Trends

Magazines have a way of making you feel bad about your home. Whether you recently remodeled or are in some various stage of completion, magazines have a "great new idea you must try" or a "new color trend you'll love." If you've just put the finishing touches on say, your dining room, and the next day you pass a magazine that says "smokey gray is the new neutral," for a split second, don't you feel like maybe you made a mistake and maybe you should think about repainting? You're not alone. Lots of people feel great about their space until the next issue of their favorite magazine arrives in the mail. 
Colors, styles and trends, are just that, trends. They are ideas, suggestions and inspiration. Powder blue libraries will be a thing of the past next month. There is no need to feel bad about your Tuscan inspired kitchen because the latest issue of House Beautiful has a "romantic island" inspired kitchen on the cover. Magazines are always looking to sell magazines! Of course they are going to put a beautiful room on the cover and claim this and that. It's what they do. It's your job as a consumer to say" that is a lovely room, not my personal taste, but lovely." Or maybe you love the room or the paint color and want to file it away for the future. Go for it! In two years when you want to repaint the guest room, if you still like the color, paint it! Don't ever feel bad about your space and don't ever compare it to a magazine! Use magazines as inspiration for your own personal spaces. Who wants an exact copy of someone else's room anyway? Unoriginal and boring!


What about if you love the current trend? Of course you can apply it to your current space. BUT you don't need to throw out everything and start over. Incorporate little things here and there. Toss pillows, candles, inexpensive knick-knacks, place mats and napkins. Hand towels, pretty bar soaps, a rug or lampshade, it doesn't need to be dramatic. Then in six months when you're tired of it or onto a new trend, it won't be as costly to replace them as it would have been if you had recovered your sofa in coral pink! You can do it, just be smart about it! And as always, if you struggle, there are people out there who can help you.


Now, that's not to say that magazines should not be highly regarded in some areas. Magazines are a good source to look for new companies and new products. Frog tape? Amazing stuff. Read about it in a magazine. Someone tested it against old blue painter's tape and was blown away! If I had come across it in the store on my own, I wouldn't have bought it. It's twice as much as the blue tape and how do I know it works as well as the label says?
Lightbulbs. Do you have buzzing lightbulbs in your house? Are they on dimmers? Me too. They used to drive me crazy. Then I read about a company that sells bulbs that have a thicker filament than your typical hardware store bulbs. I called and ordered some. No more buzzing! Those finds to me as a designer are priceless. That is information that I can pass on to my clients and friends to make their life that much easier.


Remember, not all ideas are good ideas for you!