Love what you love......

.....with no apologies, without hesitation, and without the need to wonder what others will think.

You'll never go wrong decorating your home or anything in life, really.

I believe that our home is the reflection of our soul, so I strongly disagree with following trends for the sake of being on trend. 

The color of the year changes. Obviously. 

Patterns come and go. 

Bye bye chevron. (Apparently, if it isn't a subtle take on this trend, it's already out)

Chrome? Satin nickel? Aged brass?? 

Who cares?!?

I hear women say this a lot, "Well, I really love that lamp, but it has a brass base and nothing else in my house has brass."

My response is, "SO what???" 

If you love it, you love it. That should be it.

For example, I am a crazy floral lover.

I can't help it!

I was born with the soul of a 90 year old woman. Her name is Beatrice.

Back in the day....like 2008, I posted one of my rooms on Rate My Space and I had excellent reviews EXCEPT when it came to my floral pillow shams.

Exhibit A:  "This space is beautiful, but OMG, those granny florals have to go!!!"

I was like, "Screw you! AND your granny, you big floral hater!" 

You see, I tend to get a little feisty when people tell me what to love. 

I never posted on RMS again. Not because of the hatred directed towards my hand made, granny floral pillow shams, but because the "criticisms" were not based on anything other than opinion, which to me, is not as educational as constructive criticism. A criticism that would be based on composition, flow, functionality, use of  color and pattern, as well as visual balance would be much more helpful.

I am actually very used to constructive criticism. You will not survive an education in art if you cannot take constructive criticism. Unfortunately, most feedback you will receive from the world is more like constructive opinionism.

How does saying "I don't like that." inform or educate?? 

It doesn't. 

p.s. no one cares if you don't like something, so there isn't any need to announce your disapproval of the things you dislike.

Why do people think that they can comment on something that a person obviously loves?? 

I mean, boy, do I ever have my opinions, but I always have regard towards the things that people love. 

I have to. Who am I to tell someone not to love something??

This client LOVES Ralph Lauren florals....

...and we get along quite well.

In fact, we are freakishly telepathic with one another.

We will both think to add pom poms to something at the same exact time....

....It has happened on at least three separate occasions. 

We constantly freak each other out with stuff like that.

That pink velvet is called "Lipstick Pink" and it's one of my favorites at the moment. 

I could do an entire settee in this stuff!

I also love floral paintings. 

Especially those with pink!

 I saw this painting at one of my favorite little shops....Leggy Bird in Libertyville, Illinois.

...which happens to be going out of business...I was very sad about that. I almost threw a temper tantrum when I found out. Leggy Bird was my guilty pleasure. I knew every time that I went that I would find something amazing. I mean, look at the storefront......

That is a design made out of astro turf.

I want that.

Then look at the Greek key design painted on the concrete.....

These things only mean that this place had it GOING ON, people!!!

And now it's gone.

 It's the same little shop where I found my little pink chair....

...and that vintage bag that haunted me for about a year before I broke down and bought it.

It's also the place that I found my apple bottom chair with the boots and the furrrrrr! 

Except it didn't come with any boots. This was WAAAAAY before Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams started putting that Tibetan lambs fur on everything!

When I heard the news, I was like, "why God????? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!?!?"

You know why??

Because they had  really cool stuff that people were too afraid to commit to.

When there for my quarterly visit, I would hear people freaking out over how cool things were and how they loved this or that, but then they wouldn't buy anything!

I'm not gonna lie, a part of me was like, "GOOD! More for me then!"

BUT my point, is that we have all lost a gem because we take our interiors, and basically everything in life, way too seriously. Also, because we care waaaaaaay too much what other people will think of us if we were to do something out of the norm, or heaven forbid, something non-matching.

It shouldn't annoy me so much because the concept of "matching" is probably what most people think is the basis of my career. It is not. My real career is listening, interpreting, and helping people express what they need to express via their homes. 

The most successful projects we have are those that involve conquering fears.

This client LOVES vintage finds and some walls plastered in floral paintings as well...

..BUT she was very afraid of dark walls.

WE are all told that "dark walls make a room feel small!!"

So? 

What's wrong with small?

Why do you need your powder room to feel massive? 

She trusted me and we did it and she LOVES it!! 

Success.

It probably seems like you have to love florals in order for me to work with you.

Not the case.

You just have to love what you love and be ready to break some rules with me.

I should also mention, that should you have a spouse, they should be ready for such rule breaking.

What would you do in your home if you weren't caught up with the fear of matching?

What things have you seen lately that seemed crazy, but intrigued you enough to consider using them in your home?