Do You Love It?

"Does it spark joy?" - the famous words of Marie Kondo. If you don’t know who she is, she is a Japanese organizing consultant who went viral in America a couple of years ago.

Her theory is that when you’re holding a household item and it doesn’t spark joy while you hold it, you should get it out of your house.

Even though no one in Japan heard of her at the height of her American popularity, this notion as it relates to interior design - I actually agree with.

Well...partly.

I understand that sometimes one doesn’t have the finances to just go and buy everything they love. You should have a budget and an estimate containing how much you’re going to spend for each room. You should be realistic that some items you love, just won’t be in your budget - and that's okay. You’ll have to part ways with some desires, unless you‘re Jeff Bezos or Beyoncé.

You should also know that your initial budget estimate may be off - way off! Remodeling or decorating usually costs higher than what you originally thought due to unforeseen issues or just not fully calculating everything you need to have for your space to function well.

However, even if you are trying to “ball on a budget” you can still select items you love. My rule of thumb is:

Go more expensive on the staple items, and go for a lesser cost on the décor pieces.

For instance, if you’re buying a sofa for your family room, splurge or ensure you are purchasing a high quality piece. Why? Because that item is going to get used frequently by yourself and your family. It’s going to be laid on, slept on, bounced on and lived in, so it needs to be durable and sturdy. After you get your staple sofa, then you can go cheaper with throw pillows, blankets and coffee table accessories.

If you’re creating your dining room, go sturdy or more expensive on the table and chairs. We don’t want grandpa to fall through some cheap chairs during the holidays. Saving your coin isn’t worth that fiasco. Do find your tableware, runner, faux plants and possible artwork steals at Target, flea markets or Homegoods (my favorite) to finish the space.

You can pick decorative pieces you’ll visually love, without breaking the budget. You’ll love your space even more because it’s beautiful and not everything you see gives you a hernia when you’re reminded of the cost.

So before you buy something, ask:

“Does it work well in my space and do I love it?”

Make Everyday Beautiful,

Tiana