Breaking Rule Number One

A few weeks ago I came across a large stash of House Beautiful magazines at my local public library’s bookstore. Someone had generously donated over twenty issues to the “free for the taking pile.” Not one to turn down a free design magazine, I grabbed them all and have been happily reading through them ever since.

The magazines are about ten years old so it has been quite interesting to look back and see the styling and trends of the not too distant past – some seem dated while others look as though they were created today.

One of the stories which caught my eye was an article in the June 2000 edition titled “Decorating Don’ts.” It was written by then editor Margaret Kennedy and is a list of 25 “decorating pitfalls which everyone would prefer to avoid.” The light-hearted list includes Ms. Kennedy’s ideas as well as those submitted by various designers.

I am not going to reprint the pitfalls here, but as with any list there were some differences of opinion. One rule, however, caught my eye and made me chuckle.

RULE #1

“Don’t even lift a finger without an overall decorating plan. First spend time thinking about how you’ll use spaces, what kind of light rooms receive, what atmosphere you’re aiming for.” M.K.

Whoops! If you have been following me and my living room (aka red room) makeover you know the only thing I knew for sure when I began this still ongoing project was the walls were no longer going to be red and most of the furniture would have to stay. I literally didn’t have any other decisions made!

I do get the idea of planning things out before you begin especially when your project involves major renovations. When I am decorating a room, however, I prefer to make the decisions as they are needed. (I guess I would not make a very good designer!) For example, now that my curtain rods are hung, it is time to choose fabric. As far as a small table for between the two chairs is concerned, I am patiently waiting to come across “the right one” rather than actively searching. The laid back approach just seems to work for me.

How about you? What are you thoughts about planning? When you tackle a project do you have every detail planned or are you like me? I would love to hear your thoughts.