Good To Know: Fear-Based Design (And How To Avoid It)
W Design Collective (Spring Road Project), Photography by Kara Schmidt
It can be so incredibly overwhelming to take on a new interior design project. There are so many stressors: money, and the fear about getting it wrong, or not fully executing your vision. Our team was talking about the worry that can go into designing a space, and we don’t think that that should be the case! You’re getting to design and bring to life your ideal space, and that should be a wonderful thing, not something mired in anxiety. Today for Good to Know, we wanted to share a few tips to help reduce fear when you’re starting a new interior design project.
Before we can begin to conquer a fear, we need to establish the primary fears that people face when starting a design project. We feel that in this situation, people are generally dealing with two primary fears, the fear of making a mistake, and the fear of not having enough. In order to truly design without fear, we need to be able to address both of these fears.
THE FEAR OF MAKING A MISTAKE
As we’ve talked about before, the design process is all about making decisions! Our team makes decisions all day long, and it can be so nerve wracking to try and figure everything out!
FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU LIKE
One of the best ways to reduce fear from the start of your project and to avoid making mistakes is to do research and figure out what you like. In any design project, there are so many decisions to be made. Between furniture, paint, fabrics, accents, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed. By figuring out what you like, you can narrow down the options and make everything a little more manageable. After making some initial decisions about what you do and do not like, you have a solid starting point, and you’re less likely to get mired in indecision further down the line.
The best way to combat this is to spend some time developing your personal style. Do research, start a Pinterest board (or follow ours), and read a design book (we recommend this one). Design inspiration is all around us!
If you’re hiring a designer, it’s also super helpful to generally know what you like and dislike, so you can choose a designer that exemplifies the style you’re looking for. The design process is a collaboration, in that a client expresses what they like and we work to manifest that in the best way possible. If you have no idea where you want to begin, a designer can absolutely help you hone your style, but this part of the process is also so fun, and we highly recommend it!
If you are still doing research, and are unsure about what you truly love, it’s a good idea to experiment with inexpensive pieces and secondhand items. That way, you can get a sense of what you would love to live with without breaking the bank on items you’re unsure about.
Once you know what you like, don’t be afraid to invest in high-quality pieces that will last a long time. By this point, you will have done enough research to feel confident in the direction that you are moving, so the fear of spending more for quality items will not be as intense. Taking the time at the beginning of a project helps assuage fear, and can help you move forward with more confidence. We also want to mention that, just because something is more expensive does not mean it’s better. Quality pieces and accents aren’t necessarily more expensive. It’s worth it to take the time to research, visit showrooms, and read reviews to help wade through the noise and determine what are actually the best pieces.
CREATE A SPACE THAT YOU LOVE
As you are embarking on your design project, keep in mind that the only opinions that truly matter are yours and the people that you are living with. In the days of Instagram, it’s so easy to get caught up in what looks trendy, or what you’ve seen other people do in their homes. At the end of the day, the opinions of others truly do not matter if you like it! Good interior design is all about expressing who you really are in a physical, three-dimensional space. As long as you feel good about it, that’s all that really matters. The first and most important goal is to create a space that is perfectly suited to you.
“Life is too short to feel ashamed to express your eccentricities or create a home that makes you feel happy, calm, secure, and inspired. Your decor doesn’t have to say something about you, but it should reflect what makes you feel good and help you live your best life.
Couples should respect one another’s needs and compromise whenever possible. Children should be allowed to choose a favorite color for the walls or build a fort out of their child-size bed. Those who live alone should celebrate their freedom to build a nest tailored to fit their needs and desires.”
- LONNY
As you move through the design process, don’t be afraid to embrace things that might not be the trendiest, or that you haven’t tried before. If you’re nervous about testing the waters with a new color scheme, use inexpensive throw pillows, flowers, candles, and other small accents to incorporate it into your space before you fully commit.
It’s also important to remember that everything does not need to be Instagram-ready. Sure, you want your space to look nice, but gauging what you like based on what’s trending on social media is not always going to be the most rewarding. Try to ignore the social media noise, and focus on the pieces and style that truly resonate with you.
W Design Collective (Spring Road Project), Photography by Kara Schmidt
THE FEAR OF “NOT ENOUGH”
One of the biggest things that we see when people are designing their homes is a fear of not having enough. A fear of not having enough space, enough bathrooms, enough cabinetry, etc. Building a home out of fear that you won’t have enough is not the way to go.
For example, let’s consider cabinetry. However appealing it is to have a place for everything, everything you own does not necessarily warrant custom cabinetry. Especially as we move towards a continually more digital age, we are going to have less physical stuff, so an excess of custom cabinetry will not be a necessity. This is not to say that you shouldn’t plan for storage, but instead, truly consider your current needs and carefully anticipate your future needs. Reconsider what you need before adding storage out of habit or default. Consider the 80/20 rule, in that 80% of the time, you’ll probably only be using 20% of the features in a space, particularly in a kitchen.
Thinking about the things that you use the most often can help prioritize what is vital, what would be nice to have, and what can be left out of a design. It’s also helpful to keep in mind that the benefit of designing to your actual needs means potentially freeing up space in your budget to utilize elsewhere!
“It’s smart to anticipate future needs, but one should never build storage for anticipated future hoarding.”
- LONNY
There is actually a Latin phrase that’s been used to describe this design issue for centuries. It’s called “horror vacui,” and it literally translates to the “fear of not filling up” or the “fear of emptiness.” This term has mostly been used to describe Victorian era design, where every single inch of a space was stuffed with design. The people who invented this phrase felt that too many design elements in a space tended to overwhelm the living and working that needed to happen there as well. This is all to say, don’t be afraid to build some white space and openness into your design. Keeping things a little more simple can allow the elements that you do include to truly stand out, instead of trying to compete with a bunch of other elements. Please ignore this last paragraph if you’re creating a maximalist space.
HOW TO DESIGN WITHOUT FEAR
Okay, so we’ve covered some ways to avoid getting caught up in the fear of starting a design project. Instead of thinking “what if I don’t have enough,” start from a place of “I have enough.” I have enough space or enough stuff, or I have enough of this thing but I know that I don’t have enough of this other thing. Avoiding a scarcity mindset from the start will allow you to make decisions with clarity about what you really want to include in your space. As cheesy as this sounds, you should start from a place of love. For example, “I love cooking, so I would absolutely love to have all of these things in my kitchen,” or “I love this style, and it would be amazing to live in a space that looks like this.” Taking the time to hone your personal style and figure out what you really love is essential to designing without fear. By doing this work at the beginning of a project, you’ll be able to have more confidence that you’re not making a mistake, or messing anything up. I hope that some of the advice here has been helpful, and if you’re still lost, call us! We’re happy to help you design your dream home.
Advice for this post has been gathered from Lonny, The Design Doctor, and Lisa Bradburn, along with our team.