Don’t you love discussing interior decorating with your friends? I do. And this post is based on my discussion with Kelly of My Soulful Home and Yvonne of Stone Gable.
We discussed what we wanted people to know about decorating. You can listen here.
I’ve written this post based on our discussion. The discussion is called what you need to know about decorating, but I’ve come at it from a different direction on my blog. Here’s I’m tackling the points in the format of common myths. Let’s get into it.
INTERIOR DECORATING IS NOT IMPORTANT – FALSE
Interior decorating is important to people’s lives. It’s all about making people feel welcome and valued. When you decorate your home in a welcoming way, that is something that impacts the lives of the people that come into your home.
MISTAKES ARE BAD – FALSE
Mistakes are part of the learning process. If you aren’t making mistakes then you aren’t learning. Try different things. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t work.
YOU CAN’T DO IT – FALSE
You can! And there’s lots of help out there. I’m amazed at what I can learn on Youtube, whether you want to lay tile, plant a tree or sew, there are videos to learn anything. And you often can learn how to do something by doing it.
HAVING A BEAUTIFUL HOME REQUIRES A LOT OF MONEY – FALSE
You can have a stylish home without spending a lot. I will say the more limited the budget the more difficult it becomes, but it CAN be done! Check out the Texas Flip N Move house for what we did on a very tight budget.
Most looks have a high and low version, meaning you can do the high end version of the look or the less expensive version.
DECORATING RULES CANNOT BE BROKEN – FALSE
There are exceptions to every rule, especially in decorating. It’s important to know the rules because they are there for a reason. But if you know the rule and it doesn’t work in your situation, then go ahead and break it.
ALL INTERIOR DECORATORS HAVE DEGREES IN DECORATING – FALSE
If you like to decorate, you are a decorator. It does not require a degree, and you don’t have to have clients to call yourself a decorator.
ONCE YOUR HOME IS DECORATED YOU ARE FINISHED – FALSE
Do I really need to say anything about this one? Keep honing your look. Keep improving your decorating skills, keep learning.
EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOME SHOULD BE NEW- FALSE
Why not add something vintage to every room for a unique look?
PAINTING VINTAGE FURNITURE REDUCES ITS VALUE – FALSE
It’s okay to paint furniture. If you are dealing with a priceless antique then of course, don’t touch it! But most people don’t have priceless antiques. Even nice antique French armoires sell for about the same price whether they are painted or not. Painting sometimes increases the value of pieces because without paint the piece looks dated. Do what you want. Paint it or don’t; it’s your call.
YOU NEED TO FILL EVERY EMPTY SPACE – FALSE
You need to blank spaces in a room. Your eye needs a place to rest. If your room is overstuffed you wont notice the gorgeous things in the room. It can feel overstuffed and the room can feel visually confusing and stressful. The empty spaces give the room balance and calm.
BIG WALLS NEED LOTS OF ARTWORK – FALSE
If you have a big wall, then try adding a few large pieces on the wall. Think less is more and bigger is better. A large wall full of small artwork can look cluttered. You can make it into a gallery wall and that will work too.
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Great advice Anita. I would also add to your second falsehood, that sometimes mistakes become “happy accidents” and turn out better than planned. Not only do we learn from mistakes, sometimes we actually get something unitentionally great!
Enjoying the process is what’s important to me. I think that sometimes we rush to finish and don’t enjoy the opportunities to analyze, change and rearrange.
Love the ideas!
Yes wise words Kathy!
As the great actress, Kathryn Hepburn said, “if you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”. 🙂
or as in room decor, if you go by all the silly rules of decorating, you end up with a room that looks like you “picked it up at the furniture store” and sit it down in your room at home.
Thanks for this post.
Oh I loved her!
Really great points. Thanks for sharing!
You ladies are fast becoming my daily muses! Need to add another myth: old ladies should stop decorating–FALSE!!!
Firstly, that is awesome and thanks for telling me! Secondly you are 100% correct!!
We LOVE our listeners – “TRUE” Everyone one of you!
Hey, call us with a decorating “false” of your own and we might just talk about it on an upcoming episode. 323 480-4408 We are waiting by the phone 😉 No we are actually probably rearranging the furniture or fluffing the pillows so leave a message! xx
Hi Anita!
Yup, its true!!
Always decorate with what looks good to you & makes you happy!
I love the pieces that I have and only a couple of them were bought new – our coffee table, which has been painted three times, our bed, which has also been painted. The rest of our pieces are family pieces or things that I have gotten at yard sales and redone. The same goes for most of my decor pieces and wall art. Only a few of them were bought from stores new. I love the way our home looks and am constanting changing small things around. I also love your blog and so enjoy seeing your home and treasures.
Such excellent advice. I love the encouragement to keep trying and experiment. A big thank you!
Anita I love your encouragement and advice. Last fall we bought a “fixer upper ” and I am using wisdom I have gained from you and your friends. Mith buster: you can’t tune your style after 72 . Busted.. I am having so much fun and am not stressing out. Keep on brightening my day.God bless you
I don’t have ONE piece of NEW furniture. All was bought in thrift or auction or antique shop because I did not have any money to decorate when I graduated from college and started teaching. Now, 40 years later, I still have most of my acquired pieces. I don’t paint furniture, I “refinish” and prefer the wood look. I appreciate paint to enhance or update pieces. Thrift shops are the answer to decorating on a budget. Having a budget expands the imagination. I hate “matchy-matchy” accessories!, furniture pieces. If I didn’t know how to sew, I would be lost.
Thank you for the good advice. Keep it coming.
Really enjoyed this one!
Great advice!! Thank you.
Mistakes are a given! I’m updating my French Country dining table and chairs by staining the tabletop Java and painting the apron, legs and chairs in cream Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I thought it would be a great idea to accent the carved detail on the apron and cabriole legs by adding a slightly darker paint to the “groove.” I used an artist brush and tried really hard to keep the line consistent. I quickly discovered the carving was “hand-done” so it’s not the same width/depth around the entire table. It looked OK from a distance but the uneven line bothered me. That was mistake #1. Yesterday, I decided I’d use a different brush and a darker color and “fix” it! Mistake #2! By the end of the day, I gave up on accenting the carving and painted everything cream!
As always, amazing advice, thank you! I would love to know where you source your vintage champagne buckets from? I want a couple of my own but they seem hard to find. Any advice?
Those are great tips. Thanks for sharing.