Concurring my decorating fears...one room at a time

[KimberlyH]

As some of you may know I have huge fears of decorating our house. We''ve been here over a year and have done little to make it our own. We''ve been working on the yard bit by bit and it is time to finally address some of the hideousness that is our lack of decorating. We''ve set a decorating budget and I get to go shopping once a month for new home decor until this place starts to shape up into something other than a mish mash of crap. Our living and dining rooms are complete pictures on the wall and all. Our family room has bones, but needs to be dressed, our bedroom, well it was just plain bad, so that''s where I chose to begin. With my October $ I purchased a bedspread and sheets, and I''ll probably buy a few knick-knacks over the next few weeks. Next month it''s going to be all about curtains (wow they''re expensive!). Then I want to recover two chairs and buy a piece of art for over our bed. Down the road I''d like to add a mirror over the fireplace. Here it is though, my great big beginning (and it''s not all neutral like most things I buy!)...

 

[KimberlyH]

A close up of the pattern....

 

[KimberlyH]

And finally a view from the bed of the terrible (bordello red) curtains that need replaced, one of the chairs that need recovered and the fireplace that desperately needs some TLC. I'm thinking a dull and shiny white striped material for the chairs and brown for the curtains.

 

[KimberlyH]

And I just realized my title says I concur with my own fears, not that I''m conquering them...now that''s comedy!

 

[Dee*Jay]

LOL Kimi, when you get done *concurring* with your fears please feel free to trot right over to my house and do something with my bedroom too!

Seriously, at least you have a *plan*... I just keep looking at the textured linen sheers from West Elm that we bought over two years ago as a temporary measure to keep the neighbors from seeing into our bedroom and hating them more each day. I envy that you''re making progress!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 10/1/2007 8:33:07 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
LOL Kimi, when you get done *concurring* with your fears please feel free to trot right over to my house and do something with my bedroom too!

Seriously, at least you have a *plan*... I just keep looking at the textured linen sheers from West Elm that we bought over two years ago as a temporary measure to keep the neighbors from seeing into our bedroom and hating them more each day. I envy that you''re making progress!

I''ll trade you linen shears for red bordello curtains with gold accent. No joke...the woman who owned this place first decorated everything in red and gold, she had red velvet couches with gold inlay and china vases with children growing off of them that were taller than me...she actually tried to sell us her crazy stuff when she moved out. The list of things we need is huge:

Patio furniture
A coffee table for the family room
Decorate spare/junk bedroom
A rug (family room)
Art (entry way, hallway, 3 bedrooms, family room)

and on and on, I''m so scared, I''m shaking in my socks.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Kimi, I'll trade you a coffee table, nice oriental for the family room and some art for the two bathrooms I have yet to remodel!

(Not to mention the one bathroom I did finally get around to remodeling.... and decided life 5 minutes after it was done that I don't really like it...

)

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 10/1/2007 8:44:28 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Kimi, I''ll trade you a coffee table, nice oriental for the family room and some art for the two bathrooms I have yet to remodel!

(Not to mention the one bathroom I did finally get around to remodeling.... and decided life 5 minutes after it was done that I don''t really like it...

)

Mmmm, Oriental is the living room the family room is headed towards old world comfort (huge old maps that chart J''s grandfather''s ship routes that i want to frame, browns and blacks, plus some stuff to go on the wall in our naked bar, etc) so your table won''t work...what sorta art are you bargaining with?

 

[Dee*Jay]

What sort of artwork you ask?! We have so much art that a bunch of it is leaning dangerously in the garage, waiting at any moment to topple over and get crushed under the wheels of the SUV as we pull in/out, so go take your pick! A vintage Taittangier poster; large framed mirror with hand done gold leaf frame; Frederick Phillips signed sereograph with a woman and some cougers (or maybe they''re mountain lions?) in a glass atrium sort of structure... so much more... What time should I tell the guys at the guardhouse to let you in?

(Seriously--isn''t this CRAZY??? We have all this stuff and no where to hang it. Oh how I miss our old loft...

)

 

[KimberlyH]

We have a ton of art, all inherited from J''s side of the family, but so much of it I just don''t love and some of it, that I love just doesn''t fit in our home. Perhaps we should trade!

 

[Skippy123]

Kimi,
I am the same way; my hubby always gives me a hard time about it too. Friends even tease me. Remember I asked people for help on the pendant lighting; well, you guessed it I didn't do it. My mom gave me cash for the holidays and I still have the cash set aside for curtins from 3 yrs ago. I just don't have imagination for somethings but I do for others, who knows. I am sorry; it is too bad you don't live close to me so we could conquor our fear of decorating together (partners in decorating).

I am good at helping others but for me it feels like a big commitment. heehee

I do love the new bedding!!! I also love your kitchen too! Rugs always add color and paintings. What about a pretty mirror over the bed or some black and white flower prints? Or some pictures from the flower farm in Carlsbad?

 

[KimberlyH]

Skip, move to San Diego!

I just feel like I can''t even do this house justice, I need a professional to come in and pull it all together for me, or my pushy cousin with a great eye. But J wants me to do it, he thinks it''s important that it''s stuff I love not something I''ve been pushed into. IHe''d let me go shopping with you though, because you wouldn''t push me around!

 

[Miranda]

LOL! You are all my people!!! I, too, have this fear!!! I buy furniture, though...Then it just sits in the bland boring room with no accessories. I have a huge decorating budget because DH loves ''model'' looking homes. And I''m really good at decorating...Other people''s houses. I''m just so afraid I will hate what I pick. DH calls it my fear of decorating commitment. I have this new beautiful home that I love and it''s all boring inside. Boo-Hoo! We finally went shopping and got a few things, but, I''m far from done. There is an interior designer up the street that I was thinking of calling, but, what if I don''t like what she picks...Then I will have expensive stuff that I don''t even like....Ahhhhhh I''m totally babbling now.

Good for you for overcoming your fear!!!

Your house looks great! I adore your bedding! My kids'' kindergarten teacher used to say, "Plan the work and work the plan!" It sounds like you are well on your way!

 

[KimberlyH]

Miranda,

You don''t live too far from me, come on down, you can decorate my place!

 

[Miranda]

Oh Kimberly! I''d love to. I have an entire binder with page protectors for each room that contains ideas and products I''d like to buy, but, am too scared to LOL! I don''t know how high end you want to decorate, but, if you have a Kirkland''s near by it is a great place to go for mirrors. I was at the one in Irvine recently and they had really big mirrors that were from $29 - $59. They looked as nice as Pottery Barn or Z Gallerie things.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks for the tip, Miranda. I''m definitely not a high-end girl, I like shopping for quality bargains. We don''t have a Kirkland''s nearby that I am aware of. I''d love to get my hands on that binder! Oh, PS admin, make private messaging available again!

 

[Miranda]

Hee Hee! I''m a total bargain girl, too. I love quality, but, don''t want to pay full price for it. And with something like a mirror...Can you really tell that it''s a $400 mirror vs. $50? I can''t! Maybe we should plan a South OC/San Diego GTG! I''ll bring the binder!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Speaking of cheap mirrors Garden Ridge has a great selection for uber cheap. Remember you can always paint the frame if it is a color that doesn;t work for you. Also for more inexpensive rugs look at Target, Walmart, Lowes, and Home depot. I just bought one for our foyer and it was under $100 (5'' x7''7") and I love the pattern. For cheap art remember pretty much anything with a matte and frame looks awesome! Old postcards, pics from calenders (think more flower, landscape, or city stuff than puppies and kittens), blown up photos, pieces of fabric (stretch it on a canvas frame)...can work well and look really cool. Michael''s always has a 40% off coupon in the sunday paper. Plus paint alone goes along way.

Basically just take your time and pick stuff you love (not just to fill your space). You''ll do fine!!!

 

[Mara]

kim i love decorating but i also have a fear of buying bigger ticket items or making bigger decisions like paint or something that might be around for a few years. i don''t know why but it takes me FOREVER to make decisions on house items. it took me like 3 months to make a decision on painting the guest room. recently we just got a leather chair and ottoman for the downstairs living room and i could easily feel myself getting overwhelmed by all the options. so i finally just said okay lets go to macys because they have good stuff, for not too pricey and we have had good experiences with them. boom found something. and greg liked it. so we got it. and it was delivered in a week (was in the warehouse). sure there were like 10 other things i didn''t explore first to get this instead, but i was OVER IT. so i definitely have realized my tendency to overthink things and have started to kind of just try to make decisions because nothing is forever when it comes to home decor!!

one thing i find super helpful is to shop at places where they have ''rooms'' setup for you to look at or online where they have ''also recommended'' cross-sell opportunities on their ecommerce store. this way i can see oh this lamp works with this bedspread, or look at the color they have in the room on the walls and then look how nicely that mahogany table goes as contrast. i use pottery barn catalogs for a lot of color inspiration as i love their color palettes (and they have paint now, benjamin moore but it''s PB colors) and i tend to do neutrals like chocolates, taupes, creams...and then accent with color as it''s safer. but i have experimented with color on walls in the last year and been really happy with the turnout. so you just gotta start slow and keep moving ahead. don''t get too overwhelmed by all the different ways you could decorate. set something up in your mind and then go for it.

by the way LOVE the fireplace. oh and for artwork...i really like www.ballarddesigns.com . they have a TON of artwork pieces and they sell in sets which i absolutely love. i almost always can find something on their website that i want to buy for the house...and the other good thing is that no one i know shops there so no one i know has my stuff in their house! that''s one of the downers with shopping at local stores, is that you run the risk of someone else having the same print on the wall or the same couch or whatever. so i like to mix and match. some PB, some CB, some ballard...i get stuff in boutique home decor stores around here as well. it''s fun! just relax and kind of go with the flow. don''t get stressed out. in the end you are probably your home''s harshest critique!! just like our bodies.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks, Tacori and Mara, for the "calm down it will all come together" reminders!

Mara, our whole house, aside from our offices, is the same color at the moment. We have such open spaces that painting walls is difficult so I''m going to cross that bridge later. I know I want to paint our guest room a soft green, but that''s as far as I''ve thought about it at this point. Thanks for the fireplace compliment. Our family room fireplace is the same, but on the opposite end of the house. It''s one of the reasons I fell in love with this place.

 

[Mara]

kim also i have found that at some points in my decor existence i am willing to take my time and find the RIGHT piece for a place. but other times i am like okay i just need a wall item right there. i want it to have blues in it and be appealing and able to be delivered within a week. and i find i am much less ''particular'' about what might go there. so you don''t have to be really particular about finding the right piece for EVERYTHING. i think that is where it becomes daunting. plus we also know we won''t be here forever, maybe another year at most, so i also try to buy pieces that will work in our next house as well.

i hear ya on the painting open spaces. we actually had a painter come in and do 2/3 of our house a soft taupe color before we moved in. it was a great neutral but not the typical new house cream walls. i wish we''d gone a little darker in the middle of the winter when i want more cozy but in the summer it''s perfect and greg loves it...thinks we chose the absolute right color. i went darker in a downstairs bathroom and love how cozy that is. the office will be a sagey green (finally chose a color, just gotta paint now) and the guest bedroom is a warm sandy color with muted apple-ish green accents and bronze/browns. our bedroom is a soft pale blue with mahogany furniture and whites with chocolate brown accents...i just finally got some prints for the bedroom and it''s been 4 years! that was our most ''naked'' room...apropros?! lol! but it was the one that was the hardest to tackle for me as it has a funny wall space behind the bed that makes it hard to buy prints or artwork.

also art and wine festivals are great places to find one of a kind prints or ones that you can''t really find elsewhere. i always see something i really like there but the problem is how do you get it home? i know a lot of places deliver but it just seems like such a pain to go there and buy a piece of artwork. i did see one there last time we went..and greg really liked it too but not sure WHERE we''d put it and it''s $1000 so we''d have to be really sure we loved it and had a space for it that worked (for now). but the company is in southern cali i think and he said shipping would be like another $200. so we''ll see. i think we are okay for now but i am always wistful about things we see but i can''t really make work in the house or whatever.

anyhow, rambling now but have fun!! definitely after all the planning and painting and all that it is so great to see a room finally come together and many times look so much better than you thought it would be in your mind!!

 

[Allisonfaye]

I can relate to this. My husband and I moved from a 1500 sf townhome (with small rooms, no tiny rooms) to a 4,400 sf house. We still only have one piece of furniture in our dining room and living room. I decided I would rather focus on other areas. The first thing we did was my daughter''s room. Easy. Slap a coat of pink paint on and buy some cute kids furniture. I worked with a decorator for a while (Matt, the winner from The Top Design show or whatever that Bravo show was called). We did a few really nice things and a few things I didn''t really love. I also found some lovely wallpaper for my powder room because it was sooo bland in there. The other thing is, our taste is pretty traditional and most chain type stores (Pottery Barn and Rrestoration Hardware) lean more towards the contemporary side. When our decorator took us to the Merchandise Mart, it was the first time I really saw furniture that I loved other than in decorator magazines. Will we pay more for it? Absolutely, but in the long run, we are getting something we love vs. something that is just so so.

We have a new decorator now and we just ordered our bedding and drapes in the master bedroom. I just don''t have the confidence to do it myself. The mistakes are too expensive. I think the most striking thing we have done is paint the master bedroom a shade of green that I love. Color, to me, is the single most inexpensive thing you can do to change a room. Along the way, I might find a treasure and I snap it up. I bought some lovely French antique confit pots recently.

When you get going and get a vision, you will conquer your fears, hopefully.

 

[KimberlyH]

AF, I moved from a 800 sq. ft condo to a 4,000 sq. ft. home, so I know what you are talking about (DH lived in a 2,800 sq. ft. home before we were married but it was mostly empty. I want the house to go together...we have a lot of inherited antiques from my husbands'' family, that I love, that make up our combo living/dining room area...but I want our family room to be more comfortable, so I''m going for nuetral things, but not antiques because I want it to be a place where we can put our feet up. Our bedroom furniture came with my husand also, and while it''s too good to get rid of, I don''t love it...so I''m making it work.

Mara, I need to go buy some decorator mags. Thanks for the suggestion.