Day 4 of 5: Designer Dialogue
PRB Interior Designs turning 5 — yay! I am continuing to share 5 things about my personal home and sharing what “real life” looks like for me day-in and day-out. Nothing is cleaned up or staged; this is truly how I live 24/7 — it has never been more true than today.
Make way it’s time to take on the master… number 4! That’s right, I am bring you up close and personal with my master bedroom — the place in your home that “should be” your sanctuary, your retreat, your place to recharge, and maybe even escape your house mates, spouses, children or pets. As you can see from the image below my bedroom is very bland. Although I typically leave laundry around to really give it an extra pop of color, you caught me on a good day! My master bedroom is extremely simple and that’s because it’s the room that I spend the least amount of time in. I don’t follow the “should” and “have-to’s” of design (unless of course they are for safety, health or well-being). I don’t make my bed every day (don’t tell my grand-mom) and I rarely put my clothes away after they’re washed (don’t tell my mom). True story, when my husband was working nights my clothes would “sleep” on my side of the bed for weeks while we both rotated sleeping on his side of the bed!
My master bedroom is about as far away from visually appealing as you can get, but I love my bedroom. I really do. I have a comfortable bed that I love (and as you can see my cats do too). I have enough storage for all my stuff; I know that because there is an extremely small percentage of the year where it’s all nice and neatly put away in the drawers and hanging up. I have a quiet place to retreat to with black out curtains in the evening. And all of that is good enough for me, right now.
So why am I exposing my dirty little secrets? To let you know that your space doesn’t have to be ready for a magazine cover to be loved and lived in. I have big plans, and I mean BIG plans, for the second level of our home (that’s where my master bedroom is if you couldn’t tell by the roof shape) and I hope that one day I get to execute those plans, but it’s not my main priority. I’m telling you all this to say that it’s ok to take your time with home renovations and redecorating projects. I actually prefer taking on projects in phases because it reduces the overload. However, my biggest designer caveat to that is, you need to be informed and responsible for the way the phases would take place. Do not rely on one source to give you all your answers and do not just agree if you don’t feel comfortable with what is going on. Even if design isn’t your “thing” you still have gut instincts. I think design projects go awry because people get antsy, anxious and blinded by smooth talking contractors. You are then left seeking answers not being provided solutions. Working though the design elements of your project before you even swing a hammer will keep your project running:
· On time because you will know what is needed at each new phase of the project
· On budget because you will know how much the progress payments will be/ what they will cover and have planned out all the small details that add up and cause costly change orders
· Without overwhelm and stress because all parties will be informed and have a solid end goal to guide them when questions and concerns arise.
Another quick thought that I have about my master bedroom is that there are personalities to each home/ room just like people. My master bedroom is the only room in the house I haven’t painted yet. So, in a way that may be the reason why I don’t spend too much time there. It doesn’t reflect who I am — which is very colorful (as my friends would tell you in both life and in language). When you are seeking help from someone to help you design, renovate or just update your space make sure your voice is heard and your opinions are valued. You are the one that will live in your space. You are the one that will have to live with the end result. You are the one that has to pay the bill — so why pay for something that you don’t agree with and isn’t reflective of you?! However, you should lean on your resources for guidance, but the key is to create a healthy partnership with them to have the end result be the best it can be.
I say all of this to say, aim for livable not likable and be a conscious consumer. If I can be of service to you in any way please feel free to reach out and we can chat about your concerns and maybe getting you thinking a little differently about how fun design can be!
