The Best Decorating Tips You Ever Learned From Your Interior Decorator

May 30, 2022 by

This week, I’m sharing a recipe for delicious black bean meatballs. They’re versatile enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and of course they’re great for snacking, right out of the fridge.

Oh wait, that’s next week. Today I’m waxing poetic on all I know about interior design, which should take all of 45 seconds.

A LITTLE COLOUR NEVER HURT ANYBODY

There seems to be a cultural bias against colour lately.

I ask you, how hard is it to decorate in 50 Shades of White? 

We dismiss colour as childish and frivolous, prizing neutral hues as a mark of coolness and mature taste. That belief has left us in a place where we feel almost ashamed to have colour in our lives.

Can I get a ‘Hallelu’ here?

Yes, you can picture it now. You’ve seen it all before. The trio of white shiplap, neutral tiles, and a non-noticeable paint hue. A beige bucket on a beach. A port-manteau of grey, beige and white. Flipper gray on the rest. Essentially as vibrant as a bowl of cold porridge. All scheduled to appeal to the largest swath of anybody who might buy your house within the next 25 years.

Even if you are a bit of a chromophobic, you can incorporate small pops of colour to energize a room, like: a couple of throw pillows, a vase, a piece of art. They become little gifts— small infusions of warmth and life. 

And it’s truly amazing what a lick of paint can do to a space. A pop of color can seemingly transform a space overnight. (Or however long it takes for the paint to dry.)Although a colour scheme based on mottled liver is probably not the best choice.

 

BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD

In the long run, it’s more economically savvy and sustainable to buy the expensive item once rather than opt for the budget-friendly finds and replace them every few years. So if it’s possible to wait a bit, you’re better off saving up for a durable and beautifully designed piece that will last.

Find a piece you love, save up, take the plunge, and then build the room around it.(It also can help to binge-watch decorating shows and download apps, as long as they never mention astrological signs.)  By the way, you are free to share this information with anyone ahead of you in the Starbucks line as long as I get credit for it. 

DON’T FOLLOW TRENDS

Trends come and go. So take a break from Instagram. Instead, sit down and ask yourself, What do I really love? Make design choices based on your personal aesthetic. If you decorate with items you love – or that your interior designer loves – your space will stand the test of time. I mean, life is just better with poms-poms.

 

TOSS TCHOTCHKES

We often make the mistake of buying lots of inexpensive, small accents like those litle ceramic sombreros that you were conned into buying on the beach in Cancun. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s far more financially savvy to invest in one statement (and, yes, possibly expensive) accent instead.The end goal isn’t just to own more stuff. The end goal is to live a satisfied, deep, and more intentional life focused on things that actually matter – like gaining more TikTok followers.

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LAST WORDS OF WISDOM

Always have a vase of fresh flowers somewhere in your home next to a glass of wine – and don’t worry about the budget. It will sort itself out in a few years.Secondly, Coco Chanel said it best: Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off. The same can be said for your home—and clearly, your closet.And no matter what, always wear stretchy pants with an elastic waist. In preparation for the black bean meatballs you are going to make next week.

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We now return to our regular programming.
 
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