“Wow, I never thought of doing that!”

I love to hear these words when I’m presenting a new design idea to a client. When they say, “Wow I never thought of doing that!” it means I’ve hopefully given new light to a problem they were having.

I think that when it comes to decorating and designing our homes it’s easy to get stuck not knowing what the possible options are that would refresh your living spaces. Not knowing what to do keeps you frozen in whatever era your last ‘awesome’ wallpaper was styling in (or maybe it’s the those lovely fake flowers that have been in the same vase for 2 decades)  If you don’t know where to start or what to do, it’s easy to leave things the way they are. Now unless you’re really into vintage, perhaps it’s time to update your home.

Here are just a few of the simple things you can do TODAY to start the updating process: 

1) Start with ONE room. 

Chances are if one room is out of date, they all are. In fact the main reason you don’t start anywhere is because everywhere needs help. As a designer I see this all the time and the first thing I suggest we do is pick just one room, likely the living or dining room, but any room will work to start with. We keep the other rooms in mind for future designs but we start with ONE room and make it beautiful.
Also, updating in bite size stages is important on the budget side of things too. Taking it one room at a time allows time for the budget to replenish in between.
Starting in one room will inspire you to keep going with the rest.

Below is a recent project that I just started. We are starting here in the sun room and working through the home in stages.  Stayed tuned for the final reveal when it’s all done!

Old Look                                           New Look (a work in progress)
     

2) Throw away the old flower arrangements and greens. 

If you have floral sprays over your mirrors or pictures it’s time to say goodbye to them! I’m not saying we won’t add some greens to your new space, but today’s look is more about a clean fresh look so when we decorate we will use them sparingly. Here’s an example:

Old Look                                                       New Look
     

3) Let go of the memorabilia, not the memory. 

I totally understand that letting go of some of your ‘memorabilia’ can be stressful. Things have memories attached to them and we can get caught up in the mindset that if we don’t have grandma’s favorite glassware displayed front and center that we are somehow being disloyal to them. I watched my mom struggle with this when she was handed down all of her mothers china, silver sets, crystal and 50th anniversary plates. She told me once that she felt obligated to keep it all. So she did and I still have a few of those pieces in my home. But at some point our china cabinets are chocked full of unused plates bowls and servers; our attics have boxes of dishes, quilts and photographs never to be seen or used again. What is supposed to bring good memories, drains our energy instead

So, it’s time to get real about items that get passed down from generations.
Some things are important to keep but not everything has to stay. 

Here’s a few steps to help you get started…

• Take time to go through and choose any items that are truly valuable heirlooms and should be treasured and passed on.
• Look at what pieces really means something to you personally. Just because they were important to your great aunt Hazel doesn’t mean they have to be in your china cabinet. Select a few things that have a significant memory attached. 
• Ask your children if they are interested in any of the items. If they are not, it’s a pretty good indicator to donate it to a local antiques store or thrift store. It will save them having to go through your things later, wondering what in the heck are they going to do with it. I don’t want my son to feel obligated to keep anything of mine but rather he has permission to keep only the things that are important to him.