Why can’t I get it to look right?
So you have spent hours scrolling Pinterest, saving and drooling over all the interiors you can handle until you go cross-eyed.
You have opened endless tabs on your browser searching through all the popular furniture and homewares stores online looking for inspiration, and hoping to grab a bargain.
…and your weekends have been spent sourcing, doing laps of furniture stores, lighting stores, homewares treasure troves…
But despite your best detective and research skills, when its all boxed up and paid for and you bring the item into your home, or the furniture delivery arrives - it just doesn’t look right. “That’s not what it seemed like in store or in the photo online!” Is the colour not right? Is it too big for the space? Not big enough? Do you like the texture of the fabric? It just could be darn uncomfortable! Or it may no longer have all the pizzaz and charm that enticed you to buy it in the first place. You let out a disappointed sigh, and your heart sinks to your belly, whilst you ponder “Did I read the return policy properly?”
So it may just have to do ‘for now’, or you instantly look at returning it, or wrapping it up and ‘gifting’ it on.
Sound familiar?!?!?
Well, news flash, we are not all trained experts in this gig. Yes – it is a gig, and you pay a designer for a damn good reason!
A stunning moodboard created for one of our clients, which importantly captures exactly who they are (because it is their unique home afterall!), and sets the direction for the entire project.
There are so many factors to consider when purchasing something for the home, and a lot of them come second nature to a designer, and a lot of them are learnt skills through years of study and putting the theory into practice.
Yeah sure, there are some companies that are amazing at replicating the same ‘look’ with the same products, over and over again, which can be amazing if that’s exactly what you are after. Then there is the alternative approach - our approach - where the needs of our client are put foremost. There is a sense of individuality and respect for the client and their taste, and at the same time, a little bit of magic and the designers key attributes are moulded in to the design scheme.
It’s no mean feat working with real people in real homes. Emotional attachment is HUGE (stay posted for a blog on that soon!). There’s often varying opinions to consider – wife v husband, mother v daughter, even in-laws may be eager to contribute. Our role is to make sure all these voices are heard WHILST guiding them to see the value in thoughtful, cohesive design solutions. Solutions that will not only meet their needs, but blow their expectations out of the water. Open their eyes to something they might have had resistance to, but once executed, they suddenly ‘get it’, and understand exactly why it was such a key and important piece to the puzzle.
The complexity of decision making - it makes sense that you may feel decisions are difficult, time consuming and that you’re going around in circles! Risk, uncertainty and decision making framework, Willows and Connell (2003)
Choosing items for the home is about so much more than simply what you like or love when you see it in a store. Creating a home is just like a puzzle, and you can’t force pieces to fit. They should just…ahhh.
Beginning with a mood, understanding your needs, developing a concept, then choosing the appropriate pieces – this is a journey, and one that evolves along the way.
Don’t be harsh on yourself if you feel like you ‘just can’t get it right’. Do you truly want your home to be that ‘finished’ place, where you can gather, nuture, grow, celebrate, and build memories, in a space that is uniquely YOU, whilst having the confidence to add those special pieces you might come across from time to time?
We are here to give you the tools, and start you on the journey, whilst educating you about how to make the right decisions, and hold your hand when and where it matters.