I recently read an article about taking chances in business; it was titled ‘Don’t listen to your mother’.
The author spun the tale about his boyhood basketball triumphs and how his mother would yell ‘Don’t shoot!’ because she couldn’t bear the thought of him missing and being disappointed.
He shot, he scored and felt triumphant – despite his mother’s attempts at protection.
A client came to see me to finalize the choices for her home and she said ‘My mother thinks this carpet is too dark’ and proceeded to change from the colour she had originally chosen. I asked her if she was sure she was making the right decision and she hesitated and said ‘ I think so’. So sad! Thankfully we have a replacement warranty on our products that can save her from this colour mistake.
Ignore your mothers!
Mother-in-laws, step moms and bossy older siblings can all want the best for you but they are giving you THEIR opinions and it is (after all) your house! This includes friends and random strangers who want to give their opinions – ignore them.
I am always perplexed and humored when people start to give me advice on design, it happens more than you would think! When that happens I do have a moment of ‘Am I doing the right thing’ – and I’m the professional! So I can understand when your MOM comes with you to ‘help’ with your colour choices and bashes everything you have chosen that you temporarily can question your decisions.
There are so many amazing new design ideas out there; it is no longer an option to have a boring home! If you want to get creative with pattern and colour, consider your mom’s generation and the fact that they are not going to see your point of view when it comes to something out of the box.
No matter how with it your mom is, there is still that generational gap that will show when it comes to design preferences. Also, your mom wants to protect you from making mistakes – she is saying ‘Don’t shoot!’ But she is probably protecting you from making HER mistakes which can be a completely different ball game for your life.
Sounds very philosophical doesn’t it? In truth, I see design through a different perspective than I used to – there is a lot of fear in people when it comes to making decisions about their homes.
Our homes are a reflection of us and our perceived success and it causes some people agony to make decisions about what to put into that home lest they have someone disapprove! So often I see clients wowed by a show home or new design concept they have seen only to have it whittled down to almost nothing by fear and seeking the approval of others.
I say, ignore your mother and jump into the design concepts you have always dreamed of! Be bold with colour and throw caution to the wind when using pattern and accent pieces. I always silently cheer when people make bold design decisions and choices which are a reflection of their true desires.
I know those clients will look upon their finished project with pride and deep satisfaction in what they have chosen.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Contact her at 403-343-7711 ext. 227 or email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com.
