When I wrote the last five questions post, I felt like I had so much more to say. If you haven’t read that post yet, then head on over! If you have, grab a journal and your favourite pen and let’s get to answering five more questions you should ask yourself before you start decorating.
01 | When & where do you feel like your happiest, most authentic self?
I love this question. Has anyone ever asked you this? If I was to answer, I would say somewhere near water. The beach, on a dock by the lake, even the bathtub. Water is my medicine, always. This means, that I need to find a way to bring that joy into my home. And guess what? We bought a house that overlooks a lake and I get to stare at it every single day! Do you have a happy place that you love to escape to? It might not even be a physical place: maybe it’s in your favourite book or movie. How can you bring elements of the joy that you experience in those moments into your home?
02 | What worries are heavy on your heart right now?
On the flip side, what are you worrying about right now? Is there anything keeping you up at night? For example, if you’re worried about finances, maybe now isn’t the time to spend a lot of money furnishing your home and it might be time to come up with some free, creative projects to tide you over. If you’re grieving a loss or in a big transition, make sure that you give yourself space to connect to those deep feelings. In both cases, those are really big and stressful experiences to go through. If you were my client, I would recommend you spend time making yourself feel safe in your home. Decorating your home isn’t going to get rid of heartbreak. But, cultivating a safe environment might help you feel cared for when you’re going through a rough time. This one might feel really heavy to answer but it might be the most important question out of this list.
03 | How do you want to grow and thrive in your home?
This is a really great one for aligning your goals with your home and lifestyle. If you’re starting a business or want to have kids in the next few years, how can your home support you? Do you have enough space to grow into your home? If you’re ready to have children, do you feel excited about bringing your new baby over the threshold? When we bought our house last year I walked in and suddenly felt bombarded by all of my hopes and dreams. I could see my family showing up for Christmas dinner and my friends sitting around the fireplace in my living room. What experiences do you want to have in your home? How can you put those dreams into action with your decorating?
04 | What things do you have a positive emotional connection to?
Have you had the same favourite colour since you were a kid? Do you sleep best in linen sheets? What design elements make you feel at home? If every detail has meaning and tells your story, then even the sheets on your bed and the pillows on your couch matter. If this sounds daunting, then remember that if the only reason why something is in your home is that ‘you like it‘ then that’s an answer. When you’re deciding on a colour palette for your home, be adventurous and ask your heart what it wants. Painting my office pink and our guest room a deep forest green felt like medicine for my soul. It sounds dramatic, but making a custom choice like a bold paint colour is really empowering. And it doesn’t need to make sense to anyone but you.
05 | How does the natural sunlight move through the room?
Spend the day noticing the light in your room. Does the sun enter in the morning or evening? What direction is the room facing? Does golden hour hit your kitchen window and illuminate your dining room? Understanding how the natural light illuminates your room will help you develop colours and a floor plan. I would always suggest prioritizing the space near a window and to ensure you’re making the most of the daylight.
There we have it! Five more questions to answer before you get started on your next project. It might feel like a lot of effort upfront before all of the fun stuff, but I promise you, it’s worth it. Self-discovery is a really beautiful part of the design process that is often overlooked in favour of sparkly quick fixes. When you know yourself and have a strong intention for your space, the design will feel so much more custom and authentic.
Let me know if I should come up with five more questions for a part three! My journalism degree has never been so well used in a design setting.
Did you find any of these questions difficult to answer?
