Hello and Happy New Year!
I am so glad you are here, since we all feel inspired to grab 2022 by the horns let’s dive right in shall we?
If you are feeling confused about what to do to improve your space and are thinking about asking your FB group or did you already ask what to do? STOP, Don’t do it!
In the past 2 years, we all focused on our homes and how to make them more comfortable, prettier, more functional or more adaptable for the changes; I saw a ton of people having wonderful ideas and having great results on their transformations. Others not so much, so what do they do, they ask the people in the Facebook group they belong to what should they do?/
Everyone offers an opinion and they implement a couple of things or a version of those suggestions and they end up with a meh result at best. Why, Do you ask? Well, these are the 5 points why I believe it doesn’t work.
- People are only seeing the pictures of what you are showing them. What does that mean? It means you are only showing a part of your home. And while most people have the best intentions when they offer an opinion they are not thinking about the overall look and cohesiveness of your entire home, how light comes in and interacts in the space nor are they looking at how you use the space. Plus, you are already confused having 20 comments and suggestions won’t give you clarity.
- Copying what someone else did doesn’t always work, why? Because you have different circumstances and factors that affect your space. Light, outlets, windows, doors, nooks and finally the very important one; furniture. People who got good results have been living in their spaces and looking at those walls for weeks, months or even years. They did not achieve an awesome-looking room overnight. It requires planning and consideration of all aspects in order to get a cohesive look.
- Furniture, why I am dedicating a point just to this? Because the right furniture or the wrong one can make or break a space. You need to analyze if what you have will work with the look you are after. A person who is doing a design for you might have a better suggestion of what to use or what not to use. And while we all love different pieces of furniture making them work together is a different story. Some pieces just have to go and some just need to be moved or rearranged.
- Scale and proportion, this point is really self-explanatory. But for the sake of making a point. It is super important that you choose the furniture that goes with pieces you have and you love. And get rid of anything that will distract from the goal you are trying to achieve. People will try to be nice and tell you if you like something buy it. Or if you love it pair it up with the furniture you already have and that my friend probably will be a mistake. Lamps need to be the appropriate scale to the headboard, the sofa, the chair, the table, the credenza, the wall. See my point? If not, drop me a line in the comments below.
- Lack of customization, finally my point is that when you hire someone to design your space for you, they are creating a space that it is customized to your circumstance, your likes, and dislikes and your existing furniture. And hopefully someone with a little ingenuity and innovation about how to approach your space. This is the main reason why you shouldn’t try to force a designer to give you concrete ideas in the initial visit. While some designers might be able to come up with great ideas right there, later on during the design process they might get an even better idea or a better version of that idea. Personally, when I am designing a space I go through several versions in my head first and several options for my mock-ups. When I finally arrive at the best one, based on my notes of what the client is looking for, what I saw it is their style and what I can come up with then, and only then, I feel satisfied with my design. And the way I know it is right is because it gives me the thrill to imagine it.
In conclusion; even though people might have a hit that might work for your space. And they for sure would be nice about your space, the truth is that most people won’t tell you the truth about your space needing a complete redo in order to achieve the goal you are after. Sometimes you just need a new set of eyes, new ideas and a proper plan in order to have a magazine-worthy space. At the heart of it, I always tell my customers: a home is a work in progress and once you have a proper plan you can take your time achieving and tweaking to make it better over time. But always knowing what you are working towards.
