Why stepping out of your comfort zone is always a good idea
This blog was very nearly called The Who Do I Think I Am House. Because, well, have you seen my living room wallpaper??? Clearly I have delusions of grandeur.
While I've always been pretty brave when it comes to decorating, the moment I got a whole lot braver was when I ordered this extremely subtle Jonathan Adler wallpaper. I've got pregnancy hormones to thank for this one. Shortly after moving into this house, and while heavily pregnant with Nellie, I became obsessed with this.
I searched high and low for a more wallet friendly alternative but the seed had been planted and nothing could match it.
So I took the plunge, reasoning that it was like buying a piece of art (isn't it?) and it eventually arrived from New York three months later. But by this stage I was no longer pregnant and I have to admit I panicked a bit. I still loved it...but it was pretty in your face. Who the hell did I think I was? But I had to go through with it. Bailing out was not an option. Still, when the day came for it to go up, I did keep nervously nipping in to check on the progress.
And now the wallpaper paste is dry...and I bloody love it! Yes it's excessive. No, it's not what you expect to see when you walk into a SE London terraced house. But it looks soooo good against the navy walls and inky blue velvet sofa. And I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few people in London to actually have this wallpaper which is a cool thought.
Plus, in my mind I'm already thinking blush pink walls could be next up in the living room...how incredible is that going to look?
On a broader note, feeling the fear and doing it anyway has made me pretty feel pretty fearless about decisions around the rest of the house. It's not that the whole house is going to be totally bonkers and in your face. Far from it. But I'm pushing my ideas a bit further and thinking of ways to give each room the IT factor. Because life's too short to play it safe.
Having said that, if you are a bit nervous about doing something dramatic, I'd suggest building your confidence by starting small.
Paint is a great place to start. When you're trying to decide on a colour for your new room, force yourself to look beyond the neutrals. Not that there's anything wrong with neutrals...I'm learning to love them myself, but there's a world of colour out there to explore and dipping in could be just the transformation your room needs.
The best thing about paint is that it's cheap, and if you don't like it, it's easy to change it. But you might just love it!
And the most important thing of all is not to follow the so-called rules...here's three we can throw away for starters
1) Blue and green can definitely be seen together (If you don't believe me check out super blogger and all round lovely woman Erica Davies' living room below)
2) Dark walls don't make a room look small and poky. I should know, mine are a dark, inky blue and I swear the living room looks bigger than when it was a white box! But at night...when the lamps are on? SO cosy.
Image via Pinterest - Apartment Therapy
3) Do experiment with mixing prints. It's the little surprises that can make a room stand out from the crowd. Start small. Try throwing a clashing cushion in the mix. And if you're feeling really brave...
Image via Pinterest - Living Etc
Have I convinced you to be a rebel? Hope so. I'll definitely revisit the subject of rules and when to break them in the future but I wholeheartedly recommend being a daredevil and taking a few risks. What could possibly go wrong?
Jess x
