5 Bad Decorating Habits to Stop: How to Decorate For YOU!
I don’t know about you, but I second-guess every decorating decision. We moved into this house nearly 7 years ago, and most of the rooms still feel “unfinished” because I just can’t figure out what I want a room to look like.
I know, I’m lame.
I would like to contribute my lack of decorating productivity to being super busy (just blame it on the kids, right? LOL). But the truth is that I have been making 5 bad decorating habits ever since moving into this house.
And it’s time to knock it off, already!
1. STOP asking for permission on how to decorate.
If you want turquoise on every square inch of your walls, do it! Why do we need to ask our friends…..our mom…..post it on Facebook to let social media decide how our homes should look? If you like a look, just do it.
For me?? I love turquoise. Seriously, nearly all the painted walls in my house are some shade of turquoise-y goodness (my favorites are Sherwin Williams Rainwashed) like my bedroom, and Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in my master bathroom and foyer. My blogging room is Sherwin Williams Window Pane, with is the lighter version of Rainwashed.
You see where I’m going with this, right….? 😉
Decorate how you love.
(Oh, and my thrifted craft room was also turquoise!)
2. STOP ignoring your feelings.
I am tired of cringing every time I come home. I want to come home and feel like a queen in a pretty, clean, well-organized home (um, I wish my kids could read this–clean, I say!!). If you’re walking into your home and you’re not feeling like it’s your oasis, it’s time to change some things. That’s what I’m trying to do! Listen to what your gut is telling you, and if something is not working, change it.
Watch My Home Tour
3. STOP comparing your home on Pinterest.
I have a love/hate relation with Pinterest. This is why:
My house looks nothing like what those other chicks’ places look like. My house feels like an “Eclectic Nightmare” because everything doesn’t fit well together yet, and I have limited time and money to pull a room together to look so Better Homes and Garden-worthy. But you know what? We’ve got to stop this comparison. Inspiration is good, but let’s not have inspiration cause frustration. Let’s appreciate the fact that we even have homes, when so many people are homeless, living out of cars. The home we have, we’ve got to be thankful for it. And make that home as pretty as it can be. And love it for protecting us in cold winters and cooling us in hot summers.
Here’s a video I recorded to bring home this message — Stop Thinking You Have an Ugly House
4. STOP buying “anything” and “everything.”
Okay, you know how we thrift divers love a good deal (and if you’ve been a long-time reader of this blog, you know I fully support impulse buying at the thrift store.) I have bought many ‘a things just because it was a smokin’ deal. But later, I realize that it’s either “not me” or that I just don’t LOVE it. But for some reason, I’ve got it sitting around for whatever reason. I’m on a new kick now to start buying only the things I love, and leaving the things I “like” for other people that may “love” it!
5. STOP trying to be perfect.
I spend too much time trying to make things look and feel perfect. Do you do this, too? Going forward, I’m going to fill my house with the things that I love and that make my house my oasis of coziness and comfort! Every picture won’t have to be perfect. My sofa won’t have to be manicured perfectly with pillows. In fact, it may even be milk-stained with mashed veggie nuggets underneath of it 🙂 But as long as it’s cozy and cheerful, it will be perfect for my family 🙂
Do you struggle with any of these bad decorating habits, too? Leave a comment below and add to the discussion!
Photo: Courtesy Free Digital Photos
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I absolutely love it! I think it’s so important to be true to yourself and not worry about what the current trend is, or if other people will approve. You’re the one living in your home! Now, if it’s your goal to get into a magazine for your awesome house and you happen to have horrible personal taste (ie: green shag carpet and purple zebra striped walls), you might want to get some direction from others…but that’s the only time! 🙂
Great post!
Wait, green shag carpet isn’t hot??! Darn! (I’m only half kidding, because I just bought a WHITE shag carpet from Home Goods and I am picking it up today! HAHHAHA).
Yes, but the problem comes in at the purple zebra walls…as long as you don’t have those… :p
I think we’re good there! Just turquoise! HA! Then again…turquoise and green (shag) go together….doesn’t it? HAHAHAH
Love this post. I stick by those all of the time myself, but its a good reminder that I am doing the right things. That its ok if I leave a space empty or with my daughters toys until I find the right piece to go there. And that pinterest can only be a place for inspiration..not to attempt to try to replicate (because that aint gonna work). Thanks for starting the thread in Haven Group. Great idea!
Most definitely! I love you Haven Mavens! And I want to be as active as I can with supporting you all, and vice versa! 🙂
I will admit that decorating is a serious intimidating factor to me. We’ve moved OFTEN and it’s been often enough that I have never really put in a real effort into decorating for the long haul. Each time I’ve learned something new that I liked or didn’t, but inevitably it doesn’t work in the next house :p This move will be our last one for a LONG time so I look forward to taking my time and really settling into this home, making it ours.
Yeah, it’s hard if you’re having to move often. You can’t ever truly “settle in” because why bother, right? Maybe the solution is to just choose a bunch of colors that you KNOW you love, regardless of anything else–just that you love them. And then, whenever you move, you sort through that stack of colors and fabrics and then figure out where to place them. That’s got to be easier than just starting from total scratch each time, right? Good luck with your upcoming move! Thanks for commenting! Appreciate it 🙂
My house is decorated to my taste. Every room is a different color. And I love my house!
Okay, it sounds like I should love you and stalk you for suggestions 🙂 What colors are your rooms? How did decide how you were going to decorate?
The master bedroom is red and brown with green and cream accents. My bathroom is blues and grays. The nursery is light blue and white. The living room is greens and browns. My hubby’s bathroom is yellows.
I love turquoise too! But all the rooms are yellow. We live in our duplex which is also a rental and yellow was the paint that was on sale! lol Thanks for the tip! Linda
Hey, LInda! The good news is that turquoise and yellow go so nicely together, so you can pull turquoise into the yellow! Plus, yellow is a color that can be paired with lots of other colors! You’re luck y there! 🙂
we are now getting ready to move into the recently rehabbed new house. Leaving my comfortable and beautiful home. I’m already cringing because I have to choose all this stuff ALL over again because the new one just doesn’t have the same vibe. I love/hate pinterest too. I’m so not ready to do this again, I just got this one perfect.
Oh no, Sharon!!! How come you’re moving? The good news is that you have a starting point. Since you’ve already done a beautiful house, you can use that one as inspiration for the new house. And, you can totally pick the same color scheme and everything! Remember, whatever makes you feel comfortable! No rules! 🙂
Great article! I agree, decorate your house for how you & your family live, not according to anyone else’s expectations. Over the years I’ve been guilty of procrastinating instead of starting a project, because I have to find the “best” solution. Now that we’re involved in the Project To End All Projects (see website for details), I feel more certain of how I want to decorate for the long term. It’s still a struggle to resist the urge for perfection, but once I’m settled on a plan I don’t often change my mind. I just have to accept that it won’t happen quickly in such a large house that has had few interior upgrades for nearly 40 years.
I love this post! I decorate part time in addition to my day job. I am constantly telling clients that their house should reflect them, not the latest fad in shelter mags and Homegoods. My husband recently said to me, “I love coming home to our home. It’s so comfortable.” To me that’s one of the highest compliments he can give me. And trust me, one year ago our fixer upper house was the farthest from comfortable as possible.
Rene, that’s the best advice you can give people! Sometimes it’s so hard for it to reflect you because you just don’t know what you want, and you think that what you want isn’t “chic” enough and you must set some other standard. It shouldn’t be about that, like you said. When you come home, it should be a warm, cozy feeling, not a “UGH! What did I just walk in to!?” LOL. Thanks for commenting!!
I love following you and yes, I have all of these problems. Moved into my husbands house 3 years ago after we got married and he had been a single dad of 4 kids for 15 yrs!! Wow! yep, its true!! He had a server and computer in the kitchen when I got here and the bathroom upstairs has pink ceramic tile!! I have painted ever room and still trying to find my way to decorate the way our laid back style is searching for. He is so very good and let’s me do because he knows I search the thrift stores and find my cool stuff on Craigslist. I follow you so I can get that room just how I want it. With a zero budget and my front door is turquoise, yes I continue on….. I am also a turquoise kind of gal. If only I could get my office/craft room to look like yours…..
Wow, 4 kids as a single dad?! Okay, he is AWESOME! I can see how he wouldn’t have had time to focus on decorating. Who has time for that? I’m sure he appreciated a woman’s touch when you guys got married! Have you gotten to the bathroom yet? Our bathrooms are VERY outdated, too! I’d take your pink tile over our GREEN TOILET any day! HAHAH!
I am guilty of all of those things!! from buying things at the thrift store because I like it and think I will use it in my scheme to, deciding what colors I want to paint the rooms, to I want my house to look like so and so’s ugh…… I am a fantasy home decorator, crafter! sorry I don’t have any suggestions, But I do love the colors in your room and craft room !!
Lannie, ha! You have said it perfectly! “Fantasy home decorator”! I love it! Can I borrow that term? 🙂 I think I am, too! I really think we should just take it one room at a time, and then start from the very basic questions: “How do I want to FEEL in this room?” and “What is going to be the PURPOSE of this room?” I think if we start from that, we can figure it out! Thanks so much for commenting!