Jealousy: Home Decorator Edition
The other day, I was reading one of the (many) blogs I adore and flipped through the most-recent installation of the authors’ home tour. As I flipped through what is possibly the cutest closet layout ever, all I could see was green.
Why can’t my space look like that?
{Polaroid Wall - a fantastic idea from At Your Leisure}
I read a lot of design blogs, so this isn’t the first time I’ve been jealous of someone else’s pad. To be perfectly clear, it’s not that these spaces are filled with fancy, pricy furniture. This isn’t a money thing. It’s a skill thing. Or… an “eye” thing. Their homes are so well put-together; so well-decorated.
(And of course, I’m not mentioning any of these blogs as I’m trying to avoid any “your happiness makes me sad”-esque back-handed compliment. The inspiration I take from their stylish abodes is preserved on Pinterest).
I’m not good with jealousy. I wish I was one of those people who got all fired up by other people’s accomplishments – ready to set out and make my own success. Rather, I often find myself in a spiral that starts with “their bookcase is so well-styled!” and ends with “oh, why do you even BOTHER?!”
Cake Stands for Perfume Display - a lovely idea from Caitlin Wilson Design
This post is basically me trying to refocus Jealousy into Inspiration (and to remind myself of some things I already know).
1. It takes time. Without a professional decorator and a certain amount of disposable income, good design comes together over time. It evolves. Sometimes, I completely understand this. Last week, I bought a new lamp, and I was thrilled with the “big change” I feel came with this one small purchase.
Sometimes, however, this makes me insane. I want it to all look good now. Small changes are nice, but do they just highlight what else needs to be done?
2. I’m probably too hard on myself. I know this… somewhere deep in the rational part of my mind. My house does look good. Sure, some parts could be improved, but all in all, it’s a pretty nice place to live.
At the very least, I know that the homes featured in these blogs have been frantically cleaned, purposefully styled, and, at times, filled with fresh flowers to enhance their appeal. The lovely pictures that result should serve as inspiration, not as a gauge by which to measure my own domestic shortcomings.
3. My house is a home. I share it with the man (and kitties) I love, and that’s really all that matters. Cue the cheesy music all you want, it’s true.
** And yes, I bought this lovely print from Tad Carpenter on his website. I will display it with pride in my home.
Sweet post
I really try to tell myself two things:
a. I can only hold myself in comparison (or competition) to earlier versions of me.
b. it definitely takes time. I’ve been living in my house for 5 years and still wouldn’t say I’m near done. but that’s ok, because I enjoy the process and it’s a happy home for me, my husband, and the puppy.
“I can only hold myself in comparison to earlier versions of me” – I LOVE that!
I’m constantly on the improvement train too. Like you, I know that my place looks pretty good, but there’s always one more project, one more thing to organize, one more thing to make pretty.
Still, for me, the constant desire to change and improve the space is healthy. I spent three long years living like a transient in a rented apartment that my roommate and I couldn’t do much with. Just knowing that I have the freedom to paint and hang pictures and move my furniture around is sort of blissful. And it’s fun to save and research new items, because once you finally see them in your place, it’s like…YES! I DID IT!
I feel like my eye has improved dramatically in the last several years, but now I’m stuck with some of the stuff I bought when I was design blind! Grr.
Yeah, I have quite a bit of stuff I got back when I was just looking to fill the place rather than “decorate” it.
We decorated our apartment to our taste, but there’s only so much you can do. With a house, we’re free to entertain our whims… and still finding our style.
But I am overall happy with the look of our house, although I am no kind of designer. One thing we’ve worked in is that the window treatments (curtains, swags, etc) got left behind so we just kept them, because we didn’t feel like paying $$ to replace them and frankly the windows look better with them. Thankfully they didn’t clash with any of the colors we painted.
Upcoming projects, though, will be to repaint the upstairs hallway and master bath, and maybe put some fresh or additional art up. We have a few things still waiting for a frame…
I love projects like painting – it can make a huge change. We have large windows with no treatments, but if they were in anyway normal size, they’d definitely have something – that makes a huge difference.
I have the hardest time remembering that all of the little changes will eventually add up to the space I want! My little apartment is so so close, but I need to have patience. It will all come together one day, and until then it is still my home.
It really is all about having patience (applicable to many things!)
But your windows are so dramatic on their own that they don’t necessarily need curtains… might be overdoing it.
And yeah, painting the bedroom made a huge difference, and so did the kitchen, I was so thrilled when it was done.
Tad Carpenter gets a pass from the grammar police because the sentiment is so schweet.
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