The Illusion of the Decorating Process

There is an illusion, thanks to home decorating TV shows, Pinterest, and bloggers, that decorating is an easy and fast process. That overnight you can transform your house into a perfectly decorated photo-shoot ready home.

I am sure you are like me and you love watching HGTV, spending time searching through Pinterest for your next DIY project, and drooling over bloggers showcasing their beautiful homes.

Over time we believe the illusion that decorating a home is a fast process. I hear from homeowners that believe this all of the time. They tell me they don’t have the time or money to quickly flip their homes overnight into a beautifully styled home. They are too busy running errands, making dinner, taking kids to lessons, and keeping their home somewhat clean to get one second to work on decorating their home.

I’ll will be honest with…I once believed this illusion too. I believed I could quickly decorate my home into the perfect paradise. However, eventually over time and after a lot of disappointment that my home didn’t look like the homes on TV or Pinterest. I realized that decorating is not a fast process and I can take my time, and as long as it took, to decorate my home.

What Happens When You Decorate Fast

When you decorate your home fast, it can often lead to making mistakes, spending a lot more money, and a home that truly doesn’t reflect your personal style.

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t have the budget to go out and furnish our entire home with new decor quickly, which I see as a blessing. Even if we did, I believe that going out to a home decor store and buying everything for a room all at once leads to a space that doesn’t reflect you.

Creating a meaningful home that reflects you and tells a story takes time to design. Going fast leads to a home that more reflects your likes from a moment in your life or looks more like a showroom than a home. Your personal style will change over time.

If I had the money when we first bought our home to completely furnish it quickly, I probably would have end up with a ton of modern furniture and accessories. This would have been nice then, but now that I am older my style has evolved and modern design does not fit into my lifestyle with children. Now I would describe my style as more Country Beach Chic.

This is an example of my new personal style that I discovered as a result of decorating slow…Country Beach Chic.

If I spent all my budget quickly buying new decor and furnishings I would have regretted my decisions. I would be stuck with that decor for awhile since I spent bunch of money and felt like I can’t justify spending more money until I got my money’s worth out of it.

Decorating Your Home is a Marathon

The better way to look at decorating your home is not as a fast sprint… but more as a slow and steady marathon. Decorating is a slow process that takes time as you collect, add, purge, search for bargains, thrift and repurpose items a long the way. This process results in a home that is curated with love and amazing memories along the way.

When someone walks into your home, your decor and furnishings should tell them a story about yourself and your family. If you decorate fast with accessories XYZ Home Store, those items won’t tell story.

Benefits of Decorating Slowly & Over Time

I will be honest with you, I some times have trouble decorating slowly. It is not the easiest thing to do because we all what to be able to take the pretty picture to post on Facebook for all to see.

However, I promise, patience when decorating a home is worth it. There are many benefits to decorating slowly and over time verses the quick approach.

  • Save More Money - Decorating slowly allows you to save money because you have more time to hunt for good deals or have time to makeover an old piece of furniture.
  • You Don't Have to Settle - Decorating fast may mean you have to settle for a sofa, artwork, etc. that isn't exactly what you are looking. When you decorate slowly you have time to find or create the right home furnishings.
  • You Get to Discover the Style You Really Love - Like I said earlier, if I was able run out to my local retailer, I would be stuck with modern furniture. But now since I am on this slow journey to decorate my home I am able to discover the things that I truly love and are functional for my family. An Eames Lounge is beautiful and I would love to have one, but it would probably get destroyed by one of my daughters or Corgan, our Yorkie.
  • You Get More Creative - When you are on a budget and decorating one layer at a time as you can afford it, you will find yourself being more creative with the things to do have. You discover that what you have does work and something new is not needed. There can be a greater sense of gratification when decorating slowly.
  • Mistakes are Easy to Fix - Mistakes in decorating are a fact of life. You and I will make decorating mistakes. When decorating slowly these mistakes are easy to fix because you have saved money along the way. You can buy more paint or a different piece of thrift store art.
  • You Learn More by Going Slow - By decorating slowly you will become a better decorator because you will take more risks, try new things, and learn from trial and error.
  • Your Home Will Become a Reflection of You & Your Family - Decorating your home over time will allow you the opportunity to furnish your home with more meaningful items. Such as the dresser from your childhood home that your grandpa passed onto you and is now in your child's bedroom. Or decorating your fireplace with accessories you found on a family vacation. Think of your decorating as the pen a writer uses to write a novel. The furniture and furnishings will over time create a story you can tell to your friends and family.

This was my wife’s childhood dresser when she lived with her grandparents. Now it is our daughter’s dresser. Meaningful pieces of furniture like this are worth more than new furniture for the a store.

Creating a Beautiful Home is a Journey

I challenge you to take time decorating your home and go on a journey that transforms your home into a more lovely environment for your family.

The journey may not always be easy but the results and benefits are huge when you arrive at your destination…

…a home that you will fall in love with and cherish for years to come.

Question

Are you ready to start decorating slowly or have you already started your journey of transforming your home a little bit at a time?