When it comes to decorating, I have two extremes. One minute I’m practically bursting at the seams with excitement, full of inspiration and feeling ready and raring to go. The next I resemble a deflated balloon – pretty flat and full of hot air. The get up and go that I used to know has gone and got up without me, leaving me crippled by a case of decorating paralysis.
It’s common knowledge that I am incapable of making decisions, but when my decorating mojo has disappeared, this gets taken to a whole other level. Minimalist or maximalist? Neutral tones or bold colours? Asking myself if I really need another plant? (scratch this, the answer is yes. Yes, always). I’ve lost hours mindlessly scrolling the world wide web, hoping to be hit with all of the inspiration. As you can gather, not the most successful approach.
But, you’ll be pleased to hear that I’ve done it, I’ve cracked the system. So, today I’m sharing 5 ways to rediscover your decorating mojo if yours has gone MIA too.
Set The Mood
My favourite places to seek inspiration have to be Pinterest and Instagram of course, although I do love nothing more than flicking through a home magazine or three with a cuppa. There are times, however, where I almost feel like I’m being boxed in by beautiful homes and inspiring content, leaving me feeling like I no longer know which way to turn. It’s so easy to feel completely and utterly overwhelmed with the wealth of inspiration that we have available to us. Sometimes it’s best to take a step back and redetermine what your ‘style’ is. Gather photos that coincide with the look that you want to create, source samples of textures that you’d like to include in the space and lay everything out in front of you. Creating a mood board is a great way to piece your vision together and to redetermine the direction that you’re looking to take the project in.
Pro tip: never underestimate your source of inspiration. It can come in the simplest of forms like the colour of a flower or the pattern of a throw.
Embrace A Clean Slate
Yes visualisation may well be one of your many talents, making you one of the lucky ones who can see potential in even the most dire of spaces (this is something I definitely struggle with more often than not). But even the best of the best have a creative block from time to time. Sometimes it’s just difficult to see past what’s in front of you. Through many years of trial and error, I’ve realised that the best way to combat a creative block is to embrace a clean slate. Clear the shelving unit, empty the room, take down the pictures – take a look at the space with a fresh pair of eyes and give yourself a blank canvas to run wild with. Start off by bringing in the big guns like your bed or sofa, and then slowly build on the foundations you’ve built in your space. Then you can faff to your hearts content with cushions and pretty bits to give your room a new lease of life. Force yourself to think outside the box.
Ain’t Nothing Wrong With A Bit Of DIY
I’ll let you in on a little secret, I get really itchy feet if I don’t have a project on the go. Whether you want to give your Ikea bedside tables a new lease of life, or you’re thinking about buying some shelves to add to your kitchen, why not dabble in a bit of DIY? It’s amazing what giving a piece of furniture a lick of paint can do to transform a space (and knowing that no one else has something that’s exactly the same as you). I mean, money can buy the coffee table of dreams or a the bedding you’ve been lusting after for ages, but honestly, nothing beats the feeling of knowing that you’ve done something yourself and that it’s completely personal to you.
Shop your home
A common misconception when it comes to decorating (or redecorating) your home is that you need to spend a lot of £££. When in reality, the best shop of them all is right in front of you – your home. I’m not saying this is always the case, but when you love to fill your home with pieces that you love, the likelihood is that they’ll look right at home pretty much anywhere that you put them. Swap prints out, switch up your cushion covers, move your plants about (making sure that they thrive in that situ of course). Trust me, give it a go. It’s amazing what a difference mixing up the little details can make.
Trust Your Instincts
The most important lesson that I learnt the hard way is to trust your instincts. But also to take your time. There’s no rush and actually, nearly every decision I’ve made in my home is when I’ve rushed a decision or panic bought something. Take a step back, regroup and save the pennies where you can, but if something doesn’t feel right, listen to it. Have a moment to think about what it is that’s causing you to falter and what you could do to resolve it. Fundamentally, you are the person living in your home, and the home that you create should be entirely personal to you. Not only that, but making your house a home should be fun!
Our homes should be layered with love, and should be a space that makes us feel good and reflect our personalities. So, if try as you might something is just no longer working with the space, it’s okay to replace it. Our styles change, we change, and that’s okay. Fill your home with things that you love and only buy pieces that you can’t live without. Until then, save, search and live empty until you find the right thing that practically knocks your socks off.
Anyone else ever experienced the decorating fear? What are your tips for overcoming it and getting your mojo back?
