Decorator Paralysis and My Dining Room
I have never told you this before but I have decorator paralysis ……..especially when it comes to my Dining Room and Living Room . Because part of my therapy is to tackle one room at a time we will talk about the Living Room at a later date.
And it’s really no wonder that a room that gets such little attention, would be such a challenging space to decorate. And don’t tell my husband, but the room that I “just had to have” when we were building our home could really have been eliminated, as we seem eat all of the family meals here anyways.
But maybe I hang in there at trying to recover because it is after all the first space you see when you come into my home….and I’m a fighter.
I have done a few things recently as part of my overall plan in providing a space that I will love even more and hopefully begin to sit in more often. I painted the walls, added some new curtains and updated the light. Eventually I will get a rug that I love to anchor the space, art for the walls and I will do a wall treatment where the plates hang.
And as I think about the things still left to do, I am reminded that we are never really finished with decorating anyways, are we? So as I change, my decorating style is changing, as are the needs of my family. Everything is evolving just like this room. And as I stare at a few out of aligned plates on the wall, I am also reminded that there is no such thing as perfection.
So maybe my little problem, isn’t such a bad thing after all.
How about you, do you suffer with decorator paralysis in any of your rooms?
You make a great–and very true–point. Your tastes will change according to where your head is at the time. Your house has a great vibe, and you'll adopt the same great vibe for your dining room!
I agree with Kirby. And…I think you are the Decorating Whisperer or maybe you should provide online decorating therapy sessions.
Oh brother, I have decorator paralysis too…all the time. It tends to make me just switch rooms! The outcome of that is that I'm moving pretty slowly. Lately I've been making a list and working on it a little each day. We've been in this house 15 months and although nothing will ever be done (who wants that) I do want to have it be homey and welcoming.
Your dining room is really pretty. Love the black furniture against the soft blue walls. The plates are perfect.
Girl, YES, I do because, you're right … we're truly never finished. And, how boring that would be if we ever were, right? I'll come keep your dining room company ANYtime!
As the one year anniversary nears of the purchase of my dining room chairs, and they sit half done….. yes I suffer from the same debilitating decorating malady as you.
No, we are never finished decorating. At least I'm certainly not. My sister in law decorates her home and it stays that way forever. Not me. Nope. Nada. I think your dining room looks great.
Hi Laura, I think your dining room looks great. Love that chandelier. I don't think I was ever really finished at our old home. I was paralyzed with changing a few things, truth be told. I guess I get the "guilts" (new word). I think about changing things around sometimes. It is so silly, after all, it is my home. But if someone gives me something that I really love and I take it down for a while and add something new, I feel like I am doing something wrong. In the new house when it is finished, no way, I am not doing that again.
Cynthia
Yes – my master bedroom. I never finish, and by the time I get back to it, I have completely changed my mind about what I want to do. Glad to know I'm not alone 🙂
Love your dining room. It is gorgeous. The plate display is fabulous. Hugs, marty
Hi Laura, My master bathroom is the room I'm stuck on right now. Haven't had any problems with my dining room, it's the furniture I have that I love. It makes decorating the room easy for me. Love your blog!
Why do you think it takes me so long to get my house done? I'm in a constant state of paralysis!!! If you could see my half finished master bedroom you would cringe! But I love the space looks — and am loving the pops of yellow! Have been toying with that color scheme for my master …
🙂 Linda
UGH! Same problem here with the same rooms! They are decorated with my "leftovers" and I'm clueless how to proceed! One of these days I'll get to it (hopefully before we move out) lol!
must be contagious….I have decorator paralysis too… But I couldn't have caught it from you…your home decor is gorgeous!
Totally!! Sometimes you have an idea that you know is just not acheivable and so you just don't start because you know you can't finish. I think you are doing great because you have done the little things that you can build on in layers. You have great floors and nice walls and a beautiful buffet. A great seagrass floor/rug would add texture and then some great upholstered end chairs…and you would really be "done"…:o) love your post! aimee
Yes! And I think if I ponder it long enough my ideas will shift anyway… kind of a vicious cycle!
Lots of possibilities for that gorgeous space, Laura!
xo Heidi
My husband always gives me "that look" when I even so much a mention a change of a room…..usually because I have just recently changed it! That's what we do!!! So, he just rolls his eyes and let's me do my thing! Your dining room is gorgeous as is the rest of your house and it will evolve as does the rest of your house when it is "its time"! ~~Angela
Switch it out for a bit and make it your own personal little sitting room…just for a while. Maybe then something will "come to you"
YES! I'm stuck in my master bedroom, I just can't seem to figure out what to do! You're so right, I'm never done decorating I just cycle through all the rooms and start over again 🙂 Can't wait to see what you do next!
I haven't touched my master since we moved in three years ago. Don't know where to start! Do love the start you've got happening, though!
It looks beautiful. Hopefully you will find more use for it as the holidays approach us!
I know exactly what you mean by decorating paralysis! Sometimes I just think I am waiting for the right thing to occur to me, out of thin air, automagiaclly! And sometimes it does! So carry on, it looks beautiful. I love the gold plate.
I have decorators paralysis in my living room…but it's in the process of getting a makeover and I think I finally got it LOL! I love your pretty dining room…your hutch is beautiful and I love the plated on the wall!
I get that particular paralysis all the time! Different rooms…what gets me in gear is if there is a significant holiday coming up (like Christmas!)or I know I’m going to have company and then I spring into action like a whirlwind. Nails, screws, paint touchups, linens all merge into a mini-tornado. Stuff that doesn’t match the season gets shoved into closets and drawers haphazardly while dustcloths, vacuum cleaners and potpourri dance in my head like sugarplum…wait, scratch that. Anyway, I pull out my treasures squirreled away from trips to TJ Maxx, thrift stores, etc. comes out and somehow it all comes together and looks purty good. Well, I get compliments! And people want me to do things to their house. ‘Ain’t nobody got time for that!’ I can hardly get all my ‘stuff’ done..now about that rug in the dining room, does it need to be bigger? Does it make my butt look big?
When I moved to this home I add. I kept thinking that in someway I was sabotaging the move. My previous home had been designed by me – not in full – but it was a process of taking all down and rebuild so every nook, every wall, every detail were made by me for me… and during my most delightful years. Those years you can’t remember not being happy and fulfilled. And suddenly or so it seemed I was moving away. The fact that the person who bought my previous home decided in the minute she entered my home and even wanted to keep my things as it was wasn’t helping. Major envy 😉
So when I moved I did the essential. The basic but I didn’t invest to that point of not wanting to go to sleep. And in a way and without noticing I took refuge in where we were more often. In the same way your Breakfast Area is for you and your family I guess.
With time I turned to the other areas. To go beyond the livable and pleasant. I wish I had your great taste 😉 and amazing details and objects.
It turned lovely. And you could take those 15 years to build much better foundations in your Family and in Duke Manor. You are wise. Choose your battles and keep winning them. This is definitely a winner. I love all about it. And you and your honesty.
Sorry for the long comment… I’m in talkative mode today 😀
Love and Enjoy every little bit of that “new” room. Kiss there, dance there, own it Happy and Successful!