I grew up with two parents who had an interest in design and art, and liked their surroundings to be “just so.”
Not in a snobby way or a pretentious way, mind you, but in that AHHHHH kind of way when you choose the right colours, the right shapes, the right lighting… and everything just WORKS.
Their cred? Well, my mom is a very gifted artist and designer who rewires Goodwill lamps and restores battered wing chairs bought at hotel auctions and slipcovers anything that stops moving long enough… and my dad is just really picky.
He’s more GQ than Architectural Digest — the ties the man owns! — but he can choose a chair he likes as well as anyone. And sit in it for hours BETTER than anyone.
Long enough to get slipcovered, actually. But just the once.
So: are you into creating an atmosphere, or do you just need something to sit on?
Is there an architectural or design style you prefer to surround yourself with, or do you just wish someone else would do it?
Or can you make do with a La-Z-Boy, a TV tray, and one of them lamps you touch and BAM it turns right on, Marge?
This Choose Ye will dig a little into your “environmental style”… and remember, as always, the point is not to go “maybe!” or “depends!” or “gosh, I don’t know!” The point is to make a choice.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to come to your house and take something away from you because you expressed a general (NOT LEGALLY BINDING) preference (it doesn’t need to be what you actually have now) in a comment on my blog.
At least not yet.
If I get bored enough, though… WATCH OUT.
I’M HIDING IN THE PANTRY WITH A SHARPENED GRANOLA BAR.
(Oat shiv?)
CHOOSE YE: DESIGN/DECOR/I LOVE LAMP EDITION
Floor lamps or table lamps or sconces? (note: not scones. everyone prefers a scone…)
Low lighting or major lighting (when there is no natural light)?
Window treatments or simple shades/rod and drape?
Big TV in the living room, or hidden away in a den or bedroom?
Photographs everywhere, or mostly just art?
Wood or metal?
Light woods or dark woods?
Chairs that recline or chairs that… well, they’re chairy
Smooshy couches or structured couches?
Indie furniture stores or big chains?
Tidy or cluttered?
FILL IN THE BLANK BONUS: Favourite room to decorate?
Living room off-limits, or that’s where your family hangs out?
Design-focused furniture or traditional, common shapes?
Big, bold prints or smaller patterns/prints?
Antique or modern?
Major colours or neutrals with a bit of colour?
Lots of different textures, or just a bit?
Great room/open concept or contained spaces?
Fragrance (candles, etc.) or none?
Get things decorated for you, or do it yourself?
Create an overall look right away, or build it over time?
Form or function, overall?
