Evolution

Relax, we’re not talking about Darwin today. The evolution I’m thinking about now is about my thought process and the nature of design.

One thing I think I’m really good at is helping other people, specifically with organization, decorating, and planning. I’ve done party and event planning, supervised post-moving organization and unpacking, and been put in charge of various decorating and staging projects. It’s safe to say that I’m super organized and on top of things. I can take charge, get things done, and play the “bad guy” like nobody’s business when needed (normally I’m pretty reserved, introverted, even on the shy side).

Somehow these talents don’t apply to myself, though. When it comes to making decisions for myself or starting a major project, I have a terrible time getting started. I just have too many “blinders” on and that makes it hard for me to be objective and just start.

This is one reason why not much has been done to decorate our home. Another is that I’m reluctant to spend my money,time, and resources on something that’s just “good enough.” It seems more practical to just wait until I know exactly what I want instead of settling. A perfect example is the fact that we still haven’t put in any kind of window treatments in the main living areas of the house (blinds for privacy, yes – but I’d love to add some kind of treatment {or mis-treatment}). I don’t want to just buy anything just to have curtains up so instead I’ve waited until I can make a decision. Until I have a firm idea of what I want to do with the space, until we have the extra cash, until…

One thing I just realized yesterday is that decorating is like having kids – there’s never a “good” time no matter how much you plan for it, you just have to make it happen. Design is a process of evolution. It is fluid, not concrete. My house is never going to be “done” because I will always like to move things around, “fluff” with different trends that come and go, and switch things out to keep it fresh and interesting.

I’ve seen this quote by William Morris lots of times, and I’ve tried to apply it to our home. I think I’ve been following it too literally (in the case of my dining room and my inability to decide on a paint color for the kitchen) – but at the same time I’m not following it at all. There are plenty of items in our home that are neither useful or beautiful, but we’ve allowed them to stay anyway. I think it’s time for me to re-think my application of this!

This thought process took place yesterday while I was talking to my friend Katie from On the Banks of Squaw Creek. She was helping me with some ideas for the dining room and many of her suggestions were things that I had thought about before but had never done anything to put them into action. I realized that the only thing holding me back is myself. I’m going to try to change that! She helped me remember that there are lots of ways to make your home beautiful on a budget…and that goes back again to my belief that your home should be a beautiful place of refuge that is a reflection of your own heart. Thank you, Katie!

I know this has been long and light on pretty pictures…if you’re still with me, I’ll reward you with some pictures of Katie’s beautiful home.Make sure you head over to her blog and look at some of her tips for creating gorgeous vignettes! She has some great ideas and a wonderful way of explaining her techniques.

Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end here…I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!