Design Outside the Box…Follow Your Gut

I could happily live in a Restoration Hardware… 

…but not for very long. I love just about everything about home decorating stores like Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and Z Gallery.  Every time I walk through the doors I am knocked sideways by inspiration; the colors, the furniture, the light fixtures.  Oh, it drives me crazy.  My poor husband has come home from many work trips to find his home looks completely different from day he left.  One thing he will never find when he walks through the door is a replication of a decor store display.  

Whether you are decorating your home for the first time or redecorating for the thirtieth time, take a chance and step outside the box.  As beautiful as the displays are at retailers, and as easy as it seems to just buy every item they have put together then copy and paste it into your living room, there’s no you in it.  Sure, it’s chic and lovely to look at, but does it make you feel like you put your signature on the room?  Probably not.  

If you’re interested in making your mark on your own home, here are some tips:

        When you walk into the decor stores, walk around and pay attention to what really makes you react.  Does anything make you stop and take a breath?  Maybe it’s a color combination or the way they arranged items on a side table.  Pay attention and file those ideas away (or write them down, or do what I do and take a picture on your phone)

I loved this pattern on a lamp at Anthropologie

Now, before you buy anything, go home and take inventory of what you have around the house.  Find things in those awesome colors that struck a chord with you, take that sculpture from your entry hall, the lamp in your office and a stack of books from your family room and put them on a side table together.  Now, build from there.  Go back to the stores and be inspired – then go home and shop in your own closets and storage spaces.  Unless you are either a minimalist or extremely disciplined, we all have stuff tucked away around the house that we have completely forgotten.  

As you’re looking through your own stuff for your store-inspired look, keep an eye out for things that draw a double-take.  I’ll bet you find some buried treasures in there.  When you finally find the things you want to bring out into daylight again, play with how you arrange things in the room.  Do you have a lot of empty frames?  So did I, rather than filling them with photos or artwork, I took ALL the empty frames and arranged them over the fireplace as an art piece.  Arrange them in varying sizes and shapes, as though you are putting a puzzle together and the result is quirky, yet incredibly interesting.

Figuring out how to insert your personality  into your surroundings not only makes your home feel more inviting, but helps you recognize the things you really appreciate about yourself.  Take notice of those things that are great about you.  Have you figured out that your design style is quirky?  Think about that as you get dressed…adding a little quirk in your wardrobe will make you feel more confident and comfortable in your own clothes.  The same goes for classic, tailored, funky, preppy, surfer…whatever your style, use it throughout your life. 

So, find your style. Rock your style. And feel great about your impact on your surroundings.

Have fun!