This made me think about food -- it’s so hard to answer when someone asks “what do you like to eat?” but it’s a lot easier when the question is flipped to “what do you not like to eat?”
Thank you for an absolutely lovely read, and a feast for the eyes and the mind -- at least for me, someone who has no idea what my personal design style is yet, or even what I need or like. I do know, at least, that there are many design styles and elements that I strongly dislike! And I have noticed I have a nasty tendency to be overly dismissive or repelled by things that feel uncomfortable for me to be near -- which is all well and good to accept on a sensory level, but gosh, I hate how incurious it makes me. The farmhouse style is one I also tend to loath, mainly because of its associations -- to me it's the interior design of upper middle class republicans and "buckle bunnies" who pretend to have an upbringing and cultural ties that they really do not, mixed with the superficiality and destructiveness of a house's real, good "old bones" that I associate with many HGTV shows. It was nice to see glimmers of the style here that I actually could reasonably like, or at least feel comfortable around.
I'm so looking forward to getting to talk with you more about design. I know for a fact that my environment is a massive determinant of how I feel, and if i can focus or get done any of the things that I yearn to do, but when it comes to solving a space that isn't working, I am completely unmoored. All I know is "no" and "I fucking hate this". It's a bit of a relief to think that is as fair a place as any to start.
Now onto researching ways for me to incorporate more color and warmth into a rental. Because I know that all this default landlord white paint surrounding me is viscerally not it.
Devon, thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! I am also so looking forward to talking to you in a couple of months! I definitely want to do a lot of stuff about rentals, because so many folks are renters these days, without much hope (even if they have the desire) to own a home. Right off the bat two things come to mind: one is that in both of the places I have recently rented (and this is true of both of my children's current rentals), the landlord gave permission to paint. So it never hurts to ask. But if you can't, or don't actually have an interest in all that work, my other suggestion is colored lights. They're not for everyone, but when done well, they not only create an ambient light throughout the room, but they literally turn white walls (temporarily) into all sorts of colors! We're going to do a video about it soon because Jesse and Gray have all the technology and know-how in their home.
Love the breakdown on your thinking because I have the same ideas. Understanding what you don’t like is a great way to think of it. I recently had a web designer ask me in her intake form which websites I don’t like and I didn’t answer it and now I’m going to really think of that question because it’s helpful!
This made me think about food -- it’s so hard to answer when someone asks “what do you like to eat?” but it’s a lot easier when the question is flipped to “what do you not like to eat?”
Thank you for an absolutely lovely read, and a feast for the eyes and the mind -- at least for me, someone who has no idea what my personal design style is yet, or even what I need or like. I do know, at least, that there are many design styles and elements that I strongly dislike! And I have noticed I have a nasty tendency to be overly dismissive or repelled by things that feel uncomfortable for me to be near -- which is all well and good to accept on a sensory level, but gosh, I hate how incurious it makes me. The farmhouse style is one I also tend to loath, mainly because of its associations -- to me it's the interior design of upper middle class republicans and "buckle bunnies" who pretend to have an upbringing and cultural ties that they really do not, mixed with the superficiality and destructiveness of a house's real, good "old bones" that I associate with many HGTV shows. It was nice to see glimmers of the style here that I actually could reasonably like, or at least feel comfortable around.
I'm so looking forward to getting to talk with you more about design. I know for a fact that my environment is a massive determinant of how I feel, and if i can focus or get done any of the things that I yearn to do, but when it comes to solving a space that isn't working, I am completely unmoored. All I know is "no" and "I fucking hate this". It's a bit of a relief to think that is as fair a place as any to start.
Now onto researching ways for me to incorporate more color and warmth into a rental. Because I know that all this default landlord white paint surrounding me is viscerally not it.
Devon, thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! I am also so looking forward to talking to you in a couple of months! I definitely want to do a lot of stuff about rentals, because so many folks are renters these days, without much hope (even if they have the desire) to own a home. Right off the bat two things come to mind: one is that in both of the places I have recently rented (and this is true of both of my children's current rentals), the landlord gave permission to paint. So it never hurts to ask. But if you can't, or don't actually have an interest in all that work, my other suggestion is colored lights. They're not for everyone, but when done well, they not only create an ambient light throughout the room, but they literally turn white walls (temporarily) into all sorts of colors! We're going to do a video about it soon because Jesse and Gray have all the technology and know-how in their home.
Love the breakdown on your thinking because I have the same ideas. Understanding what you don’t like is a great way to think of it. I recently had a web designer ask me in her intake form which websites I don’t like and I didn’t answer it and now I’m going to really think of that question because it’s helpful!
I'm so glad to hear this! That's intriguing that a web designer would have that question on her intake form, I feel validated, lol!