Q: I am contemplating redecorating my home. I have some furnishings I still like and other pieces I know I no longer want to live with. I have looked at magazines to figure out what I like now but I’m confused. The thought of everything I have to consider overwhelms me. Would you please help me understand how to begin the process?
A. All beginnings are difficult, particularly when you are uncertain or attempting something you don’t have the experience to do. Add your emotions about the pieces you are making decisions about and it can become paralyzing. This happens with many of my clients so they ask me to help them. The first thing I do is reassure them that they really do have the answers. The answers are inside each of us and that’s why I call it “Interior” Design.
There are times my clients ask me to help rearrange their furnishings, de-clutter their homes or begin a complete design project – they don’t know where to begin. Albert Einstein said, “Nothing happens until something moves” so I suggest moving an object to another place in the room or house. Immediately, change has occurred. Space has been made and the balance of the room has been affected.
This concept is often addressed specifically with the philosophy of Feng Shui. Once I’ve addressed the issues of feng shui, which is the energy of the placement of pieces, I then use The Bajaro Method to address how the people feel in the room. The two philosophies work well together.
Now you have questions to answer and decisions to make about how to proceed:
- Will the space remain empty?
- Does more need to be taken away?
- How has the room changed?
- How does it feel to you?
- What more do you want to accomplish?
Think about it. Feel it. I like to call this “undesign” because until we move something or clear a space we cannot fill it. Artists call this negative space. Take away the current design, be it good or bad, and see the difference. Feel the difference. Once you see what happens, you can proceed to the next step.
We take the design around us for granted. We don’t think about it. Everything in our environment has been designed. Have you ever looked at a room (or even an individual piece) and thought it’s too much? Or maybe you feel it’s not enough… something is missing. It can be over or under designed. It can be too much or too little. It can be someone else’s design or someone else’s taste. The most difficult part is in the beginning. It’s when we have to decide what we like, what we want to live with, and what we don’t want to live with. This might mean having to release pieces we have either purchased or been given.
So as we go through this process, we need some tools.
- You can go through magazines.
- Visit furniture stores and showrooms.
- Become aware of all the things that are available.
- Discover what your taste is by exposing it to new ideas and styles.
Another important thing is to stay open to design possibilities. Try a new color or style. Mix some of the pieces you have with new pieces that don’t match but might look good together. If you’ve been eclectic in the past, now it might be time to match some things.
Step out of your comfort zone and see where those steps might lead you. They may lead you back to the things you originally liked. If you are led back to your original ideas, you’ll know you are doing the right thing. You’ll understand yourself and why you have chosen the things you have. They will become “your” design.
Your designs are yours – remember, rooms have no feelings, YOU do!