'Slow Decorating' is a process to create a plan for an intentional design to craft an authentic living space that will serve for many years to come and will evolve with time. It's a strategy to create a space with personal style and quality items that will last for years.
But how do I achieve that? Do I have to move at snail's pace? How this concept really works in reality? Below you will find out about how the process works and why is so important in our fast paced environment that we live today. And the importance of being authentic and to follow your style and not trends.
Intentional Design
“Forget about budget and financial restraints, if you could visualise your dream home now, how it would be?” What would make your heart sing?
Slow decorating is not about working at snail's pace and living in a chaotic space for months to come, but it's about getting to know your home, the characteristic of the building or room, how do you intent to use it and what would make sense for you and your family lifestyle.
I have asked you to visualise your dream home because when you have a vision of what you want you can create a plan around this vision and work intentionally towards that. Intentional design is about working towards a plan that will bring that dream house vision to reality without the rush or the need to incorporate seasonal trends. The top philosophy of slow decorating is to let your space evolve gradually without the need to rush and finish all at once.
When you don't have the pressure to finish the room or house, you don't make costly mistakes and end up with a space that doesn't reflect your personality and/or style. But not having the pressure doesn't mean you don't have decisions to make, but you will have the guide of a carefully planned strategy that will give you directions on decorating decisions like brass or nickel, what type of flooring (wood or tiles), colour scheme (neutral, bright, moody, soft etc...), and so on.
You take your time to decide each item, material or colour that will go to your space and enjoy the process as you go along knowing that at some point you will get your dream home and it will evolve with you and your family. You are always improving and adding your personal touch and style to it.
Quality over quantity
After our daughter was born we moved from a rental furnished studio flat to a rental unfurnished 2 bedrooms flat, we had a tight budget and we didn't have any furniture at all. But at the time I've created a plan and I had a vision of what I wanted for the space and I've prioritise what was essential and needed to buy first, then we went along adding other furniture and furnishings but I've always searched for vintage and antique furniture as opposed to cheaper new ones.
That's another philosophy of #slowdecorating, to buy vintage/antique or well-made new furniture that will last for years or decades, even if it means to wait longer for the budget. I know that is frustrating to move into an empty house and you have loads of boxes with your stuff but no furniture to allocate them. I've been there, so I know the itch to go to Ikea and buy everything that you need, flat pack furniture that you can put together in a day and add the #furnishings and be done with it. But, in a few years you will be itching again to replace them, because it doesn't fulfil your needs or doesn't work properly for your space or even worse if it is already broken and needs replacing.
Patience is virtue, without the hurry to buy everything in one go will allow you to buy less but better. Those #furniture will have longevity and therefore they will be #sustainable, with less throwaway furniture and furnishings that comes with the fast paced trends at every season. Sustainability must be our top priority in everything we do, specially at home design, construction and fashion where there are too many throwaway products.
How to achieve this intentional design
“Be patient, original, show off your style, and tell your story.”
You don't need to incorporate in your space all the current trends in order to achieve a beautiful, practical, Instagram worthy stylish room. Trends come and go. A lick with the colour of the year paint and a few new cushions can definitely upgrade a room, but to bring in the reward of decorating for many years to come you must take it slow with an intentional strategy.
Architecture: Analyse the characteristics of the house, style, year built and work with what you've got. Don't try to change everything. Honour the house and its style.
Location: Is your home in the city, country or coast? How that influence your space? But don't limited yourself, its not because you have a house in the countryside that you must design with a country/farmhouse/rustic style. Work with the architecture of the house but be intuitive.
You: How each room will be used? Take time to observe the daily use of each space and how to improve its usability but also taking in consideration what you need and love. That's an important process that might take some time for you to figure it out, but don't rush yourself because you will reap the rewards in the future.
The joy of slow decorating is to appreciate where you are in the process without the need to rush to finish. Work one room or shelf at a time if you wish, taking the time to evolve each space or piece of furniture to bring in that personal touch or style that will make it unique. Intentional design is about creating a space that will be the one of a kind that can't be replicated because you took the time to add that little detail that is very personal to you.
Get Inspired
Keep reading our blog for more inspiration and ideas to incorporate to your design process. If you need help to create a plan/strategy for your slow decorating concept, please fill our inquiry form and we will be in touch on how we can help you. You can start your plan right now by creating a Pinterest board with your vision of your dream home. Having a vision is the first step and the key for an intentional slow decorating process. Good luck!