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Decorate With Intention: To Buy or Not to Buy
Before you make your next home-decor purchase, ask yourself these 10 questions
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
The much-quoted English textile designer William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." A worthy goal, to be sure, but a bit tricky to put into practice.
Like magpies flocking to shiny bits and bobbles, we are drawn to the latest gadgets and designer decor. If you love to shop but don't love the clutter that comes along with too many not-right purchases, it's time to take a step back and get a fresh perspective on what you buy and why. Join us as we delve into 10 key questions that will help determine whether that new furniture or decor item should earn a place in your home.
Like magpies flocking to shiny bits and bobbles, we are drawn to the latest gadgets and designer decor. If you love to shop but don't love the clutter that comes along with too many not-right purchases, it's time to take a step back and get a fresh perspective on what you buy and why. Join us as we delve into 10 key questions that will help determine whether that new furniture or decor item should earn a place in your home.
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1. Is it useful? While not everything in our homes must be strictly utilitarian, it is much easier to justify a purchase if the object of your desire also serves a purpose beyond looking cool.
1a. OK, so it's useful — but do you need it? This is the part where it can be tempting to tell yourself a little white lie. Sure, those golden bananas are useful — they can hold fruit! But if you already have a dozen fruit bowls at home, is a golden banana bowl really going to be useful to you?
1a. OK, so it's useful — but do you need it? This is the part where it can be tempting to tell yourself a little white lie. Sure, those golden bananas are useful — they can hold fruit! But if you already have a dozen fruit bowls at home, is a golden banana bowl really going to be useful to you?
2. Is it your weakness? We all have our loves and obsessions. For me, it is books. I can't walk past a bookstore without going in, and I can't seem to leave one without buying something. But simply being aware of what your weakness is will help strengthen your resolve when you need to. For example, over time I've come to realize that nonfiction books are the ones I most like to keep permanently, so I try to check out current fiction from the library instead.
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3. Do you love it? We all know the feeling — you look at something, whether it is an amazing antique, a painting or a vintage trinket, and just gasp. Your heart beats faster. Your senses are thrilled. Your fingers are itching to pull out your wallet and bring it home ... but hold on just a second, we're not done yet! Read on to make sure your find passes the test.
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4. Is it your style? It is possible (quite common, actually) to fall head over heels for something that is not your style. Think of an art gallery. You may be completely in awe of a certain artist's work but would never want one of their pieces in your home. Well, guess what? The same thing can happen when you are out shopping. Even if you love something, if you know deep down it's just not "you," it is best to appreciate it from afar and leave it at that. Bringing home something that falls into this category is where many people go astray in decorating.
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| 5. Does it work with other colors in your home? When you are in the process of decorating a room, it is a wonderful idea to carry a small envelope or folder with paint and fabric swatches when you go out shopping. Being able to hold up a swatch of your wall color or the fabric on your sofa is invaluable when you are looking for coordinating pieces. Don't have swatches? At the very least, take a few photos of the room in good light and bring those with you on shopping trips. It will avoid many headaches down the road when a color or print clashes and you have to make returns or eat the cost. |
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6. Is it in the budget? This is a slippery question, because decorating budgets can often be wiggled a bit. Even if the top limit of what you can spend on a room must stay firm, falling in love with the perfect piece (that costs more than you were planning to spend) could mean cutting corners elsewhere.
If you simply can't afford it, keep the info in a file for future reference, and let it go for now. It's not worth going into debt over decorating a house.
If you simply can't afford it, keep the info in a file for future reference, and let it go for now. It's not worth going into debt over decorating a house.
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7. Can you return it if you change your mind? Return policies are always a good idea to check, but it is especially important to be diligent about this when you need to try out a piece in your home before knowing for sure if it will work.
7a. You know yourself best. Will you actually return it if it doesn't work? If you, like me, tend to slack on making returns, don't make the purchase unless you are 150 percent sure you want to keep it.
7a. You know yourself best. Will you actually return it if it doesn't work? If you, like me, tend to slack on making returns, don't make the purchase unless you are 150 percent sure you want to keep it.
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8. Is it an impulse purchase? Some impulse purchases are fortuitous finds. If it's something you love that you've been looking for, or you know exactly what you want to do with it, then go for it. But be honest with yourself. It's easy to get swept up in the thrill of shopping, scooping up things just because they are there.
Retailers place small items in key places near the checkout area because they know shoppers are easily tempted to throw "just one more" thing into their baskets. Resist. If you are still thinking about the item tomorrow, go ahead and buy it — but most of the time, you will find that the allure fades as soon as you leave the store.
Retailers place small items in key places near the checkout area because they know shoppers are easily tempted to throw "just one more" thing into their baskets. Resist. If you are still thinking about the item tomorrow, go ahead and buy it — but most of the time, you will find that the allure fades as soon as you leave the store.
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9. Do you know where it will go? If it is a large piece of furniture, check the measurements to be sure it will fit where it needs to go — including through narrow doorways and stairwells.
This rule doesn't just apply to bulky furniture. If you know exactly where each item you purchase will "live," you will be keeping clutter at bay. It's the objects that float around our homes without a permanent location that make a space feel messy.
This rule doesn't just apply to bulky furniture. If you know exactly where each item you purchase will "live," you will be keeping clutter at bay. It's the objects that float around our homes without a permanent location that make a space feel messy.
by Kelly Donovan
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10. Is it the best example of its kind? Just because an object is useful does not mean it can't also be visually pleasing. If you want your home to be beautiful inside and out, take aesthetics into consideration even for the more mundane purchases like step stools and cleaning brushes.
More:
Clutter-Clearing 101
More:
Clutter-Clearing 101
Ideabook published on May 23, 2012.
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Don't care what colours or style are in this year, or the idea that stainless appliances and granite counter tops are a must have. Love when I go into a home where the folks are doing what works for them!
Re the swatches .... is it only me that finds the lighting in stores terrible nowadays? To determine an actual colour, I find myself more and more heading to the store front in the hope that if offers some natural daylight. Also, I find a lot of the packaging (particularly those encased in heavier plastics) distorts colour as well. Maybe it is just my old eyes, but I find it so da*n annoying.