The other day, I was thinking about what another mother shared with me while we were working on a project for our children's school. Somehow through our conversations it came up that I was a decorator. She said that one of her friends had hired a decorator. She didn't like what they did. Her friend's home, while it looked pretty, no longer reflected her friend's tastes. It no longer felt like "her". Hmmm...interesting point and of course it is a blow to my occupation if people say "decorators" do that instead of that decorator in particular. When we have a bad experience with a furniture store, for example, do we say all furniture stores give us bad experiences or do we point to the problem one? Either way, this is what is being said, and it had me thinking.
What do you say when someone says that? My personal feeling is, if that's the reaction your friends have to your home's makeover, then the decorator missed the mark. They tried too hard to make the space pretty without listening to who you are, what you like, and how you like to live. Just because the final product is worthy of a spread in the local decor magazine doesn't mean it's right for you.
With that I was reflecting on my own sense of style and how I like to live. Am I a photo-worthy decorator? What do I bring to the table? Why am I doing this? If someone were to look at my space, they wouldn't say it was magazine
worthy, because it's not a WOW space, but it's a NICE space and it's
LIVEABLE. The living room looks like people use it, the toys have a home of their own,
and the colour palette of the finishes are soothing and coordinated.
The bathroom is classic, clean (because it's organized) and again has great budget-friendly coordinated finishes. The kitchen
is small, well thought out and again organized. The kids' rooms have a
level of organization to them, but I do have to close the doors from
time to time to forget out the mess. After all, I'm good, but I'm still
trying to figure out their organizational habits, and they
can make a mess REALLY fast.
In the next couple of months I am trying to really LAUNCH my business. I mean I have officially been in business for several years. I've had a company name, a logo, a business card and a website, I've taught at the local college, I've stayed connected in the decor world, I go to the design shows and I read all the magazines, but my reality is that I've spent a good chunk of my day taking care of my little ones. With my youngest ready to start school, it's that time when I have to start investing more time into my business. I'll now be available to give my best full attention to my clients so I'm ready to put myself out there.
I'm excited about this and let's face it, a little nervous. I think, no, I KNOW I have a lot to offer. I want my clients to be wowed by their space and love it for years to come. Not only that...I want to CHANGE people's lives in the process. I believe if you have an organized, beautiful space, your life can be better. You'll have more time for the important things in your life, you'll have less stress, because you can find the things you need and you have less clutter...who wouldn't love that? And above all, I want the space to reflect YOU, not me, when I'm done.
I'm looking forward to September my friends. Bring on the crazy spaces and let's have a makeover, shall we?
