How to Decorate Authentically: Find Your Why

Have you ever asked yourself WHY you make the design choices you do?

To get to the absolute heart of what makes your interior aesthetic unique to you and only you, you need to take the time to understand what led you to making these instinctual choices. 

For example, why do you always pick the earthy, nubby textures for your fabrics and upholstery? 

You might say: “Because I love the way they look.”

So, then you need to probe a little further…

Why do you love the way they look? 

Your answer: “Because they have a handmade quality and feel to them.”

I tell you to, again, keep looking further.

Why do you like the handmade feel and quality?

You think a bit and say: “Because they remind me of my grandmother. She used to weave and knit blankets and throws with chunky fibers and yarns. I would always snuggle up under one of them when I visited her.”

Ahhhhh! Now we’re getting somewhere!

When you keep peeling back the layers to discover WHY you make certain choices, you discover WHAT you need to incorporate into your space.

In the above example, I would encourage this person to continue to venture down this line of WHY thinking to identify intricate details and images to further explain their specific decorating style.

Utilizing this process to create your authentic home can either help explain your favorite design choices, or help you to realize the choices you should have been making instead.

Good design facilitates an emotional connection with your space. If you’re not feeling an emotional connection to your home, start with WHY. 

One of my clients posted this Emotion Wheel the other day, and I fell in love with the visual concept of how our emotions intertwine and morph into new emotions.

Keeping the goal of authentic design in mind, where do you fall on the Emotion Wheel when you look around your home? This may vary for different rooms or areas of your home.

What can you do to assure you find yourself in the YELLOW section of the wheel?

Please reach out if you need help moving from one of the other sections of the wheel to HAPPY.