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| Image courtesy of Stacie |
In order to get the most out of your decor, take a look at this advice from writer, Adrienne Breaux, from Apartment Therapy. She breaks down some of the most common bad habits renters succumb to that forces their decor to suffer. Do you struggle with any of these bad habits?
1. You aren't considering "home stuff" in your budget
No I don't mean you're not budgeting for utility bills and other emergency things — that's stuff many of us have been trained to consider when working on our budgets. What we're talking about is not considering how much money you want to invest into making your home better. Considering making room in your budget for these kinds of expenditures (whether decorative or functional, like storage solutions) ahead of time means you're thinking about it — and that will help those who tend to go a little overboard control their spending better and those who tend to be a little too tight-fisted make sure they meet design goals (by allowing themselves to splurge on decor from time-to-time).
2. You're not getting creative and thinking outside of the box
Before you buy anything and most especially before you buy anything that kind of works but not quite how you would like it to, ask yourself whether or not you can DIY something better or get a little weird and creative to fit exactly what you're looking for. It's about taking a moment (or three) to consider alternatives — not just jumping on the first/easiest/same as you always choose solutions that come to mind. Allowing yourself and your creativity to expand a bit in all directions, design choice by design choice, will make a marked difference on your home in the long run.
3. You're trying to be like someone else
One of the biggest compliments you can get about your home is for someone to walk in and say "this looks like you," because that means you're expressing your true likes and dislikes and crafting a home that fits your personality. The benefit of a home like this? Not only will it be completely unique, but it'll be ultra peaceful and recharging — you'll find untold wells of strength in a space you don't have to pretend to be someone else in.
4. You're holding on to furniture and decor that no longer serves you
This can be a tough one because like, who out there is made of money and can throw away perfectly decent furniture? We're not saying throw it away though. But don't hold on to it if it just doesn't work for you, either. Sell furniture that you no longer like, even if you don't have something else you want to replace that hole with. Leaving a spot blank in your home will allow yourself to be open to whatever new and wonderful thing has been waiting to find its way home to your home. Trade furniture with friends if you both have matching needs met by the other person's stuff. Or hack and saw away at furniture pieces, stripping them of their former styles and functions, to reshape them into powerful symbols of the new look you want to project with your home. The very last thing you want to do is live intimately with a piece of furniture that just only makes you go "meh."
5. You're not shaking up your style enough/often
Make no mistake — "shaking up your style" doesn't have to mean wallpapering your ceiling or painting the baseboards red. We've all got our own definitions of what "wild" is. And wild isn't even what we're saying you should go for. What you should aim to do is push yourself — stagnant spaces don't just suck, they suck the energy out of your home a little bit each day. Finding the places that you let fear hold you back or cling to comfort too tightly can help you bust through any self-imposed limitations to find new looks, colors, functions, storage solutions, styles and more that make your life infinitely better.
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