More is More…Or Not

Like anyone in a service related industry, I don’t often do for myself what I do for others – as in, the shoemaker’s children have no shoes. In fact, my own home and garden are more like aesthetic laboratories than bastions of great design. I’m fascinated by magazine articles featuring designer’s homes if for no other reason than I can’t believe they actually finished their homes.I’m not sure I could ever get to the point where my home is “done” enough to have it photographed. I am continually learning, revising my style, visualizing new ways to group objects and changing the way I use my space. Often times I’ll be relaxing on my couch when I decide that a certain picture looks like crap on my wall and if I don’t move it immediately I may have a panic attack. Thus begins a several hour exercise in re-arranging.

The other day I was talking to my daughter about the upholstery fabric I bought for a chair in the living room and she said, “Is it a temporary or a permanent chair?” It occurred to me that I move things so often that she has no framework of reference for permanence in furnishings. Not that it’s a bad thing. She’s able to let go of just about everything very easily. In fact, no one gets comfortable with anything in my home because it may just be visiting for a short time.

Although I am constantly collecting, I am also constantly purging. I am on the complete other end of the spectrum from a hoarder. I also raised my daughter with the belief that if we can fill more than one grocery bag with things we don’t use, love or need, then we have a full day of cleaning ahead of us. That said, I am also completely infatuated with the late Tony Duquette and I could easily live out the rest of my days in any of his over-the-top fantasy homes. He was one of the last true design geniuses. Although he did things on a very grand scale, he was actually very thoughtful about what he added to a space. There are a lot of colors and textures in his rooms, but he knew how to create otherwordly spaces that you could move around in. I love to stare at images of his rooms, knowing how each piece was placed with care and a desire to make a statement.

More is More

However, purging is the first bit of homework I give all my design clients – EDIT. You hear it all the time on design shows and it truly is the foundation for a fresh new look. You have to get rid of stuff to create new energy, new feelings, and a new outlook. I often suggest making piles or sections of things. Things you love so much you’d die without them, things you’re not sure of, things you are embarrassed to have or don’t know where they came from. Then you take the second two sections and make donate, re-finish, and sell sections. If you can get money back to use on cooler stuff then why not? Purging hurts sometimes. It’s psychologically hard to have someone like myself come in and tell you that you have no style or that your collection of vintage toilets just doesn’t work. I do try to have some sensitivity to people’s love of a thing but I also realize that people don’t hire me to agree with them – or if they do, they have hired the wrong designer!

I want the process of redecorating to be one that invites an “AHA!” moment when the clients see their new rooms for the first time. They “get” it. They understand the use of their space in a new way and they enjoy being in their own home, no longer taking for granted that they have a place to call their own. I want people to feel pride, and believe it or not, many people feel nothing when they come home. It’s just home. For my newest client, a gentleman in Fremont living with two teenage boys, it’s been a huge experience for him in many ways. I challenged his ideas on what “classy” looked like. I challenged his idea of pattern, texture, metals, woods, just about everything. As his home is coming together piece by piece he is understanding that it’s about the big picture, not about the singular switch plate or the nesting tables. I no longer get emails with links to items that make me shudder. It’s a slow process sometimes but a good one.

I really do walk into a room and quickly make mental notes of what I’d change. It’s maddening sometimes. Not that my style or my way are the best ways. Clearly there are many interpretations of beauty and style and I have one viewpoint. Just know that if you ask my opinion, I will give it. Good or bad.

I have a friend who hired me to redo her gardens – front and back. We don’t really talk about her house. She’s a minimalist in the extreme. She doesn’t have anything because she sees herself as a gypsy, constantly moving. However, her next move is almost 4 years away! I can’t really relate to a space that has a couch, a chair and a tiny television and that’s it. That, to me, is prison. 🙂 This same friend accompanied me to Golden Lotus Chinese Antiques today and was so inspired by “stuff” that she had me select a beautiful vase for her guest bathroom and throw pillows for her living room. When you realize that your space is about relaxing, existing and hiding away from the world you start to appreciate how important it is to decorate it properly. Make it yours.

I hope to always inspire you to move forward with your style until you find where it is you are meant to be.

Melisa

Main Site

You may also like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.