Originally published November 7, 2014
In the life of every great house – let’s just pretend that houses have lives – there are many shifts in furniture, fixtures, accessories, appliances… When my house began its minimalist movement earlier this year, first steps were tiny. Following a visit last evening from an aspiring interior designer (we’ll call her “Sally”), my home is finally going to get the aesthetic touches it has so long craved. Here are some takeaways from this early consultation…
Hire a thorough professional
Several times during our consultation Thursday evening, Sally said that she’s in no way a professional at interior design. Let’s look at the evidence that supports otherwise: She confirmed her appointment well in advance. She showed up on time. Her appearance was immaculate. She brought pen and paper to capture notes. She had a list of prompts and questions jotted down already, and she asked other thought-provoking and open-ended questions during our dialogue. She offered suggestions and ran a lot of brainy ideas up the flagpole. I’m telling you, dear readers, for all I know, she’s been at this game for years. I was pretty sure of my choice before the consultation; I’m even more confident I made the right call after her first visit.
Forget what you think you know
Preferring to go into projects with a plan, I did some preliminary research on interior design and the professionals who practice it. Also, I had been doing a lot of minimizing on my own for the past few months, so I figured I had some idea of what I wanted. Still, as Sally explored the spaces, colors, themes, styles, purposes, and designs, new and exciting thoughts kept occurring to me. At one point, she offered that there are benefits to tackling one room at a time because “as you add different elements to a room, other ideas might come to you for the next room.” Finally, I stopped thinking about my previous research and progress and focused only on questions, suggestions, and prompts from Sally.
Remain open-minded
Among the first things I shared with Sally before surveying the spaces in question with her is that she would undoubtedly have 80% freedom to design and create. Of course, that percentage increased as we talked more over the next hour and a half. While I let her know that I was interested in hearing any and all ideas she had, she still allowed for some explanation of the status quo as a way to understand how I think and function in my home. One thing that kept me on my toes is that she asked about the things I like and dislike in each area of the house. She also asked me to define my home’s style in three words. That challenge alone helped broaden my perspective.
Lose the fear of judgment
It’s worth mentioning that I had slipped out of the house for an unscheduled outing on Thursday, and that threw me for a loop. I didn’t do any of cleaning I wanted to do before Sally’s first visit – first impressions being most critical – and as a result I was a bit disoriented. Sally did her utmost to ease my discomfort about the appearance of the house while she was there, and her manner and tone helped greatly. For the little bit that I was worried about how she would perceive me or the project, she was gracious in helping me let go of those fears in favor of trusting the process.
Yes, I’m hype now. Can hardly wait to continue Project Minimal. Stay tuned.