I have a friend who always has a curious comment each time she comes into my home.  It’s clear to me that she doesn’t get my design asthetic, and the “Why?” question is usually the first thing out of her mouth.

“Why do you have a giant dead tree in your house?”

“Why is there a drum hanging from your ceiling?”

“Why would you spend all of that time painting patterns on your walls?”

“Why is your dining room chandelier made out of cardboard?”

When I see her at my door, I always brace myself for these questions.  I think, “Oh, surely she won’t say anything.  It is MY home after all.”  But even knowing of what is coming and bracing myself for it, I still bristle at her questions.

And then after I take a second to catch my breath, I always reply the same way.

There’s simply no better response than that.

I know that I’m not alone in getting the why questions.  Other than having more tactful friends and family members, there’s really not much that we bold design and fun idea folks can do about questions like that.  It’s really just a part of having a unique home that you love.  Your style might not be for everyone, so it doesn’t matter if they are on Team Bold with you or not.

I want you to know – right here, right now – that I am empowering you to stand confident in your design decisions.  The next time you are asked the “Why?” question, I want you to stand up straight and confidently reply, “Because I love it.”  

Your home is about you and your family.  It’s not about what the neighbor down the street or your sister-in-law’s cousin wants it to be.  Your home should be a place that you love.  Period.  And if you love it, or are working towards making it a home that you love, then you don’t owe anyone an explanation.

Do you get asked “Why?” about your decorating choices?  What has been your typical response?

 

I’ve never been much of a shelter magazine reader.  Don’t get me wrong – I adore the gorgeous pictures and love seeing how designers layout different rooms.  I’m always inspired by what I see.

But, I generally don’t decorate like that.  I don’t lay out a space before hand, collect pictures of furniture pieces I’d like to recreate or even have much of a color scheme in mind.  I start with what moves me and then tweak and change until the room becomes a final project.

I don’t plan.  I just do.

Most of what I am after when I’m working on a room is a feeling.  Often times, I struggle to explain that to you, since it’s so hard for me to put those feelings into words.  I generally don’t have a grand plan of where I’m going from one project to the next, and I find that working this way helps it all fall naturally into place.

As you know, I’m currently working on the playroom space in our home.  I want it to be fun and playful, having a theme yet not being a theme.  I want it to inspire my kids and inspire me, as well.  I want it to be, well, this:

Shooting Stars by Bomobob

Summer Fling by EyePoetryPhotography

Coney Island Carnivale Tilt Shift by Mina Georgescu

Summer Candy by Elle Moss

Tickets & Tokens by The Little Pixel

I Remember Summer by Bomobob

The feeling I’m able to create in a room is much more important to me than the individual elements that are in that room.  Maybe not having a plan is why it takes me so long to finish a room.  But, since the end result is always exactly what I was going for in the beginning, I’ll just continue on doing what works for me.

How about you?  Do you have a plan for a room when you begin to decorate?  Or, do you just let a feeling take over?