Do you suffer from decorating paralysis? Do you even know what that is? Or whether or not you suffer from it? It is when you are so afraid of messing up your decor that you just don’t do anything at all. It can happen to even the most seasoned decorator. Here are 5 ways to overcome decorating paralysis and create a gorgeous space.
How do you know when you have decorating paralysis? Well, here’s the surefire way to tell. When you walk into a space do you turn around and walk right out? Or do you sigh and throw your hands up in despair? The space screams for a change but you just can’t figure out what to do. You overwhelm yourself with the “to-do” list and never do a single thing. Just get started! I promise, once you begin you will be able to tackle the problem. Start with a few things to get going.
- Purge! Have you read the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up? (If you haven’t you can get it here.) In that book, Marie Kondo advises people to only keep items that spark joy. In other words, get rid of stuff you don’t want. So do it! Begin by getting rid of what I call “fillers”. The junk you bought just to fill the space, but don’t really love. It’s time for that to go. Keep only the items you really want in the room. The rest you can purge, dump, toss, whatever! You’ll feel better just looking at the space once it is cleared out and organized.
- Start with a blank slate. This is always my “go to” starting point. Clear it all out and start over. And if you want to piggy back off of #1, you will only be left with items you love. It will be easy to place them because you enjoy looking at them. So, with a blank slate you can begin putting things into place without worrying about other stuff getting in the way. Or, if you are lucky enough to be able to start from scratch, you can just buy the items that you love from the start. And if you are beginning this way, always choose the big items first, i.e. rugs, sofas, kitchen tables, etc…. (see #4)
- Work around your favorite piece. Do you have a favorite chair or knick knack or piece of art? Then you need to work around it. Make it the focal point. It makes you happy. Your home should make you happy. So make the that favorite piece the center of your room’s decor. You will be surprised how it can really spark your decorating fire!
- Change the big stuff. Maybe your are redecorating your whole room and you can go buy new furniture. Lucky you! Start with the big stuff. Buy your sofa first. Then begin decorating around it. See a rug you love? Grab that and then begin to layer on top of it. If you aren’t buying new furniture, change up the stuff you have. Put new pillows on the couch that you feel is old and tired. Buy a slip cover for that chair with the fabric you have hated forever. Don’t let it stop you in your tracks. You can change it! Changing the big stuff, no matter how small of a change, can really make an entire room feel different.
- Remember that nothing is “un-doable”. We tell our kids to learn from our mistakes, right? You can fix them. The same goes for decorating. You can fix it if you don’t like it. Paint is just paint. Items you buy can be returned. Furniture can be rearranged. Just start somewhere. If you don’t like it, undo it. Keep trying until you get it right.
