mantra. What if you get sick of that statement wallpaper! What if it’s, well, just too much?
Give yourself a break: Stop worrying. If you have the style confidence to pull off something as amazingly unconventional as this living room with panache, then you must. And even if you have the urge but not always the panache, then again, you must! What lessons in life have not been learned through making a few mistakes?
Give yourself a break: Stop worrying. If you have the style confidence to pull off something as amazingly unconventional as this living room with panache, then you must. And even if you have the urge but not always the panache, then again, you must! What lessons in life have not been learned through making a few mistakes?
9. Follow your heart. On the flip side of that, being fearful — of wasting money, of what friends might think, of affecting the value of your house — makes it hard to heed that other bit of basic interiors advice: to follow your heart, especially when it comes to being adventurous.
Give yourself a break: Being bold or extreme or quirky is just as difficult for some of us as being conventional is for others. But don’t beat yourself up if you regularly have house envy when you see creative, unusual interiors and feel “boring” when you come home to your symphony of neutrals and classic furniture. Just do what you’re comfortable doing, but do it beautifully. Add small touches that feel a bit out-there (check out the unusual pendant lamp and wall hanging in this lovely but definitely not wacky living room). Ultimately, though, revel in your comfort zone — who’s to say you’re not inspiring house envy in someone else?
Your turn: Are there interior design “rules” you think you should be following? Tell us about them (and why you are breaking them) in the Comments.
More
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Ask an Expert: What Is the One Design Rule You Live By?
Give yourself a break: Being bold or extreme or quirky is just as difficult for some of us as being conventional is for others. But don’t beat yourself up if you regularly have house envy when you see creative, unusual interiors and feel “boring” when you come home to your symphony of neutrals and classic furniture. Just do what you’re comfortable doing, but do it beautifully. Add small touches that feel a bit out-there (check out the unusual pendant lamp and wall hanging in this lovely but definitely not wacky living room). Ultimately, though, revel in your comfort zone — who’s to say you’re not inspiring house envy in someone else?
Your turn: Are there interior design “rules” you think you should be following? Tell us about them (and why you are breaking them) in the Comments.
More
7 Design Rules and Why You Should Break Them
Ask an Expert: What Is the One Design Rule You Live By?
Give yourself a break: If you’ve tried but struggled to fully embrace this method, just remember that cherished piece of dark wood furniture you once reluctantly gave away because it looked dated. And how cross you feel every time you see a photo of something almost identical in a newly photographed, freshly decorated and deeply fashionable house. It could be time to cherish your clutter — the key is to learn to display it as artfully as this.