Go Go Decorators!

I have heard many people ask, "Why doesn't my house look good?  I don't know how to make it look like I want it to."  I was thinking long and hard about why people have such a hard time with decorating.  I realized that "baby I was born this way" (thank you Lady Gaga). I was born a dictator of taste.  As a child, I was very particular about having the correct Power Ranger sheets with all red, green, blue, black, pink, and yellow ranger pillows accounted for and in their correct place on my bed.  I knew I would sleep safely with the rangers by my side - ready to take on any monster that might be lurking about, taking them down with an overly dramatic "Come on guys!  Let's get them!" and a roundhouse kick to the face!  Do I need to say more?  As a teenager, I was the one to select the new paint colors for the house to make sure it was a good choice, because let's face it, nobody likes puke green on your walls.  What do these dictators of taste have that others don't?

Design Confidence 
Design confidence doesn't necessarily imply 'self-belief' in your ability to succeed in decorating.  For instance, you may be partial to a certain style like traditional or modern.  When a person doesn't dwell on negative opinions from others, they can be more 'design-confident.'  Now, you're not worrying about other's opinions and their disapproval, and you are more able to focus on the design of your room.  This means you can enjoy the process of decorating and feel confident in the success of a well decorated room.  Believing in your abilities to decorate comes through successful experiences which will solidify a sense of design confidence.

There are plenty of things that give us a lack of design confidence.  Some people have a hard time visualizing how they want a room to look.  Some have expensive taste and don't have the money to execute the look they want.   Thanks to my grandmother, who was a therapist, I have learned a little about the psychology of people.  I was thinking about how personalities can tie into different people's personal style.  So lay back and tell me about your design problems, and tell me - how does that make you feel? 

I was talking to a friend of mine who was having the hardest time turning her house into a home.  When you walk into her house you might confuse it with a terrorist apartment, because there is little to nothing in it.  She explained how she wanted her apartment to be filled with color and bold patterns.  When she walked into her home she wanted to be greeted with almost an obnoxious amount of color.  Is this really what she wants for her home?  As I, Dr. Brockman was listening to her, my design-psychoanalysis was taking effect.  I thought of who she is as a person, verses what she wanted in her home.  Now, this girl is one of the quietest people I have ever met. She enjoys reading books, and is never the center of attention.  Most of her clothing is very easy-breezy, but mostly just easy, with plenty of neutrals, and very little accessories.  Come to think of it, I have never seen her wearing bright colors or bold patterns.  She continued on explaining about her fictitious home, as I dug deep to who she truly is.  She simply didn't match up!  The answer became clear to me as to why she was having a hard time with her home.  She's not the type of person who would sport bold patterns or bright colors.  If she's not comfortable wearing clothes like that down the street, why  does she think she will be comfortable with loud patterns and colors in her home?  My friend dreamed of the rave-like apartment because I believe that is who she wants to be.  Since she's not that type of person, she doesn't completely understand that type of life style.  Which brings us back to the original problem - the execution of designing her apartment.

How can we figure out what our styles are?  One huge clue is looking at your wardrobe.  What are your favorite clothes to wear?  Are they patterned or solid?  Do they seem more classic in style or more trendy of today?  Do you accessorize?  So, go now to your closet and pick out three of your favorite fashion pieces.  What do you like about these pieces?  Is it the style, the color, the embellishments?  Do they make you feel comfortable?  These are all clues to who you really are.  If you love the style you wear, chances are you will love that same style in your home. 
Take this quiz and find out your decor style

Why can't we been more like the Power Rangers when it comes to fighting off our fears with our home decor?  With a theme song that will sound like "GO-GO Decorators," we can mighty-morph our rooms into what they should be.  I believe we can do just that, if we are true to who we really are.  If we build up our design confidence we can accomplish whatever we want to do.
[Design Public Announcement brought to you by House of Brockman]