I have two pristine white boxes upstairs in my house. Two bedrooms remain unfinished as I have been struck by a case of decorating paralysis. In the past I may have been subjected to a few weeks of dithering over decor but this time it’s hit me hard and my dressing room/spare bedroom has been the biggest victim.

Gold or copper? Black or white? Typography or photography? Blah, blah, blah. My inability to make a decision has led to me returning no less than three Beni Ourain style rugs. (BTW the La Redoute one is great quality but it’s most definitely brown). I’ve lost hours to the internet aimlessly wandering around looking for tat to put in these bedrooms and I’ve bored myself silly.

So, last weekend I gave myself a good talking to. Having my sister there also helped as I actually had a two-way conversation rather than a Shirley Valentine talk-to-the-wall moment and I’m pleased to report my interior decoration mojo has returned. Here are my three tips for anyone else dealing with a case of decorating apathy.

Don’t Let Rogue Items Throw You

Once the dressing room was painted I filled it with the furniture which had once resided in there. My budget is low and I convinced myself I’d replace the furniture bit by bit. I’d say visualisation is one of my few talents and I can often see potential in the most dire of spaces. Not here though. The chalk pink bedside tables were throwing me off. Big time. So I removed every single item from the room which I knew wouldn’t make it to the final design. Ta ra upholstered headboard, it’s been emotional. Just like that I saw the room with a fresh pair of eyes.

Ditch Pinterest

As one of my lovely Instagram followers remarked, Pinterest is both my utopia and my nemesis. I’d been perusing all manner of styles for this room and flitted between an organic, deconstructed space and an ultra feminine boudoir, with all sorts of combos in between. In the end I settled on one source for my inspiration. Well hello there Audrey Leighton and your simple stylish rose gold, grey and monochrome decor seen in the slider above. Pinterest I do love you but you can have too much of a good thing.

Set A Budget

I don’t have a large budget for my house remodel and haven’t wanted to part with hard earned cash for a fleeting fad. However, I appreciate copper and I like marble and so however short-lived the trend may be I’d like my piece of it. It’s just I’m going to have a very small piece of it.
I’ve set myself a budget of £100 for items I know I’ll switch out over the next few years. The bits that are bound to date and I won’t feel bad about packing them off to the charity shop as I didn’t spend half my salary on them. For the bigger, pricier investments I’ll stick with the classics, however I am well aware I’ve contradicted myself by mentioning a bit of a spendy candle in the shopping list below.

Anyone else had a case of decorating fear? How did you overcome it and get your mojo back? Hopefully I’ll be back in a month or so to share the finished article.

{THE MAYBE LIST}

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