Your surroundings play a HUGE part on your emotions and overall well being. Before my in person consultations, I often ask people to think about how they feel initially when they walk into a space in their home. This helps me to address the “problem” and assist my clients to achieve their design goals. I typically follow up my initial question with something like: Do you feel relaxed and generally happy when you walk into a space in your home OR do you feel overwhelmed, unrefreshed or stressed? Do you find yourself avoiding rooms?

If you can relate to the negative emotions listed with a space or two in your home it may be time to take on a few design changes to shift you into a positive direction in mind and in space. The following tips are to help you find your personal style, however, I use these tips often when I’m looking to change/repurpose spaces in my own home.

Sometimes this step is a tricky one to tackle. Rome wasn’t built in a day so consider designating a “task” and amount of time to a specific area. If purging items does not come easy give yourself a deadline ( a month, 3 months or 6 months) to use those items that are hard to let go of. [Remember to hold yourself accountable with the dates you set.] If you don’t use them then give them to someone who can benefit from the items. You will feel less stressed without having to store something you don’t use AND you’ll feel great knowing someone else is still getting use out of something you’ve passed on. Win/Win!

The perfect project for a rainy day BUT don’t push this tip off! You may discover the shopping list you’ve been creating isn’t as big as you thought. Consider moving items that are not being used into a new room and see how you feel. NOTE: Rearranging in a day does not mean you will know what exactly to buy tomorrow. Live with the changes for a bit and see what you start to notice both good and bad.

Really do some observing with Tip 3. Since you have purged and/or rearranged your space find the things you love. Look at your previous “limitations” and see if this is a feature that you can build from instead of avoiding.

Once you have accomplished tips 1-3 and start to introduce elements back into the space, don’t forget to show off who you are and what you love!

Discovering your personal style is a journey. Sometimes family heirlooms and ‘hand me downs’ tend to dictate our own personal style. Scaling back and determining your style will allow you to better understand how to incorporate these items OR if it is time to let them go. The longer you spend on discovering your personal style the end results in the space(s) you have changed will increase your overall happiness and well being.

Stay fabulous,

Jen