My heart is not here this week, wanting so badly to assist the citizens of Nepal after reading about the devastating earthquakes has left me with no design inspiration or enthusiasm and I should apologize in advance for not being able to provide you with any perky or optimistic design advice.
When I have witnessed photos of flattened homes and children who have no place to sleep it gives me an unavoidable ache in my heart when I think about what we complain about and what we take for granted in our beautiful, safe country.
It is truly about our perspective and our gratitude with what we have been blessed with, isn’t it? Doesn’t there come a time when we need to take a look around and experience a deep and profound gratitude for our homes and our ability to make them absolutely beautiful?
I find the more uptight and controlling a client is during a project the more things seem to go wrong.
Is it because they are fixated on every small detail or is it more of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Those clients who are romanced by the process of redecorating or design are more likely to enter the final space with an open heart and a deep breath as they truly enjoy the beautiful space they have helped create.
I’m not sure I can accurately describe why some clients appreciate and allow themselves to positively experience their homes while others only see the flaws.
Possibly a personality type or maybe some people are looking at their homes or their decorating projects from a perspective of perfection – that they can’t possibly be happy or satisfied if there is one flaw in the hardwood or that the battle to have a single slightly off tile removed from the middle of the bathroom floor will make them more relaxed.
It is true that some personalities would be bothered by slight irregularities in their product choices and I find that hardwood and tile are the two main culprits in causing people unhappiness.
Take a look around your home and ask yourself if you can peacefully live with your house in the condition it is currently in. I’m not saying to accept shoddy workmanship or damaged materials but to take a breath and consider those around the world who do not currently have homes and look at it for a few moments from another perspective.
A committed contractor or sub contractor will work with you to fix your concerns but sometimes, just sometimes I think we can let a few things slide in the greater scheme of things and still be happy and grateful in our homes.
The best design advice I can give you this week is to loosen up a bit, ease up on that white knuckle hold you have on your contractor’s neck (or wish you did!) and know that everything is going to be alright and that soon you will have a beautiful new home or space.
You are one of the fortunate ones to have four walls standing even if you are pulling your hair out over the perfect paint hue.
Eventually everything works out and hopefully you have had a pleasant time arriving at your ideal space, and you can if you practice perspective in all situations, even the very frustrating ones.
Kim Wyse is an interior designer with Carpet Colour Centre in Red Deer.
