Three things DIY decorators are doing wrong

I think we’ve all done it. Consumed too many interior decorating magazines, scrolled blogs of beautiful house interiors, spent hours on visual mediums such as Pinterest or Instagram, marvelling at beautIful and stylised photos as we pin and purge our consumption as ‘mood boards’ for our one day dream home. However, it might be time to step away from the mags and the blogs and the digital vortex that is the Internet and get back to basics so we stop doing these harmful and wrong things. So what are the things us DIY decorators are doing wrong?

1. Seeking perfection

That photo of your dream kitchen? Close your eyes for a second and imagine living in it for a moment… … last night’s dishes are still unwashed on the sink, the fridge is covered in reminders and magnets from tradies and little people’s artwork … something that might once have been part of a banana is smushed on the back of the lovely stool at the breakfast bar … in the background there’s a backpack on the dining table and homework papers strewn across it … muddy paw prints track their way across the kitchen floor to the spilled kibble … bills are piled up on the island bench in a disorderly stack … all the sharp implements you removed from the second drawer and put on the kitchen benchtop are waiting to be re-homed because your toddler can now reach them … flowers that aren’t quite dead enough to throw away hang somewhat limply in a vase. shedding their leaves like a deciduous tree in autumn. Now you have a more realistic picture of how that kitchen looks once it has been lived in.  Still think it’s your dream kitchen? I’m guilty of this. I need to stop imagining that a neat and orderly sterile environment is the perfect environment for my family. We can be messy and a bit cluttered and by golly it feels great when we tidy.  Maybe my home is perfect the way it is.

2. Hiding your stories

Over the years we end up with things around the home like knick knacks and furniture and artwork and photographs and items we picked up during our travels that tell a story, are visual memories and part of what makes us who we are. We feel sentimental about inanimate objects and maybe even slightly embarrassed that our favourite armchair, which doesn’t match (gasp!) the rest of our furniture and needed to be re-upholstered in 1999… but it’s our favouritest thing ever and you’re quite sure it’s the place where your son was conceived and it has resisted at least 14 hard rubbish collections and survived six house moves. But you love it. Sure it smells like sour milk and crackles from the ancient biscuit crumbs fallen beside the cushion. You know you should get rid of it or at the very least, banish it to a part of the house you rarely visit because it’s killing your visual mojo. But you love it. You’re attached to it. And you know what? That’s OK. Perhaps for you it’s not a sour milk smelling crackly armchair, but I’m quite sure you know the object I mean. Do me a favour. Embrace it. Love it. Keep it. It’s part of your story and a part of who you are. There’s no need to be banished for being old and tattered and ugly. If something holds a special memory for you, make a place for it in your home and share your story with people who visit your home.

3. Doubting yourself

Don’t ever doubt or second-guess yourself. When it comes to making decorating decisions, big or small, trust your instincts. YOUR instincts. While it’s OK to ask for advice from friends or in an online forum, but don’t feel obliged to take it if it doesn’t feel right for you. That nagging feeling in your gut, listen to it. Don’t let your own sense of aesthetic get cluttered by outside voices. People might not understand the story you are trying to create in your home. Especially strangers. And it’s a home you’re living in. Not a house. We’re creating homes and living memories, not stylised sets for a photography shoot. If you love purple, paint your wall purple even if someone said that’s sooo 2006. If you love cat ornaments, decorate with cat ornaments. If you’re mad about all things Japanese, decorate with a Japanese style. Be proud of your choices and don’t let the overstyled photos on the interwebs get you down. If your home looks like your personality and shares your story, your home looks great! Decorate from your heart to create a home you truly love. Sandra xxx