4 WAYS TO REGAIN DECORATING CONFIDENCE

Have you ever started to decorating project and somehow lost your momentum? Did you start with inspiration images, how-to instructions, and a strong will to see the project through yet still manage to lose your design direction?

Get back on track with these 4 ways to regain your decorating confidence:


1. Re-evaluate Your Expectations.
So you want your bedroom to look EXACTLY like the one you coveted in Elle Decor?  *NEWSFLASH* Unless you have the same floor plan and your house sits on the exact same lot, your space will be different.  For example, when looking at a photo, it's impossible to accurately gauge the room's dimensions.  If your room is smaller than the inspiration room, there's no way you can pack same exact furniture in your room.
Also consider what direction the rooms face. The paint color in the inspiration photo will look different in your space if your room faces north and the inspiration room faces the south.  Keep these variables in mind so you don't feel like a failure if your finished design is not a carbon copy of your inspiration room.

photography / manny rodriguez

2. Recount a Past Victory/Completed Project.
You build confidence with each decorating project you complete. If you haven't completed one, then let this be the first.  With each project there opportunities to learn from your successes and your failures. The old adage rings true, practice does make perfect.

design / 2010 dc design house

3. Reject Fear.
Don't let fear paralyze you from obtaining your design goals. I always ask myself, "What's the worst that could happen?" In fact, what I image to be the worst never happens. If it ever does, I am prepared because I've already answered the question. Try hard not to let the fear of failure prevent you from doing the things you really want to do. This quote from J.K. Rowling may be a little extreme for this point, but it is still relevant.   "But it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all--in which case, you fail by default."

 design / 2010 dc design house

4. Reach for the Familiar.
Until you gain decorating confidence in yourself, pretend to be someone else. Who will you need to be in order to get the job done?  When in a jam, call upon your "inner" Tobi Fairley, Sarah Richardson, or whomever you admire.  What would they do? Think like a pro and you'll be a step further in designing like one!
 

 

 photography / manny rodriguez

These are just 4 suggestions to help your regain decorating confidence. I'm sure there are many more. How have you found encouragement to continue decorating a room when you wanted to give up?