Last week I was so excited to share a post a certain little post called Ask Sherwin-Williams… What are the Most Popular Paint Colors! Working in a paint store I spend every day answering the question “what color do people buy the most of” and the answer is always Kilim Beige. For me, that post was about the most popular colors… not which colors I personally love! In fact beige is one color I would never paint… if I had my way it wouldn’t even be a color anymore! Give me a gorgeous grey, fabulous blue or amazing pink any day… now those colors are my jam! I guess I’m just a rule breaker that way!
So today, in honor of our best friend beige, I thought we would talk about 4 decorating “rules” I just love to break!
You have to spend a lot of MONEY to have a gorgeous house!
Nopety nope nope nope. Sure having a giant dump truck back itself onto your front lawn and deposit a crisp heap of $100’s would be glorious… but it’s not reality. In real life we have bills to pay, families to feed and new curtains may not be on the top of the priority list. That’s ok! Work with what you have… if you can’t buy it make it. Thrift stores are your new best friend and hand-me-downs rock. Paint it, sew it, re-purpose it… give it new life! You’ve got this honey… and if you need ideas the internet is chalk full of amazing DIY’s. (Psst… I have quite a few on this very site! Check out 5 DIY Curtains Ideas, How to Apply FREE Wallpaper Samples, or What to do with EXTRA paint!
Everything has to match!
Does anyone else remember the scene in Gray’s Anatomy where Christina Yang walks into a furniture store and literally buys her entire living room? Just gestures to a fully decorated section and says “I’ll take that one… have it delivered?” That is sooo not the goal! Haha! In fact when my hubby and I were shopping for living room furniture he wanted to buy a 3 piece set… you know matching couch, love seat and chair. If that’s what you love go for it but I would much rather have coordinating pieces. Things that go together but aren’t identical… the goal in this house is not to be matchy matchy but rather to co-exist peacefully.
Worried because you don’t have four matching chairs? It’s alright go ahead mix and match 2 and 2… or heck have 4 completely different chairs! A quick coat of paint will unify four completely different styles! Or use two chairs and a bench… a long bench can fit more little booty’s anyways!
You have to decorate to make your happy.
Fill in the blank… mom, neighbor, best friend whose really great at decorating, mother-in-law, sister… the list goes on and on. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say “I just love this color but what would ______ think? It’s way too bright… I better go with something neutral” I say go with what you love! It’s not your sister’s house so don’t worry about how much she’ll hate your bright cherry accent wall! If bright cherry is your jam then go for it! As long as everyone living with you is happy then isn’t that what matters? If your brother’s girlfriend cringes every time she walks in the door don’t worry about it… eventually she’ll leave and go home. Make your home YOUR happy place… the rest will work itself out.
You can’t paint furniture!
I know there are two very divided sides of this particular coin… obviously I am on the “painted furniture is good” side. Honestly? I don’t like most wood… I really can’t explain it but it just does nothing for me. If you troll the internet there are a million reasons why you should paint furniture (it’s falling apart, you’re fixing it, etc.) and a million reasons why you should never paint furniture (you’re ruining the integrity of the piece… once you paint it you can never go back). Here’s what I think… do whatever makes you happy! None of these internet people live in your house with you… heck your painted-furniture-hating mother doesn’t live with you (hi mom!) so go for it. Why live with something YOU hate to make someone else happy?
And there you have it… four decorating rules I just love to break! What’s your #1 pet peeve in the decorating world? Sound off in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!
