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| Disaster DIY - Decorlexic |
I have lived in my little house for 12 years and have never done anything to it. Making decorating choices paralyzes me into non-action, forever stuck in the 90's. Motorcycle Man & I talk a good game to each other when it comes to decorating - ahem - or the lack of it. We aren't talking a little re-do here, we are talking the whole house - bedrooms, bathroom, living room, kitchen, new windows, new exterior, EVERYTHING!!!! To me our house has been a thing about comfortable clutter and kitsch, nothing that would ever cause my house to be featured in a magazine. We watch all the house fixer-upper shows and wish we were friends with the Property Brothers or the Love It or List Crew, because then really we would have someone guiding us in making our tumbled wreck of a house into our haven, our nest, our sanctuary or plainly put the place we hang out. We have gone out looking at stuff and bought magazines and try to picture our house decorated and spiffed, but we always fall short & just go back to flipping the channels and saying, "Maybe next year..."
Someone recently asked me what is my style? Ummm I am not sure, I think this is why I can't figure out which directions to go in. Usually Motorcycle Man is a complete polar opposite to what I like. I seem to like warm rich colours and Motorcycle Man tends to be more subtle in colour choices. We were looking at a style magazine today and were both drawn to a more contemporary style, but I think we are afraid to commit because we live in a 1946 house and kind of want to stick to the character of the house. Our daughter has taken things in hand with her bedroom and has decided on a two colour scheme design. At least someone is designing in the house!
We are so design challenged that we can't even pick a colour we both like for the exterior of the house. We have literally driven around Victoria on the motorcycle looking at houses to get paint inspiration, we came close a couple of times to seeing something we could both agree on. I suggested we draw our house out on paper and then take a handful of smarties toss them in the air and whatever lands on the picture is what we paint the house. Apparently Motorcycle Man doesn't share my sense of colour adventure or sense of colour humor. Geez its just paint - Motorcycle Man subscribes to the school of thought that the colour choices you make speak about the type of person you are. Its not like I am going to paint rainbow polka dots on the house or anything weird like flaming flamingo pink, but then again...never mind this type of thinking will just get me into more trouble in the decor/design world.
I am finding this whole process daunting because one choice leads to another on a dizzying list of possible design choices. Picking the paint, flooring, tiles for backsplashes, type of tub, toilet (you would think picking a toilet would be easy, apparently not), fixtures and on and on and on.....OH MY!!! I wish the design fairy would just wave her little magic wand, toss some pixie dust and poof it would be done!!
I am finding this whole process daunting because one choice leads to another on a dizzying list of possible design choices. Picking the paint, flooring, tiles for backsplashes, type of tub, toilet (you would think picking a toilet would be easy, apparently not), fixtures and on and on and on.....OH MY!!! I wish the design fairy would just wave her little magic wand, toss some pixie dust and poof it would be done!!
Then there is the budget issue, it seems everything I pick is way too much $$$. Once I have picked something out & find out it is the top of the line I can't seem to find the almost second choice that I could be happy with. I've been told to pick a starting point, but I don't know where this is. I am a design disaster - sigh maybe I will go for a scooter ride instead......
12 comments:
It's not hard! nor does it have to be expensive! Just gotta get creative :)
Like me!
Yup, but you have talent, color vision and everything it takes to create a great house!
Well, whatcha have in mind. Maybe I can come up with a design board for you to jump off of.
Thats the problem, I can't even figure out what I have in mind for the house. Its little and I don't want it to look too small by the colour choices I pick. I have a burgundy leather couch in the living room and am thinking of going with a peanut butter colour on the walls and then an off-white or cream on the ceiling. As for the bedroom I have no idea where I want to go. I haven't been able to find a duvet I liked and was hoping that would inspire me to pick paint.
I looked a new cupboards yesterday for the kitchen and think I kind of like the bamboo ones. I think I like a chocolate brown coloured quartz countertop, but then what do I paint the walls in the kitchen? What goes with a mid-cloured cabinet & brown countertop? See what I mean. I get stymied before I even start. The cupboards are darker than a blond colour, but not so dark that they make the room look small I looked at espresso coloured cabinets and they are just too dark. HELP!
One thing I have found when trying to think about decorating my small older house is that everything you look at in magazines is for big houses and huge kitchens. Its hard to even picture putting an eat-in kitchen together without feeling like it is closing in. Sometimes I just wish we would buy a new house that was all finished and be done with it. But that isn't going to happen. I am hoping that since we have started doing our daughter's room that it will help us to get motivated and get on with it. I have a gorgeous stainless steel fridge and stove sitting in the basement waiting to be used. I just want to press the "perfect turkey" button they boast about and have the perfect turkey cooked by the perfect oven.
hey Dar, send me a picture and i'll have some people at work make suggestions.
Send me some pics Dar. And I'll gladly help you out
Choice of paint colours should be the least of your worries, Dar, as painting is the cheapest and easiest way to redecorate a room. And if you don't like it, you can repaint over the new paint after living with it for a few months.
It's the other things that are more permanent that you have to live with.
Dar:
I think you should hire Tony to come over and paint for you. I don't like to paint, but I am quite good at watching for the missed spots .
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Tony and Bob
I have decided not to stress about the house and am going to do it a room at a time. I went to a cabinet store and decided I am really liking the look of the bamboo cupboards. I've gone back a couple of times and like it more each time. I think I am going to stick with simple clean lines in my kitchen, I have fallen in love with the narrow glass subway tiles, so I guess I am getting somewhere in my design dithering.
Ash you are amazing with your design projects!
Motorcycle man is picking out some windows soon Yay!
Since my lovely daughter has mauve madness going on in her room I am suddenly not so afraid of getting some colour in the house that isn't beige, grey or white. I have looked at some bamboo cupboards and am thinking I like them and have narrowed down a quartz countertop that I like. I am now thinking a goldenrod yellow or even a cranberry-ish red for the kitchen. I am actually getting excited about all of this now. I have settled on a colour literally called peanut butter for the living room. Bathroom I am still not quite there yet, but I may consider going with cream and some lovely tiles. So its coming together, now if only Motorcycle Man would catch my colour vision, he isn't quite sold on the red yet.
We are making progress YAY!!! Daughter's bedroom is painted. We have chosen windows and have narrowed down a kitchen designer and now contemplating colours and quartz countertops! So it IS finally coming together. I think we just needed a zap of colour to get us out of our design rut. Yup I am a happy girl.
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