How to deal with my worst design client ever: me.

I might be my worst design client for two big reasons.

1) There are so many possibilities and so many reasons to choose each of them.

2) I am way too familiar with my own home and family.

The possibilities part is a tough hurdle to jump. I can usually pinpoint a delightfully fitting option and idea for clients without much stress. While there are other sofas or paint colors, there is usually one that fits and feels right for someone else.

But as I know I’m a ever-changing mood-driven and inspiration-addicted personality, well, it is tougher to get just the right one of anything. It is usually the right now, for the right now. And that’s the mantra I embrace.
If I think about what I might like in a few years, or how our lifestyle will change as the kids grow up, I get overwhelmed by trying to attempt the nearly impossible trick of creating a home that is perfectly suited for every aspect of every part of a family.

It is more important to create a versatile and life-friendly environment and then mix in those pieces and parts that comfort and create functional and fun living for each stage of our lives.

When I am working with a client, I like to completely absorb the personality, lifestyle, habits, and routines of the client. Since I am my own client sometimes, I could skip this step, but I don’t. The trick is to step outside of myself and see how we live and what we love from an outside empathetic point of view.

Sound complicated?

Here is a an easy trick to making it happen. Leave your house, leave your yard.

Then walk to your home as if you have never been there, taking photos. Same goes for each room you are working on. Don’t tidy up beforehand. Just snap photos. Then, look at them on a computer screen or print them.

You will see your life in a whole new way.