Design Like No One Is Watching!

by Elizabeth Randall on 29 Oct, 2014 - Comments Off on Design Like No One Is Watching!

You’ve heard the phrase “Dance Like No One Is Watching?”  I’ve always loved that phrase and I wish more people would take it to heart.  So many times I’m at events and I know there are lots of people who would love to be up and dancing, but they are afraid of what others would think.  That makes me so sad, as everyone can dance and it shouldn’t matter what others think.  I feel the same way about design.  Too often I have had clients say to me, “this is the color of my dreams, but I don’t dare use it.”  Or, “if I could have a room that looks like this I would be happy in it forever, but what about resale value?”  (Even though they have already said they don’t plan on moving for the next ten years or more.)

I understand that in commercial or institutional design that you want to design a space that works for a lot of people and that creates your identity.  However, when it comes to your home, why not create a space that reflects who you are, or who you want to be in your best self?  Enough with the phrase that the crotchety lady says in Cinderella – “It SIMPLY isn’t DONE!”  I say if you want to do it, it is your money and your home, so why not make it yours?  If you have friends and family over often, don’t you think they would want be in a space that reflects you, rather than some photo in a magazine?  After all, they came to see you for you.

So, my advice to residential clients when they ask me about something that they clearly love but are a little unsure of: “Design like no one is watching!”