Big Talk. No Walk. Until Winter Storm Niko Blew Through Town.....

WOW. It was really snowing in the Northeast today!  I'm sure, if you're like me, you were inundated with snow pictures so, forgive me, I am not here to share the weather or news....I am simply painting a picture for you....snowed in, fridge stocked, computer fully charged and nowhere to go.  A perfect day to hunker down and (1+ yr. later) finally walk my BIG talk on Interior Decorating.  It wasn't my intent to write an inspirational blog (see Work/Life Balance previously) and then fail, miserably.  You see, I have always had a problem with starting small. I look at a project and want to tackle it head on and just OWN it.  And, I have unrealistic expectations that I'll be good at it.  Right off the bat.  2016 proved to be a year that I couldn't juggle it all and, even more so, proved to be the year where my greatest strengths exposed themselves as well as my fair share of weaknesses.  It was a tough but beautiful year.   More on that one day....

Like I said, I don't know how to "go small."  Truth.  I am IN or I am OUT.  There has never been much balance in my life, especially when I am holding down a full-time job -one I love with all of my heart-one I am passionate about-one where I know I make a difference -one where most people would give their "right arm" to have-one that clients really look to me as their go-to in good times and bad and -one that I, ultimately, gave more to than myself.  I am learning...and trying. I really am. At the turn of 2017, I settled down-tried to quiet my mind-to take personal time to let ideas, dreams and projects marinate while I take care of my personal health.  Everything and everyone was getting a piece of me in 2016 but I had zero in the tank-much like the message in last year's one and only entry. Telling, huh?  I went BIG!  I was going to be a BLOGGER!  I was going to be a Sales Manager at a leading tech company AND an Interior Decorator!  I was going to work during the day and study at night.  Wrong.  I went too BIG.  Again.  Fail.

So...here I am...I'm allowed to hit reset, isn't that great?   We can fail and try again...that is exactly what I'd tell my best friend and, finally, I am starting to heed my own sage advice.

So....back to Interior Decorating.  It has been gnawing at me for at least 4 years officially, I know this because it came up in my Facebook Feed THIS week as a memory.  Ouch.  Nothing like stalling on a passion project. Ideally,  I'd like to take this course and crush it.  However, just taking some time every day to dedicate my energy to this new craft is more than I have been doing so I am going to take this day by day, "go small" and see where it leads me.

Today I completed 90 minutes of uninterrupted Interior Decorating.  Unit 1 in the books!  I learned a lot in that hour and a half and, if you are interested, I wanted to share what I learned and will learn throughout. Feel free to pass on and/or share, this is VERY beginner and meant for anyone interested in pursuing a passion in decorating-even if it is for your own home!

For starters....did you know there was a difference between an Interior Designer and an Interior Decorator?  I didn't either!  It depends on jurisdiction, city/state, etc....but, technically, an Interior Designer designs commercial and residential. For example, they would be responsible for understanding and knowing city codes. An Interior Decorator is for residences only. Up until about 30 years ago, these two job titles were interchanged. Who knew?!

As we get more and more overwhelmed with options, an Interior Decorator is incredibly important for many reasons but here are the two main ones:

1)  Choice is Overwhelming, a good decorator will help sort and edit based on your initial consultation
2)  Visualization and Explaining, a decorator-even in training-has the "eye" for design and will help translate the vision for the room and/or home you will be decorating together.

As true in many businesses, trust and financial responsibility is key to earning and keeping clients. Referrals won't come unless a designer is highly dependent and treats your money like it is theirs, always adhering to an agreed upon budget.

There are three simple guidelines to keep in mind when tackling a project:

• A successful room is functional
• A successful room expresses a mood (a coherent mood), a general look and feel you want to express
• A successful room exhibits a sense of harmony

These are three simple rules to apply to your own home and to a home you might want to work on with a friend, neighbor or client.  And, to build on harmony:

• Every element should be harmonious in mood.
• Every element should be harmonious in scale.
• Every element should be harmonious in quality.
• Every element should be harmonious in color.

Essentially, harmony refers to planning an interior so that all of the elements “work together.“ A decorator will help edit the furniture, color, lighting, etc...that does not fit within your desired "feel" for a room

All in all, a great overview and some simple reminders on how to look at magazines, showrooms, hotels, lobbies, etc....differently moving forward. I'll keep you updated as I learn and hone my craft. Thanks for following along!

**Reference:  New York Institute of Art and Design, Interior Design Online Course