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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Decorate Your Home » The Power of Why in Decorating

The Power of Why in Decorating

by Jackie Hernandez on September 26, 2014 3 Comments

As a self-taught professional decorator, my experience decorating the three homes I’ve owned is what attracted my first clients. They wanted my help with their space, but I think I got the better end of the deal.

By serving my clients I learned the number one thing it takes to decorate better for myself. It was glaringly obvious, but I didn’t see it for a long time.

When I designed spaces for clients, I couldn’t just give them a list of things to buy. I had to explain why. Why that sofa. Why those three vases. Why that rug with that coffee table. Why that color. Why that pattern.

I spent more time explaining my choices, than making them. Part of it was my natural desire to educate my clients to help them pull off the room. The other part was feeling I owed that to them. That if I couldn’t explain why I was recommending they buy something or make something, then I shouldn’t recommend it.

For every furniture of decor selection, I required myself to explain things like:

  • how it relates to everything else in the room
  • how it reinforces the use of a certain shape, pattern, or texture
  • how it fits into the story I want the room to tell

For example, in the office design below I recommended an accent table by the sofa. I could have recommended many different tables. So why did I choose the ceramic stool (#9)? Well, because the subtle theme in this office is aviation, because my client and her husband fly as a hobby. I chose this ceramic stool, because the angular shape reminded me of a folded paper airplane.

Officers Club Office by Teal & Lime

Explaining myself made me a better decorator for my clients, but even more powerfully it made me a better decorator for myself. It is how I stopped bringing home things I didn’t love or need, because I couldn’t explain why. It’s what stopped me from doing DIY projects, because I couldn’t explain why. It’s what made everything in my home more meaningful and every decorating decision easier.

If you can’t explain why you are adding something to a room, then you shouldn’t add it.

To explain your decorating decisions, you need to understand why and how certain things work in decorating. Forcing yourself to explain why, will not only help you justify a decision, but over time make you a better decorating decision-maker. It’s about building a working knowledge of how decorating works, so you can wield its power to create the room you envision.

Explaining how and why different decorating elements work together is what I focus on in School of Decorating. I want to help you make the right decorating choices for your home and be able to explain why. Because why becomes a filter for creating better rooms. When you understand the why behind decorating it gets easier and your rooms work and look better.

In a couple of days, I’m sharing a free class – spilling the secrets behind interior styling and arranging your decor. If you want in on my top decorating tricks, sign up here and I’ll let you know when the class is available.

About Jackie Hernandez

Jackie Hernandez is the self-taught decorator behind Teal & Lime and the founder of School of Decorating. Jackie turned traditional decorating advice on it's head with her first course Define Your Style, which empowers everyday women (like you) to uncover their individual style so decorating becomes a breeze. You can find Jackie teaching her signature simple approach to creating a dream home in any home at School of Decorating (coming this fall).

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Comments

  1. nancy says

    September 26, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    ……and then again, someone said there should be things in your home that sing to you when you look at them…..whether they made perfect sense or not.

    Reply
  2. Khadija says

    September 26, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    This is a wonderful article. I find my rooms flow much more beautifully when I can answer the “why.” Sometimes my “why” is just “because,” which is why I have a brightly-colored calico stuffed animal chicken in my very serious Jacobian style bedroom. 😛

    Reply
  3. Samantha G says

    October 10, 2014 at 1:16 pm

    Thank you Jackie for a inspiring story.

    Reply

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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