I LOVE Pinterest. I’m addicted. I can’t spend less the an hour looking around.
One of the most common board that I’ve seen is labeled “dream home” or “my home one day…”
You would expect to see some pretty outlandish stuff in these boards, right? Like marbled bathrooms, large English Gardens, maybe a five story Irish Castle, right?
Nope. Not one.
They are chalked FULL of beautiful spaces that are totally DO-able. Graceful lines, open spaces where families can gather, funky and fun use of color. Beautiful gardens with tables. Pergola’s or porches wide as Texas full of tables and chairs for gathering family and friends.
Most show spaces that are normal in a traditional American Home. The open floor plan of the Livingroom, Diningroom and Kitchen. But the layout isn’t what people are posting about (those are categorized under “boring” for most people – though their importance is worthy of a separate post). What people fall in love with is the personality of the space.
Personality is huge and I’m amazed how many of my clients wait. They wait for someone to help them, wait until their spouse brings it up, wait until the kids get older, wait for the “right time”, wait for “the money”, wait for retirement, wait for a promotion, wait wait wait wait wait!!
MOST (I’m talking like 90%) of my clients have lived in their current home and it’s current state for about 10 years before DOING something.
Why wait? If your home makes you crazy, you shouldn’t “dealing” with it any longer! Life is too short to add frustration, drama and chaos.
I get that kids cause a LOT of damage in a house, they can act like little tornado’s, taking down anything that isn’t nailed down. But that’s a problem that can be minimized using design. PART of the process, not a block.
I get that husbands (and sometimes wives) generally grumble about costs, scheduling and the “right” time, but that usually has more to do with poor information then an actual block.
Money can be an issue but, once again, it’s all about how you approach the issue. There are approximately a bazillion websites, DIY tips and inspirational websites that are FREE. There are TV personalities, stores and talented folks all around the country that are there to help. There are architects, designers, builders and engineers that can help solve ANY design problem out there.
Then there is the time issue, which COULD be an issue if you HAD the time AND money issues. But with patience you could conquer that mountain. And it can be really fun.
When you have no time, but money, hire designer. Make sure he/she is someone that you LIKE, that gets your families culture and personality.
The difference between a family with a chaotic, impersonal and dysfunctional house and someone with a house that is reflective of who they are is night and day.
Apples and oranges.
Failure and success.
Hard and easy.
Stress and ease.
You don’t have to have a million dollars to have a house that works WITH you and FOR you. You just have to have the right attitude.
Do yourself, your family and your friends a favor and get to work on your own paradise or hire a designer.
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I couldn’t agree more with your comment about time and money holding people back ..but in the end, the level of frustration is not worth it. A good way to look at this project is to think about what it is you want to create and why it’s so important for you, how it benefits you and others in the house…. looking at it from this perspective will shed some light on the value of creating a space that you enjoy! Great post.
I agree! One of the biggest stumbling blocks people struggle with is “I can’t afford it” when it actually takes VERY little money to create an authentic space!
I’m soon moving into a new home in Paris and will have a chance to rethink what is “my style” and add elements of that to this new space. I can’t wait but the truth is, sometimes when I start thinking about “my style” I get carried away with the possibilities!!
That is GREAT! SO many people have the opposite issue. They can’t FIND their voice.
I would suggest creating a digital idea board for your inspirations. You may find that putting everything up will enable you to shuck what doesn’t fit or you don’t LOVE> This is especially true if you come back to it a week later.
Hmm. You’ve got me thinking. For a long time, I didn’t know how I really wanted to design my space. Then it was about not wanting it to be wrecked by kids. And not having the money. Money was always huge. I’m going to get creative about how I can do it anyway.
They are numerous ways to design economically. There are about a million DIY sites.
ALSO I get the kid + interiors = disaster! But it doesn’t HAVE to be the case, really. Can they get involved with what’s happening? If you get them invested, they’ll be more likely to love it. Also, keep in mind that everything doesn’t have to be “perfect” . Battle scars are personality, like wrinkles on our faces, they depict character.
Good luck!
You are such an inspiration! Thanks for another great post! 🙂
Thanks Nathalie!