my2cats
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Joined: July 2008
Posts: 63 
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Post by my2cats on Sept 14, 2010 21:18:29 GMT -5
I'm curious if this is related to my hoarding tendencies, or if I'm just not aesthetically-oriented.  I never think to "decorate" my apartment. Even when I am having company come to stay and clean it within an inch of its life, it's CLEAN, but it's not "homey". No pictures on the walls, the furniture is mismatched because I just pick up random pieces at Goodwill, etc. I always just thought of this as being thrifty, and because I never intend to entertain guests on a regular basis. But when I see pictures of other people's cleaned homes here, they look really nice - they're clean and there's also personal touches. Is this something you had to learn? Do you just buy things you like to decorate? My parents are hoarders so I've never lived in a "clean, decorated" home. It's just not something that occurs to me to think about and when I do I have no idea where to start. When I think about putting something on the wall I just think "what? and why? it's just another thing to have to move if I switch jobs". It doesn't bother me personally.. it's only when I see other people's homes that I notice the difference and wonder if I'm 'doing it wrong'. Maybe I'm just still in college student mode.  |
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Post by glowworm on Sept 14, 2010 21:40:02 GMT -5
Honestly? I think it's a matter of personal taste. I've worked hard to get my house looking the way I want it. I've had some people come in and tell me my house looks like a catalog or magazine cover. I've had other people come in and tell me they think my house looks "barren" because there aren't enough personal items displayed.
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hopehope
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Post by hopehope on Sept 14, 2010 22:00:39 GMT -5
my2cats
I feel strongly about htis.
it's time for a change -- a change to HOME vs. place I am laying my head at night til I start laying it somewhere else.
It could/should be cozy, to YOUR taste (you know -- your home) and comfortable. words like brightness cheeriness warmth color art home-iness pleasant elegant can all find different expressions for each of us, according to our taste and background.
one way to approach this is to look in some magazines -- and note which pictures bring a response in you -- resonate with you, as it were.
and then start looking at them -- at those -- more carefully -- and analyze what about them you liked.
and -- a little bit at a time -- bring those elements into your life. into your space.
"home is the dearest spot on earth..." -- to quote my betters.
it's a little bit of a change in attitude and action to get it that way, for us.
love, hope
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Post by glowworm on Sept 14, 2010 22:37:49 GMT -5
I realized my answer may have been too vague. What I was trying to say was, if you are happy without "stuff" on the walls, then leave them bare. If you like the look of having some things on the walls, then go for it.
Here's specifically what I did to decorate my living room. I started with one item. Is there something that you have already that you really really like? Start with that. If not, then start looking in stores for things you like. Don't go to buy, just go to look. First, you want to get an idea of what you like and what you don't like, and why. Once you get an idea of what you like, you can start with one item and go from there.
For example, I found a set of curtains in a color that I loved. LOVED. Had to have them. Then I started looking for things that went with them. A rug with that same color in the pattern. A couch that went with both the rug and the curtains. Then a painting to hang over the couch. It took time. It didn't happen in one day or even in one month.
Don't buy things to put on the wall just for the sake of having things on the wall. Pick things that you really like, things that reflect who you are and what you like. The stuff on my walls is a combination of original art by local artists, and buy-one-get-one-half-off specials. The thing that ties them together is the color combinations and the "calm" feeling I get when I look at those things.
Hope that helps.
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Post by puppybox on Sept 14, 2010 23:35:08 GMT -5
m2cats i have this problem too but I'm kind of the opposite from you- I accumulate a million things to decorate with but never put them up. and then I can't stand them in one place if I o put them up and move the furniture and stuff often. its all in my head but I can't recreate it in real life for so many reasons.
i don't think furniture sets looks better than random peices, but some things look better together- I was always bad at this but after trying to teach myself by watching tv shows and reading magazines for 10 years i've learned there are thinks you can just learn, its a skill like any other.
some people are born with certain innate talents for discovering certain skills (like music) but Everyone can learn these skills to a good degree if they are taught properly. I think you can develop your skill at decorating or making a place homey if you like. you may like a minimalist style- though that too, looks "put together" rather than just undecorated. if you don't like stuff that has no useful function, that is a valid princpal to use as your decorating "style" if you want one. modern minimalism is a lot more homey than minimalism used to be, too.
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Post by yearning4order on Sept 14, 2010 23:44:30 GMT -5
I found that one of the most challenging things post-squalor has been decorating. It's still not something I really understand. I grew up in a decorated home (the opposite end of squalor, waaaaaaay to clean and harshness to keep it that way), so it's not that I haven't seen it before.
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anyway
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Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Oct 1, 2010 1:28:06 GMT -5
My mom overdecorates, I've always sort of overdecorated. Meaning, lots of stuff on every wall, can't stand an empty space on a wall or against a wall, lots of clutter in the form of knicknacks, etc. Since the move, I just want things to look "clean" and haven't been doing much decorating. I'm slowly putting things on the walls, but I'm being very picky about what I like. In the meantime I'm enjoying the clean, empty walls in my mostly clutter-free new home.
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Post by BetsyMarie on Oct 1, 2010 7:57:45 GMT -5
No, you're not doing it wrong. Although most people decorate their homes in some manner, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' about personal taste. I also have an eclectic style decor - all furniture is used, and my 'treasures' are from here and there. I quite like them and they do give me pleasure when I look at them. The pitfall with liking 'things' is the tendency to collect (and keep) too many. 'Hoarding' dont-ya-know.  If you plan to have more people over in the future, and think you might want to decorate your place in some manner, pick out a few things that you like yourself, and put them around. Don't get something unless you really do like it. Be patient. You don't have to have too much, just a bit of color in a pillow or two, and a piece here and there - Less is more.  Or you could just stay with 'neat' as your chosen decor. |
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Post by AnnieOkie on Oct 1, 2010 10:11:21 GMT -5
First of all, let me say to Hope: Thank you for this.....
"home is the dearest spot on earth..." -- to quote my betters.
...That says it all! I am going to use it.
Secondly, my decorating style has changed over the years. In my last home, I kind of just threw things on the walls over the years and it didn't look very good. Now that I own my own home, I am being very thoughtful about what I want to put up. I am worried I might make it look "thrown together" if I just start throwing things on the walls. I still have some things that are "musts" to hang on the walls (a dear, sweet portrait of my sons when they were little, a metal cross, etc.) but my tastes have changed in other aspects. I'm not sure I love my vintage photos, etc. that I have treasured for years. I still love my old/antique mirrors, but not sure if/where they will fit. I am also being careful because I may have to put anchors in the walls for certain items.
Furniture wise, I am hoping to buy new soon. I am leaning toward a solid earth tone and plan to accent with pretty throw pillows and a nice area rug.
I hope you find a way to make your space more homey for you!!
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Post by Script on Oct 1, 2010 11:17:17 GMT -5
Maybe I'm just still in college student mode. Sandra Felton, the "Messies Manual" author, has written extensively on this issue. I no longer have my huge collection of home-decor-clean-declutter-books, but I recall very clearly that she identifies numerous personality types who DO NOT AND CANNOT DECORATE. Example: those afraid of making a statement with their taste; those who are 'too busy' or 'too poor' to care; those who let others dictate to them; etc. Some college students have personal style and do a LOT to make their rooms homey or at least less institutional. I am not a visual person naturally, but I have an 'eye' for good furniture. And better still: I INHERITED furniture and artwork from people who were really good at decorating!!!!  One reason my home never looked 'that bad' even when it was in serious disrepair [leaking roof, damaged plaster]: the furniture and art works were nice. My 'vintage sofa' was custom made originally, very fine carpentry work: so even though the velvet was worn and the springs sagging, it was passable. Whereas, Sandra Felton says specifically that her rooms, even when clean and decluttered, looked AWFUL: because the furniture was ugly, period amen. I urge you for your own ENJOYMENT: look at pictures in magazines or catalogues and see what touches you. Do you ever say, "Boy, I'd like that xxxx kind xxxx of thing?" That's your Inner Decorator trying to get your attention. Good luck and keep reading here and elsewhere. LOTS of good ideas! PS: I had the above-mentioned sofa recovered in August. It looks immensely better! But it took my years to get up the courage to do this. Original upholstery from 1967................. xxoo from Script |
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Post by mouseanne on Oct 1, 2010 12:19:44 GMT -5
Hi, my2cats!
If you can get the feel for a room from a mag pic, then mags are a great idea. If you need more than that, then stroll through some furniture stores. Ashley, Thomasville, Lane, Ethan Allen, Slumberland. They are all set up in “room style” deocorating.
Once you see a style you LOVE, then find the magazine for your beloved style. Architecurual Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Living, Real Simple, Romantic Homes, Traditional Homes, Cottage Magazine, Country Life, Cottage Life, Cottage Living. All names of actual mags. Google/ bing “decorating magazine”.
If your local groc store does not carry it, and you are not near a big book store, subscribe to it.
Start a pocket folder (in school supplies they are under $1), a file folder, a 3 ring notebook, something! Once you find an idea you LOVE, tear it out. Tape it to paper, or in a page protector, write notes on what you like, and how you would love to implement it.
When you are ready to shop, read through your gatherings first. Take them with you (if you are not a layer downer-and loser). (not funny!)
Shop consignment stores, second hand (salv army/goodwill) stores, and 2nd hand furniture stores. (don’t forget to be careful of the bedbug issue). You might find something somewhere you LOVE. If it can be your signature piece, New or used, BUY IT!!! You are looking for wooden or covered boxes, interesting luggage, trays, frames, mirrors, etc.
If you have a collection of hoarded but not displayed, perfume bottles, antique glass electrical insulators, tea cups or sets, frogs, whatever, buy a display case or shelf. Make it enclosed if you hate to dust. THAT can be your sig pce, if you love it that much.
For decorating ideas, that do not make housework more difficult (always an issue with us SOOSers) I highly recommend Don Aslett’s book “Make Your House Do the Housework.”
Happy Decorating! Hugs! mouseanne
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Post by harleyquinn on Oct 1, 2010 14:44:10 GMT -5
Hi,
Here's a resource that doesn't cost anything and won't add to any possible clutter like a pile of magazines might (well, would in my house anyway)--www.apartmenttherapy.com
Happy decorating!
Harley Q.
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