Don't Buy Words: Step Away from the Cute, Cheap, and Country

This post is part of my Design Bootcamp Posts which help you design a home you love. To read more posts like this, start Here!

We've all done it - stood in a store, looking at something that caught our eye, deciding to buy it, and then regretting it the second we got home. We've come home with things that we think we can fix, but never get around to. We've bought things because they were on sale and it was good enough. We've purchased items that were cute and then tried to make it work with the rest of our decor. Well Ladies, it's time to say, "I ain't doing it no more!"

Now that you have defined your Interior Design Style and Style Words, you have some guidelines for making design decisions and home decor purchases. You know what you want and the look you want. So when you start shopping, you should be asking yourself if each piece matches one of your style words or your design style.

Let's take our example of the football coach's wife who likes mid-century modern and minimal design but needs her home to be open and airy for entertaining. She would be asking herself as she shops - "Is it modern? Can I use it to entertain? Is it simple in design, but also functional? Will it leave the room feeling light and airy?"

It's also helpful to identify our "Don't Buy" words...a.k.a. the words that have led us to make poor decisions in the past. So our coach's wife likes things that are cute and cheap. This has led her to buying a lot of small decor items, like lamps and art, that looked dwarfed in her open space - all cause they were inexpensive and good enough. Now that she knows she wants a more elegant, modern space she knows not to buy something because its a good deal. She'll save up and buy what matches her style.

Use the worksheet below to jumpstart your brainstorming session. Write down 3-5 "don't buy" words that have led you to make decorating mistakes in the past. Remember these as you shop and design and step away from items that match your "don't buy" words!

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