Question:
"How do you gain confidence with knowing that you’ll like the bigger pieces in your space? I think I would worry taking something home and not liking it" - Vivian
Answer:
Fair question, Vivian. One we can ALL relate to.
We’ve all made purchases that felt like a good idea at the time. And then we learn with time and experience that we don’t like or use them as much as we thought we would.
It’s a natural step in the process of developing your personal style over time. No shame in it.
Think of it as practice and experimentation. These are unavoidable, especially in our younger years when we’re still learning who we are and what environments make us feel our best.
As we grow older or more experienced, we naturally start to refine our style, and our environment. The editing phase.
This is where you gain confidence.
You can’t get here without a bit of experimentation, but I get that you don’t want to waste a boat load of money doing it. So here’s my approach to stress-testing your big purchases and decisions before you make them.
Step 1: How Do You Need this Piece to Function?
I always start a project by asking clients: how do you need this room to function? As we drill down further into specific pieces of furniture, this exploration continues something like this:
How many people do you want to seat daily on this sofa?
How many people do you want to seat occasionally?
When you have guests over, are they usually your best friends and closest family members? Or are they likely to be new friends or acquaintances?
When you have guests over, do you tend to watch the TV together? Or is the focus something else, like talking, music, or eating?
How will you realistically sit on your couch? For example…
Do you lay on it to watch movies and take naps?
Do you sit upright and eat your meals on it?
Do you and your partner/roommate both lay on it at the same time?
Will this couch be used daily, or rarely get used because you do most of your lounging in another room?
Do you have any kids? If so, how have your past sofas been affected by them?
Do you have any pets? If so, how have your past sofas been affected by them?
Is there anything about your current sofa that’s not working for you
Before making a big furniture decision, ask yourself these types of questions! Be realistic about your real, everyday life (not an idealized version). And if you’re living with someone else, a partner, a roommate, it’s important to get their weigh in here.
The honest answers to these questions will help you invest in furniture that truly fits your home and serves your lifestyle. And if you're wondering whether something fits your personal style, I have a formula for that.
Step 2: Know Your Measurements
This is a critical step in any design or purchase decision (even applies to clothes, too!).
When you work with me, the first phase in EVERY design project includes measuring your space. Measure the doors. Measure the windows and the walls between them. Even the awkward nooks and corners. Measure the height and width of the Big Blank Wall you want to hang art on. All of it.
Then measure your current furniture.
Keep it all in the notes app on your phone, so that before you buy any new piece you can reference your measurements and know with certainty that it will fit. (And if you’re still not sure, I can help you by showing you different furniture layouts in your space).
Always check the dimensions of a piece before you buy it. Always! It may be bigger or smaller than it looks in the product photos, and you wouldn’t want to find that out after you get it home.
Always check the dimensions of a piece before you buy it. Always!
Step 3: Try Before You Buy
Sometimes we do all the prep and the research and we still can’t seem to pull the trigger. I fully understand the analysis paralysis of actually making a purchase, especially a big purchase like a piece of furniture or what color to paint our walls.
But if we’re not careful we’ll just stay stuck here, thinking about it, moodboarding, Pinning, buying samples, forever. When I work with clients who are at that point, and have been at that point for a while, what they really need is a bit of momentum. To get out of the thinking cycle and back into a doing cycle.
So what I recommend doing, is some small, low-risk experiments.
If you’re familiar with design thinking, then you may recognize this as prototyping. Running low-cost, low-risk tests, seeing what you learn, and then testing again. It’s used to develop new products, but I like to apply this approach to home design.
Sometimes to get yourself unstuck and taking decisive action, what you need is more data. Data about yourself. Data about your life. And your opinions. That’s when I recommend this strategy.
Run Small, Low-Risk Experiments
If you’re considering buying a new L-shaped sectional in your living room, or trying a new seating arrangement, but you’re not sure if it will feel too big or work in your space, try moving things you already own into the size and space to test it out. Put your sofa or even your dining chairs into position. Sit in them for a week. Watch TV. See how it feels. Do you like it? No? No sweat. Just move it back.
If you don’t have furniture in the space yet, do this with your moving boxes.
If you’re starting with a totally blank slate, tape out the layout using blue painter’s tape. Tape out the size of your art on your Big Blank Wall, is it big enough?
Very low-cost, very low risk. And all possible because you know your measurements.
My Low-Risk Experiments
This method can be applied to decisions big and small, making purchases and even renovations too.
When I was considering open shelving for my kitchen, I ran a low-risk experiment first of taking the doors off of my kitchen cabinets. (I just removed the screws, and put the doors under my bed for a while). That way I could test: Do my plates get dusty? Does open storage feel cluttered to me? Can I realistically keep it tidy? It’s free, it’s informative, and it’s no big deal if it doesn’t work out.
Another low-risk experiment I’m running right now: I’m having a custom vintage sofa re-upholstered for my home. A real statement piece. The biggest furniture investment I’ve ever made.
I don’t wanna mess this up!
Right now I’m choosing the upholstery, and rather than picking a fabric that just looks good, I want to test if it feels good too. I’m working with Laura at HiLo Brooklyn who recommended I purchase a 5-yard sample of the fabric. It’s laid over my sofa in my living room as we speak.
I’ve been sitting on it, laying on it, letting my dog walk all over it, and visually seeing it in my space. Testing it. Seeing what I learn.
And if I don’t like it?
All I bought was some sample fabric. Not the whole banana (sofa).
So if you’re considering making a change, big or small, in your home - consider what small, low-risk experiment you can run this week.
Get out of the (over)thinking cycle and back into doing. Get curious about what you can learn about yourself, your needs and your life. This will give you the clarity and confidence to buy pieces that make your home feel more like you.
And if this hit home, here's an episode of my YouTube series Home School you might like.
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