How to decorate your home when you're feeling INDECISIVE

listen wolf sometimes the videos I make there's really no value to them but that that's not true this one's going to be good this one's important I'm pretty excited whether you have just bought a home whether you're renting whether you are redecorating or renovating this video is for everybody everybody at some point feels that feeling of indecision of overwhelm of being torn in too many directions a fear of commitment for how they want to design their space everybody feels this I'm going to blame the internet I think it really doesn't help that we can go online and see so many images of so many different styles all beautifully executed and I see that and I'm like oh my God I do like maximalism oh my God I do like eclectic seeing so many images executed so well it's like I could like a lot of these we're going to talk about the major Pitfall that is tripping you up and leaving you feeling indecisive how to handle and overcome your commitment issues with interior design the things you should avoid there's a there's a good list of stuff you should avoid how to build your taste and what you should do when you have no idea where to start and you're you're just like I can't even get started I got some answers it's going to be fun maybe I'll say the title could that would that be fun I don't know if I want to say the title yeah I'll say the title this is interior design for indecisive [Music] people okay okay it's happening I'm going to sit on this side of the screen because I want to put objects here and if I don't just move my body editing gets very annoying and I did that for you out of love [Music] page okay let me tell you right now the thing that is tripping you up one of the greatest Inhibitors of creativity you're not feeling creative you're not feeling inspired is probably because you have too much of a blank canvas having a blank canvas kills creativity you can do anything you want there's no restrictions no one feels creative in that space restrictions are your friend limitations are your friend so times that you might feel most indecisive is when you're looking at like a completely bare room and you could like I could do anything with this or you're trying to think about a hypothetical home that you don't even own yet your forever home that you don't even own yet and you're like what would I want it to be what do I want to start making it you don't know cuz there's literally no starting point anything is theoretically possible it is so hard to be creative and inspired in that blank canvas type of thinking restrictions are your friend the things that you think are limiting you budget architecture style existing pieces you already have your boyfriends or girlfriend's weirdo taste restrictions are actually going to help you here for example in my tiny rental kitchen there are these Cherrywood cabinets that like I don't like Cherrywood I don't think I ever would have picked out Cherrywood cabinets if I had a blank canvas and I could pick whatever I wanted but there were Cherrywood cabinets and so then when I was thinking about designing the space I wanted to do something that would complement them that would hype them up I ended up choosing this really dark blue that I knew would make the red cabinets pop and now it's my favorite room in my apartment absolute favorite room never would have chosen that never would have got there without a really limiting restriction in my bedroom I wanted to cover the whole room in wallpaper but I couldn't afford it it was way too expensive to put wallpaper on four walls so instead I thought I'll just put wallpaper on one wall then and I put it on the ceiling and now it is like this focal piece you get to look at it from the bed it makes it so unique it's kept the rest of the room bright and Airy restrictions are your friend every single person is working with a budget every single person's working with the budget even the millionaires when millionaires come to designers they're dreaming of billionaire spaces their dreams are not for their budget either everyone's working with a budget and everyone's dreaming outside their budget so budget is just part of the it's just part of the game don't let it get you down and there's plenty other restrictions that we're all dealing with and they're going to help you here's what you're going to do I'd like to take a note from beloved design Legend Emma Burns who said plan first taste second means not taste like eat it don't don't eat anything but like you're going to think about your plan the logistics for your space the restrictions what is the budget does it need to be pet friendly does it need to fit a super narrow hallway that I'm working with you're going to start with your plan and then you're going to make taste related decisions let things narrow down first with your plan with Logistics plan first taste second so when you're mood borning a space don't try and just design based off of like what would be the ultimate prettiest most frivolous ideal thing it's too much Freedom it's too much of a blank canvas start with what are my restrictions your restrictions could be your musthaves such as I already have this amazing vintage couch and I want this vintage couch in the living room that's great and it's a restriction and that's great everything now has to like work with this weirdo freaking couch awesome or maybe the must have is like it's really low ceilings and it's a musthave I mean not cuz you want it to be but because it's going to be there and we need a space that works well when there's low ceilings and and you need to clock that so that when you're looking at your inspo imagery you need to also be able to ask would that image work would that inspo image work in a room that has really low ceilings possibly not so naming your must haves things you love things that you need to have in the space and also like your immovable objects I like to call them that's super ugly flooring that you just can't get rid of whatever has got to be there your budget your children you you've tried hard but you can't kick the kids out of the house they're going to continue to live there at least until middle school this is a restriction probably on how you're going to be using your space plan first taste second once you have narrowed down the logistics it's going to have limited The Taste options to you and that is a good thing when you're in indecisive [Music] person okay but Caroline what do I do when I have no idea where to start I lit like I like too many styles I like eight different styles or or maybe you're thinking I don't even know what my style is I don't know what my preference is let me say this to you I think it is really not helpful to try and name a single style for yourself if it is super easy and clear-cut how to describe someone's style it's not very original it's not actually style it's not actually taste then because it's just copying someone else it's not taste taste is very personal and it's Pro it's probably going to feel like a theme like a themed home my modern Glam home my farmhouse home my rustic home and it's also not ultimately going to feel very homey I I want my home to feel really homey and that means it needs to feel personal so I wouldn't stress about trying to name your style I don't think it's going to help you so whether you don't know what styles you like or you like too many styles this is the exercise I would have you do go to Pinterest or wherever you collect inspo images create a new board a new board and we're just going to pin every single thing we like Hanky Panky style doesn't matter if it fits doesn't matter if there's a theme doesn't matter if it's realistic for your home pin it all go to town pin it all until you're tired and try and try to go out of your way to like type in some weird adjectives type in some weird search queries to get you out of your own algorithm to get you seeing new stuff weird stuff something you hate Bounce Around make sure you're exposing yourself to a lot of stuff once you've collected like a ton of imagery I have to sneeze what you're going to do next do a second pass through your board a second pass a third pass and try to identify themes what are the themes you're seeing reappearing over and over like okay you did like that one freak of like a red bathroom that one time but bright bold rooms aren't showing up a lot otherwise in the board so maybe that one's like an outlier and we're going to we're going to kind of shave it away look for themes and it doesn't have to be a themed style but it could be like I love wood furniture or it could be I love sparse spaces then you're going to go through and do another pass and eliminate Things based on your restriction list the restriction list we talked about earlier my cat my cat has to be able to scratch this thing my kids have to be able to pee on this thing it has to fit in with XYZ budget it has to fit in with 8ft tall ceilings look at the image and ask would this work as well in my room is this style going to work as well in dim lighting is the style going to work as well when there's no windows is it going to work as well when there aren't a bunch of beautiful archways in my architecture ask yourself what makes this picture work what's really getting me like getting me going with this picture it's it's creating a little bit of like interior design self-awareness and eliminate anything that you don't think is going to hold up in your home okay at this point your board is kind of going to be close to a state of like a vision board it's going to be a little more unified a little more achievable and um a designer I used to work with referred to this as the North Star you've you're getting it close to a North star now it's a vision board that feels more focused more unified there's common themes and when you're out shopping or when you're looking at paint colors or when you're deciding like should I buy this thing you can go back to your Northstar and it's going to reenter you it's going to refocus you on the things you like time and time again and it's easier to see does this thing like get me closer to the North Star but you can do it listen I have a secret for you if you are enjoying this design content chitchat silly time you want to learn more about design you want to discover your tastes I really recommend that you go and check out a whole show I have on interior design iconic design objects it's on the Wayfair YouTube channel this video is made possible by Wayfair today and they have really great content over on their Channel I love supporting their Channel they've got a whole series called a style is born that just takes deep dives into different interior design Styles so you can get just educate yourself education exposure is so important when you're acquiring and building your taste and you can definitely check out my show which is called iconic objects if you are a fan of this Channel and you haven't watched iconic objects I feel sorry for you because it is very good it is very good in each episode we do a deep dive into a different household Decor item that's probably found somewhere in your home found in my home some some object that overtook like pop culture all of a sudden a huge Trend and and and nobody really asked why the most recent episode is on the mocha pot yes the stylish little excuse me the stylish little coffee pot that I have in my home and has been around for decades but it's not the most advanced coffee technology why is it still so popular why do we love it I love it why are we still clinging on to it what happened in culture to make us all obsessed with this item if you love questions like that if you love to giggle and have a good time and expose yourself to learnings you're going to love this show iconic objects I would definitely go check it out check out the way fair you YouTube channel I would subscribe so you can keep up with all their great content it's a really fun educational time and you're going to feel good afterwards it's a feel-good time I've included a link in the description of this video so you can go watch the most recent episode of iconic objects you will not regret [Music] it so you've got commitment issues Caroline I do not know how to commit to a wallpaper it is too big of a commitment I do get that I do get that well I've got a trick for you but I I also got a little bit of therapy for you sometimes I hear people talking about like oh I want to like design the XYZ that I'll love for like 10 plus years I don't think that happens I don't think that happens like like most people don't keep a room the same for 10 years even people in a super strict budget your fashion tastes evolve your movie preferences evolve your reading preferences like you're going to evolve and I actually just don't think this idea of it lasting like forever and ever I've never seen anyone live that way I don't think that's really even the goal but yes we want something that like we're going to feel good about for a while yes major trick I would use for something such as choosing a wallpaper or maybe a pattern this is really tricky where I think you can go wrong is by choosing something just because it matches just because it goes with the room now you do want your room to be cohesive but if you're choosing something just because it matches just because it kind of follows a formula you can end up that's when I felt myself ending up with something that like technically worked but I didn't love it long term instead what I would do with this you still want it to be cohesive so let your restrictions and limitations be like working with the existing col palette of the room whatever but beyond that order order your wallpaper samples your fabric samples and I like to if I'm like pretty sure I like one but I'm not totally sure I like to just carry around a wall the wallpaper sample like in my purse I just like to carry it around in my purse for like a few weeks and if I like if every time I take that thing out of my purse and look at it I'm like giggly like I get like this and I'm like look at this wallpaper samp and I'm like showing it to people like it's a puppy or like a picture of my baby I'm like look at this wallpaper sample if that's my reaction to it for a while then like I just love that thing I just love that thing and I'm going to love it in my home however if if it doesn't really get that reaction out of me I'm probably only picking it because I think it works because I think it's right because I think it's cohesive and that's not really enough that's not something you're going to love long term so if you don't carry a purse start carrying a purse or some kind of satchel and just I swear to God just carry your sample around in your bag and just like look at it over and over or you know maybe it's it's a piece of furniture that you're not going to get a sample of you keep a picture of it on your phone and just like continue to expose yourself to it over and over for like a week or two like you've got you've got a little bit of time and see if it just does it on its own Delight you not just that it goes with the W room and it wouldn't be a wrong choice but like on its own does it Delight you and is it all cohesive with the room you're going to like it long term that's like getting that's like part of how you get in touch with your intuition with design is what I [Music] think okay y'all we got to talk about things you'll want to avoid if you're an indecisive person if you're an indecisive person you're feeling indecisive about your design choices don't do this stuff okay number one I would avoid a theme everyone should avoid a theme everyone should avoid a theme and by theme I mean yes a themed room like a Power Rangers room but a theme is also like a trend just doing a trend is a theme or just like doing one style is a theme any kind of themed room it is going to Tire very quickly the one exception maybe is a child's room but even there I would be careful about how you deliver the theme he loves robots like you know find what's the correct serving size for serving your child robot content accessories are way way easier to change out than a whole robot bed it's really important to mix Styles mix influences so let that be a good thing if you like a lot of stuff lean into mixing it and maybe the through lines the things that will make it cohesive is that it's a lot of the same colors or a lot of similar materials or the hard and soft materials complement each other and you know every once in a while there are trendy items that we all like it's not like you can never like something that's trending but I would just make sure that if you're incorporating trending things I I do feel wary of it but I myself do it at times take you know take an aspect of the trend take a single item of the trend or maybe a pattern from the trend that you like instead of like the whole showroom setup the whole like store window setup version of the theme cuz it's easier to cycle out individual pieces when they tire and they will Tire another thing to avoid I would not go hard purchasing furniture making purchases if you haven't lived in your space for a while yet take the time to live in your space I know it's so hard when you're like but I have to host the annual Christmas party I always host a Christmas party I just moved into my new home and I got to host my Christmas party rent out the fajita place next door instead for the Christmas party just this Christmas okay don't do it do not force yourself to make purchases early before before you've lived in your space it will help clarify for you what you actually need what your limitations are how it actually feels live in your space first don't buy too [Music] soon let me tell you this honestly I would not ask your friends opinions I would not ask your friend never once in my life have I acted on a friend's design advice I don't think ever and I don't think any people ever do when I give design advice to people do you want to know how often they take it 0% of the freaking time because the truth is I feel like the most helpful thing I can do when someone ask for design advice is I give them what I would do I know they're going to reject it and it does help clarify for them maybe like what they would actually like to do instead because you have your own taste you have your own preferences I would not just be going around and everyone wants to feel helpful every wants to have something to say so they just start saying things I would not ask your friends advice I don't see it ever being helpful for design for design something that you could do instead if you really want someone else's way and someone else's opinion um even if you're on a budget look into designers who have digital design Services I mentioned Emily May earlier she one of my favorite designers she has amazing digital design service um which is often much more affordable they basically give you like a digital package they do it remotely uh to help you solve XYZ problem in your space um lots of designers do these these days though most do it's much more affordable maybe it's a few hundred it depends you know how many rooms and what you're asking them to solve for you are they doing the whole Space are they just looking for a rug and curtains it depends getting a digital design service from a designer much more accessible way no I do not do them but I love you if you are super risk averse or you know that your preferences Your Design preferences change really quickly and you always want to experiment with new things that or your risk averse you really really don't want to mess something up mess something up I would say go really neutral with your foundational pieces do a neutral couch because it's much easier to change out your throw pillows it's much easier to change out your accessories it's much easier to just change you know like some of the most beautiful spaces I see they are white walls they are white walls and simple floors and there's just stunning art or accessories or a lamp it's much easier to change that stuff out and you can have a really distinct bespoke look look with the foundation of your space being quite neutral so you can always do that I kind of do [Music] that how do I build my taste acquire my taste my sense of style let me tell you a fact a scientific fact nobody is born with taste it is developed taste is developed this is why experimentation is so important and I talk about the importance of experimenting and taking risks to you know whichever degree you can tolerate risk it's so important because you don't want to get to your forever home and be trying things for the first time because then it does feel really high pressure and it feels expensive and it feels more permanent you have to experiment in order to evolve and refine your taste and I think it's okay to expect and account for some degree of spillage kind of I think that's what companies call it with products like some product your company that sells plates spillage I think is the word that accounts for the fact that some of the plates are going to break some are going to get lost in shipping some aren't going to come out right in the manufacturer spillage you got to account for some spillage when you're experimenting in in the name of a building your taste you have to be willing to experiment with things and you won't like everything that is how you end up figuring out what you like you don't just guess it straight out on day one and there are lower budget ways to do experimentation painting yes it's timec consuming but it is pretty affordable in general go shopping from within your own home and bring different items of different colors from different rooms around to see what looks good where experiment even when you're on a budget there are ways to get creative this is why you will never hear me putting down you know the more affordable furniture that's a lot of the furniture that I used and experimented with when I was figuring out what I liked and that was my budget when when I had the scrimp budget I bought a lot of cheap stuff and through that I eventually found which things I was okay with kind of being cheaper and which things I really did want to work on being able to invest in and that came through experimentation of course Facebook Marketplace thrifting are great options if you would to make it more of a hobby more of something you can share I'm also a fan of using renter friendly um decor items even in a place that you you own cuz it it gets rid of some of the commitment some of them are really high quality there's really high quality peel and stick renter friendly floor tiles wallpapers lots of things that can get rid of some of that commitment fear and allow you the space to experiment I'll link some stuff below but it is so so important to experiment I think it's kind of like it's kind of like you know if you're to go head forth head forth into dating and saying I have to pick my ideal partner the first time I pick a person the first pick has to be the pick I have to get it right you probably first have to date a dude that's obsessed with parrots to even understand that you cannot live with a dude that's obsessed with parrots I didn't I didn't even know that was on my list until I encountered it and I'm always second to the parrot I had to encounter an eccentric personality who puts the parrot above me all the time even to know that like that's not my preference it's not my preference I don't know how solid that metaphor was but I'm keeping it in the video even experimenting with art can make all the difference and it does not have to be expensive I frame postcards all the time when you're traveling going on a weekend Excursion whatever keep an eye out for you know a $10 print a postcard I frame that stuff all the time there's some of my favorite pieces does not have to be expensive and you can move it around most importantly what I hear around this question of design and decision what I hear is anxiety and I relate I relate I have not been doing very well mentally I would say why am I laughing anxiety wise it has not been I'm fairly I like the least well that I've been in years probably so I feel you and and it's just stuff right it can be something that lifts you up that brings you Joy it's going to be something that continues to evolve even when someone gets like their home fully designed by a designer they continue to tweak things throughout the years cuz we're all evolving our preferences are evolving we love something for a number of years and we kind of get tired of it so I would say embrace the idea of spillage when you're experimenting I would say embrace the fun the experimentation remove the pressure of having to have everything ready day one that you move in or by the time you have to have that party first of all nobody cares your real friends do not care if your home is all set up they don't care it's going to come together in time everyone's real busy they're living their own life don't worry about it there's enough anxiety in life let's not let it come from experimenting in our homes you know any more than you are going to stress about how you dress yourself which actually is quite stressful I don't really have answers for that one so not a good example but let it be experimentation let it be fun enjoy the journey of getting to get really in touch with your own preferences getting to discover your own preferences by trying things you got this I believe in you let me know if this is helpful to you or to somebody who needs it we'll see you soon wow wow wow this is really in my face if you don't carry a purse start carrying a purse or some kind of satel woof this is not important but it it is important shush shush [Music] me

Channel: Caroline Winkler

Views: 404,798

Keywords: decor, interior design

Id: 8QQoy4X-VnQ

Length: 26min 30sec (1590 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 30 2023