Decorator Blues

I’ve heard it said that the only way to work through a problem is to admit that you have a problem. So here it is. I have a problem. I’m just a little bit addicted to watching home shows on HGTV. I can’t really remember how it started or how it got to this point, but it’s really getting out of control.

In my own defense though, who doesn’t love these shows? I live for the before and after shots. I marvel at the “reveals”. Getting a room redecorated changes peoples lives. This is big stuff. People weep with gratitude and go on and on about how this has changed their lives completely. They can’t remember how they were able to live in the “before” for so long. Finally, they have a landing zone for keys and mail – it’s revolutionary.

So that gets me thinking, I know I need a room make-over. I’m always losing papers, shoes litter my front hall and the living room isn’t inviting. I always think I can make some changes on my own and make it work for me but it never quite works out. My family will tell you that I am almost obsessive about moving furniture around. I have actually heard Joe trip over the couch in the middle of the night (with accompanying profanities) because he forgot that I moved it AGAIN.

I can’t help myself because I know there has got to be a better way. My living room confounds me completely. If you have a bay window with a view, a TV and a constantly used wood stove, where do you put the couch? Seriously, this stuff keeps me up at night! I just keep thinking that if I have an interior designer come in, he/she can fix everything and turn my life around. Not only will I not lose papers, the bins containing said papers will be cute!!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made some poor choices when it comes to design. I have been forbidden (by everyone I know) from painting with yellow. I’ve tried it on numerous times, you know to get that “sunny” yellow look, but I’ve ended up with nothing less than 70’s gold and Dr. Seuss green/yellow. I also made a bad choice on a shade of orange once but the paint store was able to help me correct the situation and it turned out beautifully.

Still, I press on with my entirely too limited knowledge of space planning, lighting and color blending. My most decidedly bold move came a few years ago when I decided that the dining room was just too closed in. I had talked to Joe about it repeatedly but he wouldn’t commit to doing anything about it so I took matters into my own hands (when he went out of town) – and took out some walls. Husbands everywhere just took an audible gasp. Detail work isn’t really my thing so I was a bit distressed to learn that there was a load-bearing wall involved that had to be addressed. Help was just a phone call away and the proper supports were installed so the house didn’t fall down, which I consider a “win”. A few months later I would learn that I had also severed a wire leading to the furnace – oops – but that was fixed as well. All in all, the house looks better with the walls removed.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever be happy with the way my house looks. Do the rest of you struggle with this? I wonder if it’s a cyclical thing and you just have to ride it out? Bell bottom pants came back (now referred to as boot cut) so maybe that’s how things work in the field of interior design as well. Maybe you’ll only like the paint color you so carefully chose for a few years then it’ll be time for another change. I’ve got to say though, if avocado green and orange come back around I am NOT putting it on my countertops, dishwasher, refrigerator and stove. Even I can’t mess that up!!