Good question. When I am trying to decorate around something (esp. something I don't love) I want to fix it. If it is a bad floorplan, I want to fix it. I have some wall space where art needs to go . . .I want to fix it. Bad lighting? Want to fix it. Lack of comfort (such as not enough pillows)? Want to fix.

Right now, I guess I want to fix things more than being settled. BUT, thanks to this forum, now I have 2 issues with the floorplan solved . . .people here helped me with my LR arrangement and DR table placement, so that has helped a lot. Now I feel like more of the "fun" part of decorating will come since this is settled. I also know the direction I am taking, so that is making me feel better, too.

I hope I get to the point of contentment soon. I guess I could feel like that now . . .I have food, shelter, etc. Not much to complain about.

When I think I have something finished (or near to finished as it's going to be), I come here to fool around with others decorating issues.

I used to always strive for perfection or something close to it when decorating . . . but, somewhere along the way I just decided that if DH & I liked it and it works for us, it's ok. I can let the little things go now. Heck, I can and do let go of a lot of the big things go now, too!

I've always loved to decorate and think I'm pretty good at it. But last week, the interior designer we were working with at a great furniture, home accessories and interior design place in town, suggested that he'd love to come out and see our home once the the new sofa and chair are delivered. I can't help but chuckle at what he'd think about my decorating style! Would he cringe that all three of the New Mexican cultures (Hispanic, Native American and Cowboy/Anglo) are represented here in our home instead of sticking to just one? Would he think DD's Parisian bedroom looked odd and out of place? It is, but she loves it, so that's all I care about. Would he think that our furniture choices don't work with the house style? How about our living room with it's very eclectic art from New Mexico, India, Africa, Japan and Syria all in the same room?(LOL!)

There was a time in my life, and not all that many years ago, that it would have bothered me alot not to have this place as near to perfect as I could get it. But, I somehow arrived this new stage in my life (probably with age-LOL!) and, although I still love to decorate, I'm comfortable in my own skin and with our home the way it imperfectly is. And you know, it's much less stressful for me this way, too ;^D
Lynn

We have been planning a kitchen addition and I had been so looking forward to it when two friends husbands suddenly passed away and now these two women under forty must sell their homes they can no longer afford to keep. It is heart breaking and it has made me realize that my home is just fine now. If we cancel the addition I could afford this home if anything tragic were to happen and that is perfection to me now not a perfect kitchen. I have a pleasant and unique house and I now realize that is all I and my family needs to live happily. So yes I think for the most part I am ready to settle with what we have and enjoy adding little things like fresh flowers from the garden.

I'm defiitely a settle-er. My house will never look like an "after" photo, because I lack both the energy and the resources to make my home (or anything else) "perfect".

That said, I do always have projects in the works to at least make it "better"--whether it's planning to paint a room, or keeping my eyes peeled at the thrift stores/Craigslist for furniture I want.

We've been here three years and I just found workable nightstands on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. They're not perfect, so in one way they are a "settle", but when the weather is nice I will probably paint them, so they're also a "keep tweaking".

If I had a zillion dollars and could just get "everything" right, the joy would be sucked out of it for me.

Good topic! For the most part I'm a function over form person so my house can never be "perfectly" decorated. For instance, to me a south or east facing window means plants (for their air cleaning benefits but also because I just like them) so things are arranged in part for the plants even though it might not be the best decor-wise.

I do tend to tweak a lot though by moving things, accessories mostly, around. But I don't buy a lot of new things unless something is worn out and needs to replaced. I make do mostly.

In general, I'm pretty happy with my decor as it is, but I always have my eyes open for things that might make it better. I don't have the budget to change my decor with each new trend, but I try to keep it fresh with current accessories, lamp shades, etc. I'm also one of those who changes out accessories in winter and summer, using darker colors and heavier fabrics in winter, which helps me to keep from getting bored with one look.

I'm still trying to get to "less than perfect", ha! No, i"m not satisfied, my house is really showing it's age but since I'm a single Mom on a limited time and money budget I have to pick my battles.

My house is far from perfect (whatever that is!) but it works for us. I think houses are always a work in progress, so it seems like there is always a project, or at least something to dream about!

All the time. That darn budget seems to always get in the way!

I want the "shell" or the "envelope" of the room to be perfect. This means things like I tear off the split, lead painted millwork and it stays like that while I find someone who can duplicate the original. I tear out the kitchen and four years later I have one again.

So this means I live a long time with things very imperfect or a complete mess. In terms of decoration, things are additive and I don't every try to achieve a finished point because I pick up bits and pieces anywhere.

All it takes is time and money, right? There are a few things I would do differently today- I wouldn't have built a stone step in front of the fireplace, for instance, but I'm happy with it this way too and won't tear it out now. I just want, just once, to FINISH a room before it's time to REPLACE or REPAINT part of it...

I am striving for perfection and a WOW family room. I have worked w/4 furniture store decorators and now 3 independants and I still don't think any of them have solved my fr design/layout/color issues.
Im deeply frustrated but I won't give up till I feel better when sitting in this room.
I truly believe that the right paint color and drapery treatments will get me closer to the look I want. Yet, I can't get it finishined.
I just tried Organza and Shakspeare beige and neither of them are working for me. So, the saga for the right paint color continues. People say it's paint, it's easy to change. Well, that's not true in my case, since I have to pay someone to do the work. So for me it could be a costly mistake choosing the wrong color.

I need to be surrounded by neatness and order at all times. I can live with very minor messes for a short time, like painting a room, etc. but am not willing to do more than that so usually buy what I can afford to fit the bill in order to have serenity.
If the custom cabinet will take 8 months but I can have an in-stock cabinet right now...ehh, I might wait, might not, depending on the differences.

I have a friend who has a gorgeous home but it has taken her decades to get there, wouldn't even buy a cheap charcoal grill to set in the backyard until they had big bucks to design the entire backyard and do it all at once.
So they went years without ever grilling out.
That kind of stuff drives me crazy.

I've always agreed with the old saying that beauty (or in this case "perfect") is in the eye of the beholder. I'm certainly hoping for perfect, but perfect for "us", not necessarily perfect for anyone else.
Now if we can just get the bones finished on our home so I can get on with decorating it.

I'm old enough to accept that there is very little perfection in anything in this world! I'm quite satisfied with my home and decor altho also never consider the decor finished as I like to frequently change things. I've collected a lot of stuff over the years so can do this mostly without cost. I love to look at other people's homes and pics for ideas of how I can use what I have differently. I also think it's fun to look in home decor stores altho only infrequently buy new things because so much of it is just trendy junk. I took a decorating course about 40+ years ago and the instructor said to use 'place holders' until one got the exact thing one wanted. I'm still using place holders in some rooms and likely always will! LOL I know that part of enjoying life is to have things to look forward to so if, and when, I find those perfect things to replace the place holders it will be a happy day but I'm not holding my breath waiting for that (nor looking too hard for them).

Well, knowing what perfection is helps. And I just don't have an eye for decorating, so the answer would have to be "YES", I always settle for less than perfection, I think. I have items I've had for my entire married life, some are family heirlooms, some are gifts from dear ones, and I just can't part with them. So they stay. Others may think they look tired and out of place, but they bring me comfort. Very occasionally, I'll ask for help here, but am worried what others here will think of my meager attempts at decorating. I love looking at others pictures for ideas. There are so many fabulous homes on GW. It's like seeing those beautiful models, and then I view myself as a short, chubby, older woman. Ha!

I'm with Roarah on doing what is affordable, too. At our ages (60s) we have to be cognizant of what we can handle if one of us is alone.

Maybe perfect is the wrong word! I didn't mean the dictionary definition, just "perfect for you" or did it turn out like you wanted it to or were you not quite able to achieve it because you're not the world's best designer or money or indecision or??

I try to accept that nothing is perfect, but that doesn't keep me from forever tweaking, rearranging, moving, moving back, throwing out, wishing I had it back, roller coaster ride of decorating. My home will be a forever work in progress, because of how I am. I can't leave well enough alone.

I agree with the theory that it's a lot more fun if you are actually working within some given constraints: budgetary, spatial, or otherwise.

For instance, we committed a few years ago to a policy of never buying anything made in China or other places where the labor policies are questionable. It's been really frustrating at times in other realms, but in terms of design in the house it's been a great challenge. I'm a huge reuse/recycle person and collect all kinds of oddities on my travels & love vintage pieces, so it's just added to the thrill of the hunt for me.

Sometimes I find myself wishing we just had enough money to buy stuff already and FINISH (we've been in this house for almost 4 years now), but I know deep down that I wouldn't really do that at all, even with the dosh.

I do find that sometimes it just takes forever before something 'feels' right, despite going through a zillion iterations. Sometimes I'll wind up right where I started, to the intense frustration of my loved one. He's more of the 'finish it and be done with it already' mentality, but I've noticed that even after things are settled in one room, he will begin eyeballing some hapless piece of furniture in another room as inadequate. I think the urge varies from person to person, but I'm definitely a refeather-the-nest-often type.

I'm with bumblebeez, I need a house done... could not live in a house for months with no furniture in a room. I guess I go through and do each room in the house and by the time I'm done I've got some changes to the first room I tackled. I'm a serial renovator - working on my 8th house renovation right now (while living in it - which I do NOT enjoy), the 7th house is currently a rental that I thought I was moving into after my divorce but didn't), and my 6th renovation just went on the market (was my home for the past 4 years but is way too expensive to stay in long term).

I just remembered something. When I was a teacher, I was ALWAYS rearranging my furniture in the classroom. The kids loved it. When I was pretty young (maybe 10?) I read "Cheaper by the Dozen" and decided I wanted to be an efficiency expert. I also could never study in a messy room. I love beauty, organization, and change, and am strongly affected by my surroundings. Therefore, I do not think I will ever be done.

Anele, I used to love it when the teacher would rearrange the room. Then I got new seatmates which was exciting...

I'm redoing my Living room & dining room. Walls are being repaired and will be painted. Floors are being refinished. New sofa & loveseat are ordered. All wonderful.

BUT, my TV/entertainment stand is Beech laminate from Ikea, next to it is a Cherry laminate bookcase. I have a "new" end table I just got today for $20.00 that I'm very happy with, it's real wood, maybe walnut. I have a tall end table, maple, in poor condition I'm keeping because my DD uses it, maybe I'll paint it? And I just found this coffee table I like, maybe I'll find time to go get it tomorrow. I know all this doesn't go together, but I also know it will be next to impossible to find matching pieces I really love and could afford. So that's it, my tables, TV stand and bookcase will not match, at all. And, if all these pieces did match, it would look like a furniture showroom, ick.

Oh and I have a dining set I don't like, dark Queen Anne, and I will not replace it for something else that I don't really love. So it will probably stay too because most of the furniture I see I don't like.

Here is a link that might be useful: coffee table I may get

Like Joyce, we have a mixture of things from our parents that we love but most people would question. Actually, I am sure our house is not decorated at all, merely put together. But it is a happy, cozy, comfortable place and I love being in it. I like our home much more than most of the decorated homes I visit, and people seem to like being here. I guess I am better at, I don't know, atmosphere maybe? than decorating, 'cause this house isn't decorated in any true sense of the word.