You Can Do Beautiful Things

Introduction

Most people have a better sense of design than they realize. Yes, that includes you. I’m confident you could pick a beautiful room out of a series of photos. If asked, you could describe your own general style without much difficulty. You could instinctively differentiate between a high-end and lower-price-point couch sitting side by side. And most important, you could always tell me how a space makes you feel. If you’re mentally nodding as you read this, it’s because you know I’m right. You have a good eye for design and for what is aesthetically pleasing to you. Then why is the task of putting your eye to work and physically creating a beautiful space so daunting?

Fear is like fire. It can heat your home with its warmth, but too much of it, and it will burn your house to the ground. My intent in writing this book is to harness the fear and self-doubt that plague design decisions and to repurpose that energy into helping you create spaces with confidence or, even better, with love.

I feel qualified to declare this an epidemic. My diagnosis: analysis paralysis. The overanalysis of every design decision results in paralysis of our potential productivity. Ultimately, this is preventing your space from reaching its full potential, and even worse, it’s robbing you of the pride and joy that come from creating a space you’re proud of. How do we put an end to the analysis paralysis crisis? I’m so glad you asked.

Having reservations and doubting your thought process is an essential part of designing. You don’t want to lose that little voice that questions each decision, because it keeps us open to alternative (and potentially better) ideas. That’s a good thing. However, there is a definitive line between thoughts that are helpful and those that are debilitating—and that’s where I come in. Each chapter of this book takes a deep dive into the how and the why behind my thought process when I’m curating a beautiful, cozy, and timeless space. I hope that by sharing the personal design tools and rules that have served me and many clients so well, I’ll comfortably equip you to approach your spaces. In other words, I’m determined to remove the paralysis from your analysis. More important, once you’re able to design with more confidence, I believe you will find the process more enjoyable. Creating should be therapeutic, not stressful.

I’m hopeful our experience here paves the way for your next love story to unfold. It will be written between the walls of whatever you create. Whether you’re refreshing a stale room in your house or building a dream home from scratch, may the process fuel your heart instead of stressing it. Remember, once you’ve removed the fear, it’s not difficult to fall in love again; I learned that the hard way.