Posts Tagged ‘design tips’
5 Tips to Get Your Home Ready for the New Year
Let’s get your home ready for the new year! It’s worth taking a day or two in December to clear out what’s not working from 2019 and give your home a freshening up for 2020. Here’s how I do it.
1. Purge
You had to know this one was coming, right? It’s time to KonMari the crap out of your home. While I love Marie Kondo’s concept of deciding if an item in your home “sparks joy”, if you’re not getting a clear answer on that (or if EVERYTHING sparks joy and you can’t let go of anything!), ask yourself this:
“Do I use this item, or do I love it?”
Those are the criteria I use as a filter to make decisions as to whether or not I’m keeping something. I have to either use it (like my boring but functional spatulas), love it (like the antique wooden bookends I inherited from my grandmother), or both (like my favorite cropped leather jacket).
If you use it and/or love it, it stays. If not…buh-bye. Go through your closets, drawers, and shelves. Don’t forget about your furniture too. If there’s something you’ve been living with that you just can’t stand, it might be time to invest in replacing it.
If the item is worth over $50, sell it! If it’s still in great shape but less valuable, consider donating it to a local shelter, mission, or Christmas gift drive.
2. Clean
Got rid of all the stuff that’s been weighing you down? Bust out the all-purpose cleaner and scrub scrub scrub. Baseboards? Check. Ceiling fans? Check. Replace the air filter? Check.
Whether you deep-clean your home yourself or hire it out (a very, very worthy investment in my books!), you’ll be stunned with how much better, fresher, and lighter your house feels.
3. Restyle
Alright, the hard stuff is over. You’ve done the emotional work of letting go of things you no longer use or love, and you’ve deep-cleaned your house like a madwoman.
Now, let’s have some fun! Here’s your chance to start busting out of boring. Getting your home ready for the new year isn’t just about buying some pretty new things (although that’s coming, so hang tight), but it’s about taking a look at what you already have with fresh eyes and giving it a new life.
Gather up allllll the decorative accessories in your home. Think: bowls, hardcover books, houseplants, candles, bookends, knicknacks. Spread them out in one room where you can see everything at once.
At first glance, you’ll probably notice some things that you’re tired of, that are outdated, or just no longer reflect your style. Give them a little love, and then GET THEM OUT OF THERE. (See: #1 Purge, above.)
Use what’s left and restyle your home.
Have you had that white ceramic bowl on your kitchen counter for years? See how it looks perched on a stack of hardcover books in your living room. Has that potted plant been in your living room forever? See if you like it on your kitchen counter.
The idea is to take a look at what you already have and shop your own home before going out and buying new things. Sometimes a fresh perspective and moving things around can give a room a whole new look.
4. Accessorize
You’ve worked with what you have (congrats, you!) and hopefully most of your rooms are feeling pretty fresh and peppy after your awesome restyle. But mayyyybe there are a couple of things missing. Like, wouldn’t your coffee table look great with a large brass tray on it? And wouldn’t your bookshelf look totally pulled-together with a framed piece of art sitting on that empty shelf?
This is the time to make a list –
– a very specific list – and go shopping. (Or, hire your favorite designer – me – to do a Design Strategy Session with you where we can shop and style your home in a day! Contact me for deets).
Stick with your list, and don’t get seduced by cool things that don’t have a place. You have so much great stuff already – this shopping trip is just to fill-in-the-blanks with a few key accessories.
5. Nap!
Girl, you’ve earned it. You’ve worked your buns off to bust out of boring and your home is organized, tidy, cleaned, and super styled. Go get some afternoon shut-eye.
Start the new year in a kickass home you love with these 5 tips to get your home ready for the new year: Purge, Clean, Restyle, Accessorize, and Nap.
PS. Lesley Myrick Art + Design is taking a break for the Christmas holidays. We’ll be back in January 2020 (after some serious holiday accessorizing and napping!) with the big reveal of Lesley’s Texas home tour. See you next year!
What Is a Design Jumpstart?
What is a Design Jumpstart?
You hear me talking about these two-hour power design sessions all the time.
But, like,
what exactly happens at a Design Jumpstart?
Think of it like this. You have two hours ahead of you. You could…
….binge-watch your favorite show for the zillionth time (mine is Sex and the City, by the way) and drool over the fantastic, way-too-expensive apartments.
…browse Pinterest and create a “Dream Home” board with all the interiors that you’d love to have one day. One day.
…have coffee at a friend’s house and end up feeling totally jealous of her effortlessly cool and stylish space.
Or…
…instead of wishing you lived somewhere else, you could do a Design Jumpstart session with me to take action and kickstart the transformation of your home in just two hours.
Kind of a no-brainer, right?
At Lesley Myrick Art + Design, we kickstart many design projects with a two-hour power session (done either in-person or virtually) called a Design Jumpstart where we walk you through our 3-step Design Jumpstart system.
Jam-packed with personalized design ideas, inspiration, and tactical resources, a Design Jumpstart sets a solid foundation to bust you out of your boring home.
The 3-Step Design Jumpstart System
Our 3-step Design Jumpstart system will make the most of our time together and leave you with an actionable to-do list that includes all the items we’re suggesting you purchase or improve; design and style ideas; as well as contractor and vendor resources (if available). We’ll use this master checklist as the foundation to launch your design project – or if DIY is more your speed, it’s all yours as a guide for navigating design changes on your own. In just 2 hours, you’ll go from stuck and overwhelmed to a freakin’ Interior Design Superhero, ready to bust out of a boring home.
Live in the Atlanta or Macon, Georgia area? We’ll meet in-person at your home. Live elsewhere in the US or Canada? We’ll get together virtually using video conferencing on your phone or computer (and don’t let the tech freak you out, we’ll walk you through getting set up for our session!).
Not sure if a Design Jumpstart session is right for you? Book a complimentary call where we can learn more about what you’re looking for and recommend the most kickass design package for you.
Gift Ideas for Interior Design Lovers
Yup, the holidays are coming – and if you’re anything like me, gift-giving isn’t what you’re best at. (I’ll stick with interior design, thankyouverymuch.) So what do you get for that fabulously creative lady in your life when you want to knock her socks off with a great gift? Here are a few gift ideas for interior design lovers.
As an interior design lover myself, I humbly admit that I want EVERYTHING on this list.
10 Awesome Gift Ideas for Interior Design Lovers
Domino: The Book of Decorating
This book came out in 2008, but it’s still one of my favorite decorating references. (Here are 9 other books that make great gifts too!)
Color Wheel Pin
So freakin’ cute on a denim jacket or blazer! I already have a color wheel tattoo, but this color wheel pin is definitely a less permanent option that’s (almost) as cool.
Sturdy Ruled Notebooks
These simple, black hardcover notebooks are the best. They’re super sturdy, with a built-in pen holder and beautifully thick lined paper. I use these daily and always have one in my purse for jotting down to-do’s, ideas, and design inspiration.
A Design Jumpstart Gift Certificate
What’s better than the gift of a home you freakin’ love? A 2-hour Design Jumpstart session (either in-person or virtually) with yours truly is a kickass gift for that cool gal in your life who would love a little help busting out of her boring home. Upon purchase, we’ll mail you a physical gift certificate, wrapped and ready to give so you look like a total rockstar.
Paint Chip-Inspired Calendar
OH COME ON. This paint chip calendar is so pretty! I don’t actually need a wall calendar (Google Calendar is my ride-or-die) but this one is so pretty I just might have to add it to my wishlist.
A Turquoise Statement Ring
Teal is my spirit color (and turquoise is my birthstone) so I’m all about this ring. But any fabulous statement ring will do! The bigger, the better.
Digital Color-Matching Tool
This little color matching tool is my FAVORITE thing! You can scan any surface and it will give you the closest Sherwin-Williams paint color match, as well as the CMYK/RGB/hex values. Design nerds, have fun!
Architecture of American Houses Poster
Ugggh this infographic poster is the coolest! It’s a visual history of American home styles from the 1700s through today. I want this sucker framed in my office.
In The Company Of Women
For interior designers, creatives, business owners, or anyone who wants to be inspired to find creative work they love, this book is perfection.
Pretty Gel Pens
Rainbow gel pens 4-EVA. Tul makes some of my favorite pens, and while I mostly use black, who doesn’t love an assortment of rainbow-colored pens too?
What’s on your holiday wishlist this year? Maybe something from this list of gift ideas for interior design lovers?
Tired Of Your Gallery Wall? Try This Instead.
Here’s a fresh idea for your walls.
Tired of your gallery wall? If you’ve been staring at the same bunch of photo frames for a long time you might be itching for a change. (I still love a good gallery wall though – here’s one from my old home in Texas, and our new house in Atlanta.)
If swapping out a couple of pieces of art on your gallery wall doesn’t feel like enough of a change, try this instead.
Go big.
Yup, go the complete opposite direction! Instead of multiple small images, start fresh with one GIANT piece of art. I know – it can feel scary committing to just one giant image! But the visual impact and cool-factor are undeniable.
See? Here’s the same room with its previous gallery wall:
Maybe your statement piece is a vintage family photo that you have blown up to 40″x60″ (like mine above – it’s a photo of my husband when he was a kid!). Or perhaps it’s one large statement artwork, or even a macrame wall hanging.
It takes a little courage to commit to just one thing on your wall, but I say, go big or go home! If you’re growing tired of your gallery wall, try replacing it with one statement piece of art instead.
What I Wish I’d Known About Removable Wallpaper
Just because I’m an interior designer doesn’t mean I know everything about everything when it comes to home decorating. I learn a lot (and I mean a LOT) as I go, through trial and error and making mistakes. On the Bust Out of Boring show last week, I shared what I wish I’d known about removable wallpaper before using it for the first time. And I promised y’all a deeper dive here – with photos.
(Wait, you’re not tuning in to Bust Out of Boring on Monday mornings? Catch me live on Facebook and Instagram every Monday at 9amET answering your design Q’s and helping you create kickass homes you love.)
If the word “wallpaper” still conjures up bad memories of scraping outdated floral prints off of every surface in an older home, you’re not alone. Wallpaper has gotten a majorly bad rap because it used to be SO TEDIOUS to install – and take down.
Thankfully, wallpaper has come a long way.
Wallpapers are now easier to install, and much easier to remove than they used to be. But regardless, traditional papers are still quite permanent. When you glue something to a wall, it’s gonna be there for a while. That’s why I totally love removable wallpaper. It’s basically a giant vinyl sticker strip that’s stuck to the wall – and can then be easily peeled off with no damage to the wall surface underneath. Removable wallpaper is awesome for renters, or for an office where you can’t make any permanent changes.
Despite its advantages, here’s what I wish I’d known about removable wallpaper before I used it for the first time.
#1. Removable Wallpaper Isn’t Necessarily Cheaper
Oh, did you think giant stickers for your wall would be way less of an investment than traditional wallpaper? So did I. But that’s not always the case. If you’re thinking about using a removable wallpaper only because you think it’s gonna be cheap and cheerful, think again. The price may be more similar than you think to regular ol’ wallpaper. (But since you can DIY and don’t need an installer, it may work out to be more affordable in the end.)
#2. Installation Can Be A Little Tricky
For the wallpaper installation above, I hired a professional installer since the room has 10′ ceilings (and also because I didn’t want to mess it up!). My installer surprised me by saying this was one of the most difficult installations he had done.
Why?
Traditional wallpaper – installed by wetting a floor-to-ceiling length strip of paper with water and paste – has a lot of wiggle room to slide into place on the wall. If the strip of wallpaper is slightly crooked, it’s easy to shimmy it straight while it’s wet.
Removable wallpaper has no forgiveness. It’s gonna stick to that wall exactly where you place it. If it’s slightly crooked or the pattern doesn’t quite match, you’ve gotta peel up the whole strip and re-position it.
#3. Vinyl Is Stretchy.
I would have never thought of this unless my wallpaper installer had pointed it out, but as he was pulling and re-positioning the removable wallpaper, it would stretch ever so slightly. It may not look like much of a change, but when the vinyl stretches just a little bit, the pattern may not quite line up with what’s already been applied to the wall. He did a stellar job with the installation, but he admitted to me that there was one area he just could not get to match up properly. (Thankfully, it’s hidden behind the brass credenza.)
Most removable wallpapers are touted as “removable and re-positionable”, meaning they can be removed and re-applied somewhere else. However, experience has shown me that once they’ve been pulled off a wall, they’ve stretched enough to be nearly impossible to re-install well.
Removable wallpapers are cool, quick to install and remove, and super awesome for anyone who wants to jazz up their space but can’t make a permanent change. All of the wallpapers shown here are from Walls Need Love, one of my fave wallpaper vendors. They’re not sponsoring this post – I just dig ’em and think you might too.
What I wish I’d known about removable wallpaper is that it has its own quirks with installation and removal (so be prepared!), but it’s an awesome option for major impact with minor commitment.
👉 Don’t make the same mistakes I did! Learn from a design pro – check out more of Lesley’s hard-earned wisdom in the What I Wish I’d Known series.
How to Choose Art for Your Home
Whether you love abstract paintings, landscapes, large statement pieces or gallery-style collections, here’s how to choose art for your home.
Actually, let’s start with how not to choose art for your home: by picking what’s popular that you’re seeing all over Pinterest. It’s so easy to succumb to peer pressure with art. After all, if “they” like it, why shouldn’t you?
I might offend some cactus- and macrame-lovers, but I’m not into either of those trendy art themes. At all.
I know, they’re both having a major moment right now, but really – they’re just not for me. The only reason I would hang either a cactus print or macrame wall-hanging in my home is that I’ve gotten so used to seeing them everywhere that they (almost) feel acceptable to me.
But honestly, they just don’t speak to me personally. They might finish off a wall and look rad for now, but in a few months, I’m going to be totally tired of that dumb cactus.
So how do you choose the right art for your home?
There’s no magic formula, but trust that you’ll know the right art when you see it. It will connect with you in an unusual way, and will speak to you. You’ll probably find yourself saying something like, “I really dig this piece of art, but I can’t explain why.”
THAT is how to choose art. Figure out what you like, what you’re attracted to, and then hang it on your walls.
“But Lesley,” I can hear you saying,
“what if I love a whole bunch of styles of art that don’t make any sense together?”
Even better, my friend! There is nothing more boring than matchy-matchy art that feels like it was purchased out of a catalog or mass home-decor retailer. I actually love layering art pieces in different mediums and different styles. In the photo above of my dining room there’s an abstract landscape oil painting done by my late Grandmother, a traditional-meets-modern portrait by Josh Young, a Lifehouse album cover, a Depeche Mode concert poster by Tara McPherson, an illustration by Lisa Congdon, and a subway station polaroid I picked up on the streets of New York.
Does any of this logically make sense together? Nope. But is it awesome all together? Yes.
Look for something common between the art pieces you select.
It could be a color (you’ll notice a green-blue color appears in almost every piece above), or maybe the subject matter.
If your art collection really does give off random (and not in a good way) vibes, you can unify the pieces by framing them in the same style or color of frame, or by using the same color of matting.
Great art will last through trends and be with you for a long time.
Trust your gut, listen to what you love (even if it doesn’t make sense!) and embrace the random. No one else has to love the art except you.
Trust your gut. Embrace what you love. That’s how to choose art for your home, and that is what busting out of boring is all about.
Why Buy the More Expensive Sofa?
You know I love a beautiful, non-boring sofa. And with so many great deals on sofas out there, why buy the more expensive sofa when there’s a cheaper lookalike?
Here’s a little #realtalk from your designer friend Lesley.
Cheap sofas are cheaply made, and being cheap always ends up being expensive in the long run!
Quality is about so much more than looks, and what’s inside a sofa is what determines the price. That’s why two nearly identical-looking sofas (in photos, at least) can vary so much in cost. They might look the same in photos, but trust me, your butt and back can tell the difference.
I recently saw an Instagram post from a major home shelter magazine that featured two beautiful velvet sofas that looked quite similar. The question posed to their followers was, “Which is more expensive?“
So which sofa is more expensive?
The big reveal was, in fact, that one of the sofas only looked expensive but actually cost less than $1000. And the underlying message was clearly intended to imply that there’s no need to pay more when a lower-priced sofa looks exactly the same.
You guysssss. While yes, these two sofas may look comparable in photos, you cannot possibly tell from a photo how good the quality is! And your poor butt is NOT going to like sitting on a sofa that is cheaply made overseas from poor-quality materials in mass quantities. It’s easy to make something look good in a picture, but let me tell you a “sit test” will reveal how great (or rather, terrible) the construction and quality are.
What should you look for in a sofa?
I’m the first to tell you that choosing a sofa that feels awesome to you is the most important factor. Go shopping. Sit on a lot of couches. Get to know what you like – tight back, or loose back cushions? Firm foam cushions, or squishy down and feather wrap? Three individual seat cushions, or one long bench-style cushion?
If you wanna get technical about sofa stuff,
here are 3 important things to learn about before you go shopping (and impress the heck out of your friends and family!):
- The Frame. The best quality sofas have frames constructed of kiln-dried hardwood, which retains its shape and remains stable for a long time. The joints are glued, dowelled, and screwed with reinforced corners. If a sofa is made of plywood or particleboard and is held together with staples, be wary.
- The Seating Support. Eight-way hand-tied springs and sinuous springs are the bomb-diggity for comfort and support. Web suspension isn’t as strong or sturdy on its own, and isn’t what I recommend.
- The Filling. You’ll likely notice most sofa cushions are filled with high-density polyurethane. (FYI, this is the good stuff you want to look out for! The higher the density, the firmer the cushion will be.) This foam can be wrapped in other materials like cotton, Dacron, or even super plush down feathers.
So, when it comes to sofas and upholstered seating,
When should you splurge and when should you save?
On upholstered furniture you’ll use often like your sofa, desk chair, and dining chairs, pony up and invest in the best quality you can afford. When you sit somewhere daily, you want it to be well-made, comfortable, and built to last.
And where to save? On upholstered furniture you won’t sit on frequently, like the bench at the foot of your bed, a chair in the entryway, or a living room accent chair that doesn’t see much action.
Don’t get duped by pretty sofa photos! Put your butt on that sofa and really put it to the test before you purchase. Suddenly, that cheap $1000 sofa doesn’t seem like such a great value any more.
One BIG Mistake I’ve Seen Clients Make
In the 4 years I’ve been in business with Lesley Myrick Art + Design,
I’ve worked with over 90 clients on everything from 2-hour Design Jumpstart sessions to full turnkey home renovations.
Most of our design projects turn out awesome, and my clients are thrilled with their new home (and gratefully, they say so publicly!) But occasionally, things don’t go quite as planned. The end result is less than stellar. And the client isn’t over the moon – they’re straight-up bummed out.
So what’s the difference between a successful interior design project, and one where the end result is a let-down?
I’ve learned a lot with 90+ design projects under my belt,
and I’m always seeking out opportunities to tweak and improve our process, our communication, and our design packages. There have certainly been moments where I’ve dropped the ball, and let me tell you – no one takes those to heart and learns from those mistakes faster than I do.
But, I’ve also noticed something clients sometimes do that can completely de-rail a design project. It’s a mistake that seems harmless – a good idea, even – but the end result is a major disappointment.
So what’s the one BIG mistake I’ve seen clients make?
Stopping short before their project is fully finished.
Interior design is an investment. And it’s a process. And the middle part is MESSY! You’ve spent a lot of money on design fees and furnishings, without much to show for it (yet). Your home might be completely torn up in the renovation process. And every day a new, unexpected expense seems to pop up.
And instead of gritting their teeth (or asking for support) through the messy middle to get to the uhhh-mazing results on the other side, I’ve seen clients stop short. Grind things to a halt right before the magic happens. Freeze up, and freeze the project at the worst possible time.
If you are in the middle of an interior design project, or are thinking about starting one, I want to encourage you: trust your designer to see the project through to completion.
There is no way you’re going to be happy with your home if you stop a project halfway.
So much of the magic of interior design happens at the end, when every pillow is fluffed and shelf is styled and you can walk into your newly transformed space and breathe.
I understand the fear that happens in the middle of a project, where it feels like things will never end and your wallet is taking a major hit. But stopping short means your investment will be for nothing, and a piecemeal home is hardly a place that will feel beautifully, authentically, you.
The middle is hard.
It drags on. It’s overwhelming. But that’s exactly why you’ve hired an interior designer! This is what we do best – manage the messy middle so you don’t have to. You guys, we LOVE this stuff. We live and breathe it. And we’ve developed systems and strategies to handle it.
Instead of hitting the brakes while your project is humming along at a million miles per hour, reach out to your designer for help. Talk about the process, the timeline, the budget, and the results. A simple conversation that keeps your project on track may be the one thing that makes the difference between a designer that lets you down – and one that totally rocks your world.
5 Questions to Ask an Interior Designer Before You Hire Them
Thinking it’s time to bring in a kickass interior designer to help you bust out of a boring home?
It’s crucial that you totally jive with your designer, share similar values, and that you trust her to push you a bit outside of your comfort zone. After all, why else would you hire a designer if you could have done it yourself?
Here are 5 questions to ask an interior designer before you hire them to make sure it’s the right fit (and I’ll just go ahead and answer them right now for you, too):
Can you help me figure out my design style?
You got it! In fact, you can get started discovering your true design style LIKERIGHTNOW with this awesome quiz. Helping people bust out of boring and discover their true style is a crucial part of our design process, and as I get to know you and your tastes we’ll create a design plan that makes your heart totally sing (belt out Whitney Houston tunes, even!).
Can you work with my budget?
Aaaah, budget. The short answer: YES. If that’s what you really, really want.
The long answer: it’s your home, your investment, and ultimately you as the client decide what to spend. I have never worked with anybody whose budget matched their wishlist. That’s human nature. Think of it like buying a car. You might only want to invest in a Kia but everything you want is a Mercedes. It is totally in your power to decide if you want to scale down your wants and needs to the Kia, or if you want to up your budget to meet your Mercedes dreams.
(Here’s a deeper dive on how to keep an interior design project in budget, if you’re interested.)
What design package is the best fit for me?
I’m so glad you asked! There’s a reason we don’t list the details about the interior design services we offer online and we ask new clients to book a complimentary consultation call first. It’s amazing what we can uncover on a 20-minute call together and by learning more about you, your wants and needs, and your budget, I can recommend the most ideal package that’s going to get you a kickass end result (ie. your dream living room you can’t wait to invite your girlfriends into for a wine and cheese and gossip sesh!).
We have several awesome design packages ranging from a 2-hour Design Jumpstart session (where you’ll get lots of high-level ideas and a ton of resources to make things happen on your own) to full-service Design Comprehensive (where we do all the heavy lifting and wow you with an HGTV-worthy reveal) as well as several options in between.
Depending on how much you want to be involved and how much you want to invest, we’ll recommend the design package that will best rock your world.
What if I don’t like something you’ve selected?
Girl, it happens. We usually knock it out of the park with our design plan and furnishings selections, but occasionally there will be one or two things that just don’t do it for you. And that’s okay – please speak up! We want you to be over the moon with your room design, and we allow time for reselections.
Nothing will be purchased on your behalf without your approval (and without a check from you) so no worries. We’re not gonna go rogue and put something in your home you’d rather pass on.
If I find a better deal on furniture, can I buy it on my own, instead of through you?
There are a lot of designers with their knickers in a twist over this one. “Clients are shopping me! They’re buying the same things behind my back that I proposed to them!“
I’m going to be super candid here, as I know there’s a lot of chatter about this between designers, but not in front of clients. So, dear reader/potential client/curious observer of the design industry, here’s how it works if a designer proposes something (say, a sofa) and you buy it through her firm. Designers do get a discount off of “retail” pricing, and those discounts vary from vendor to vendor. If a designer is selling something to you, she likely has a margin on it and YES, WILL MAKE SOME MONEY BY SELLING IT TO YOU. Interior design is a business, not a hobby! And selling furniture and decor is one revenue stream for designers.
Just because a designer is making some profit on the items she’s selling doesn’t mean you’re not getting a great price on it. I try to match MSRP or even offer clients a lower price than they can find online. But ultimately, Lesley Myrick Art + Design isn’t Wayfair or Amazon – and I just don’t have the buying power that the retail giants do to offer crazy discounted prices.
The reality is, I’m procuring items less and less frequently for clients these days. Sometimes a 10% off coupon is all it takes for a client to be able to get a better price than I can offer.
And that’s okay! Wayfair and Amazon aren’t going away, and I’m not going to fight it. It ain’t worth my time to sell products at bottom dollar. I’d be broke-ass and a pretty sad designer. Nobody wants to hire an interior designer that lives in a cardboard box because she can’t afford her mortgage payment.
So here’s the deal – for projects at a certain budget level, I am happy to take on the workload of procuring furnishings and decor as part of a full-service, we-do-all-the-work-so-you-don’t-have-to project. For busy clients who don’t want to spend their time shopping with 10% off coupons and dealing with the headache of lost deliveries and damages and assembling furniture, they LOVE that we can take care of all this crap for them.
But as the interior design industry changes and becomes more accessible and affordable, more and more clients want to buy things themselves. I am totally down with that, and because of this shift in the past few years, most of our design packages are now design only – we’ll do the awesome creative stuff that only we can do (really, that’s what you’re hiring Lesley Myrick + Design for!) and you pull the trigger and make it happen on your own.
PHEW. End of soap box rant.
Is there a question you’d love to ask Lesley Myrick Art + Design?
If it’s pertaining to a design project in your home, I’d love to chat with you on a complimentary call – book yours right here. If it’s a general interior design question you’re curious about, please email me and I’d be happy to help!
What Is Bust Out of Boring All About?
What is bust out of boring all about?
You hear me say this phrase allllll the time. It’s what I’ve called my weekly Facebook Live and Instagram Live show; it’s the name of this blog; and I’ve shared a little about why I feel so strongly about helping people bust out of boring.
Bust out of boring means…
…not settling for a brown sofa when your heart is set on teal.
….choosing the hot-pink Aztec-inspired rug for your living room because it makes your heart sing (even when you’re afraid your mother-in-law won’t like it).
…appreciating the whitewashed farmhouse trend, but knowing when to courageously add color because all-white isn’t really you.
…that it’s okay to be inspired by interiors you see on Pinterest, but not feel compelled to copy them in order to feel like you’ve done it ‘right’
…saying ‘no’ to anything in your home that you don’t love or you don’t use.
…being willing to ignore trends that don’t feel authentic to you in order to curate a home that does.
…knowing that in order to create the home of your dreams, you might need to enlist the help of an interior designer to cheer you on.
…that nobody else gets to decide what you love, and you have the power to choose what belongs in your home.
Let’s bust out of boring, baby.
Feeling inspired to get going on your own?
Take our free style quiz to discover your true design style; browse the blog archives for interior design resources and inspiration; and grab our free guide to help you plan for your design project.
Feeling inspired but also overwhelmed and kind of need a hug and maybe some wine?
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WHAT’S YOUR TRUE DESIGN STYLE?
We know you’re not just modern or traditional – you’re way more stylish and interesting than that! So what’s your true design style? Take our fun quiz to learn what your true design style is (and get a shoppable style board to help create a kickass home you love!)