Ok I have a confession to make – I have a fickle design mind. My style preferences change A LOT and I never know when I’m going to start leaning another direction.

In the past 6 years I’ve gone from loving everything rustic and barnwood, to contemporary with gray walls and formal furniture, to modern and relaxed! Our homes have gone through a roller-coaster of styles but I’m pleased to report that I’ve stuck to a modern style for almost 2 years now!

I know I’m not the only one with this problem! There’s a group of you out there who just can’t seem to stick to one style for longer than a year and redesigning/redecorating your home every time you have a change of heart is not cheap (or easy)! Not only that, but it’s difficult to make semi-permanent decisions (like kitchen cabinetry, flooring, or exterior paint) when you’re not confident that you’ll love your choices 6 months down the road.

Let me help you! I’ve dealt with my fickle design mind long enough to know how to deal with it and I’d love to share my tips with you!

 

THINK ON IT

I get it, you saw a wallpaper that you LOVE on Pinterest and you’re just dying to try it in your own home. As tempting as it is to make an impulse decision, the best thing you can do is think about it for a while. There have been plenty of things I was dying to do in our home but I forced myself to think about it for a couple weeks/months. If I still loved the idea after that time passed, I went for it. But there were a handful of times where I didn’t love my original idea anymore and I’m so glad I waited.

 

 

KEEP THE EXPENSIVE STUFF NEUTRAL

Expensive is relative to your budget, but in our home we spent the most of our sofa, rugs, accent chairs, and bed frames. When it comes to the expensive pieces in your home, I find it’s best to keep them neutral in color and pattern. I personally fall in love with patterns quickly, and I fall out of love with them even faster. So patterns are a no-go on anything expensive in our home. Also, colors are a risky choice for me so I tend to stick to neutral colors when selecting expensive furniture or rugs.

You can then bring colors, textures, and patterns back into the space with pillows, blankets, artwork, etc.

KEEP PERMANENT FIXTURES SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL + NOT TRENDY + SOMETHING YOU’VE LOVED FOR A LONG TIME

Woofta that was a mouth full! Permanent fixtures like cabinetry and flooring require extra thought!

Keep permanent fixtures neutral – If you recently fell in love with the color blue and you’re intrigued by the idea of painting your kitchen cabinets blue; consider painting your cabinets a more neutral color but incorporate blue in a less permanent way…like artwork, dishes, or decor on open shelving.

Avoid trends for permanent fixtures – If you’re anything like me, your love for trends comes and goes swiftly. Unless you have the budget to update expensive things like cabinetry every time you fall out of love with a trend, it’s best to avoid trends as much as possible. I always recommend picking cabinetry and flooring that will blend smoothly with a variety of styles so that if you change your style down the road, you don’t have to replace your those aspects too.

Rely on the things you’ve loved for a long time to make decisions for permanent fixtures – If you’ve loved hunter green since you were 6, gosh dang it get a hunter green couch, or a bed frame, or whatever suits you! In my case, I’ve loved black, white, and hunter green for years and I refer back to my default colors when selecting expensive and permanent fixtures. Get familiar with colors, patterns, and textures that you’ve loved for years and rely on those aspects to make decisions for your more permanent fixtures.

 

 

BE CAREFUL WITH THAT CASH

Always be cautious of spending lots of money on furniture and decor if you change your style often. Bold furniture styles can be hard to blend from one style to another so I suggest overthinking your expensive furniture purchases. My advice – splurge on the things that you know you’ll love and you’ll want to keep for a long time. Don’t shell out tons of cash on an item that is trendy or hard to sell if you change your mind.

AVOID TRENDS

I mentioned this earlier, but trends filter through quickly and I’ve found that it’s best to avoid them when possible. Either the trend goes out of style or I get tired of it because I’m seeing it in every else’s home too. Either way…trendy pieces don’t typically last long in our house.

 

 

KNOW YOUR TENDENCIES

After 6 years of designing and refreshing our own home, I’ve learned a little bit about myself. I’ve realized that I almost always get tired of patterns but I rarely get tired of solids. And color is hit or miss for me. One day I love a bold color and the next I can’t stand it. White, black, wood, and green have been my go-to favorites for years now and I know that I can rely on those colors to last in our house. Get to know your own tendencies and the things that you always fall back to. Rely on those to make decisions for your home.

OWN IT  

Some people may think that us fickle designers just can’t seem to figure out our style, but I like to think that we’re just changing with the times and ever-changing styles. Honestly, I’d much rather change my mind often and stay “current” than be stuck in a previous decade. If you’re open to new styles, colors, and schemes, than you’re probably staying current.

So own the fact that you change your mind a lot – you’re just staying in the game!