I tend to focus on decorating a lot when I have a baby! I think this is for a few reasons:

(1) I am home a lot more often, so things that have always bothered me are more "in my face."

(2) It is a sense of control. With a baby, there is "no" control since everything is about the baby. It is always chaotic for awhile, so decorating is sort of something I can control.

(3) I see my home as the backdrop of our lives . . .and I want that backdrop to be warm and welcoming.

Even though these are my reasons right now since my youngest is so little, I think they are always true. I think my environment has always had a strong impact on me. If things are messy, if there is bad lighting, if things just don't "go," if a picture is too small for a space, etc. it always bothers me.

The sense of control-- for sure. We can't control people, but we CAN control things. I also think of decorating as my "lalalalala" (hands over my ears) interest. There is SO MUCH tragedy and awfulness in the world (again, things beyond our control), that this is a way to not only distract myself from it, but also work to create an environment that is the opposite from it: safe, secure, and happy.

Can anyone relate? What are your reasons?

In our home...We have nice things, we love them, and they are going to stay with us for probably ever. I enjoy seeing what others do with their decorating shenanigans :)

Sasa, if you are done decorating and don't think too highly of what people here do, why bother reading and looking? Is it really that much fun to make fun of people? That seems like a waste of time to me, and sort of sad, too.

When the kids came along (3 under 8yrs) I didn't have that time to 'hole up' like I used to. I also lost any art studio space that I utilized before. I ended up focusing on small quick projects that I could accompolish and not have to clean up a ton of brushes, paint cleaner, a bunch of paint colors, stash wet canvasas or find a place for drying furniture etc... after nap time was over.

Well - all that and my mom decorates therefore I decorate. Gene thing I guess!

My home, my nest, is warm and comfortable, and I was laughed at a bit for describing it in a recent thread. We get our connections in different ways, some of us by buying new things and keeping
current, others by enjoying what we have, whether acquired from relatives, restored from craigslist, or finding that things just fit.

I definitely "nested" while pregnant. I had lots of energy to prepare for the baby though we never had a nursery. I amazed myself with the energy I had for deep cleaning, something I don't enjoy or usually do. I wanted a clean house in that last month before giving birth, though.

I do not open every thread because they don't all interest me. I rarely offer suggestions to other posters. I do like to read threads here and there...some posts are more interesting to me than others. Why does that seem like a sad waste of time to you, anele? It is very nice being satisfied with one's life and things. It really is, even when everything isn't in its place.

I hate the process because I don't like the amount of energy it takes to find what you want. I am very tactile and want to touch and see in person before I commit. Now that so much merchandise is not available at bricks and mortar stores, the on-line purchase/wait for delivery/return for different finish-color-size is frustrating and an energy drain.

I think you are misunderstanding me, Shermann. Being satisfied is far from a waste of time. In fact, there are many aspects of my life (inc. some areas of deco) that I am completely at peace with and have contentment, and I am grateful. This is not what I was referring to! However, coming to a board dedicated to the topic of decorating JUST to look down on others and make fun of their tastes? That seems like a waste of time and IS sad to me.

I am referring to these comments:
"From what I can see here there is a lot of desire to follow trends and show off the wonderful success."-- Looks like sarcasm to me-- maybe I misunderstood.

"I enjoy seeing what others do with their decorating shenanigans."

Let me give you another example . . .there are people who are really, really into Waldorf dolls. They spend hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on them, plan their days around getting hard-to-get dolls, talk about them, etc. Now, I have a few of these dolls and I am happy with them. I don't need more. However, I think it would be pretty pathetic of me to spend my time on the doll forums JUST to talk about how happy I am with mine, how content I am with mine, and look down on others who are not. That seems sort of mean to me.

Java, ha, ha, yes. I am with you. I do not really enjoy some of the process. I would be happier to just have what I like now, because what I DO like, I enjoy, and have no desire to replace it. I do like the "doing" aspect-- sewing, designing, and planning, but not so much the shopping! Most of what I do is just in my head, though, since I am physically not able to carry out my ideas right now. I will when my youngest is older . . .but I am not wishing these days away!

I had to laugh when I read this Java, cause I'm completely the opposite, I love the process, it's challenging to me. I get a vision in my head and approach it like a puzzle, finding each individual piece to put it together.

"I am very tactile and want to touch and see in person before I commit. Now that so much merchandise is not available at bricks and mortar stores, the on-line purchase/wait for delivery/return for different finish-color-size is frustrating and an energy drain."

but I couldn't agree with you more about this. I don't like to buy before I can see something in person either, especially when it's an expensive item. I will usually try to find the same thing locally or at least order from a site that has a brick & mortar store with an easy return policy. The most draining part for me is when DH disagrees with what I want to do and then I REALLY have to get creative. Or worse yet, my plan won't work because of some glitch. Hate that.

I find great joy in the creative process and seeing the finished product, especially when it's something I've done on my own.

The other day a friend called asking for pictures of the flooring we installed ourselves and the table I refinished all on my own. She said she was talking to her husband and wanted to show him pictures. That made my day.

Anele - You are so lucky to be where you are now in life! I have a feeling you know that and do enjoy it.

Shorter answer - I decorate because I can't *not* decorate.

If the "shell" of the room is complete, the proportions are good, the millwork is nice (and neatly painted), the walls are a good color, the lighting is good, and the window treatments are adequate, if there is a comfortable rug on the floor, I almost don't need any furniture to sit on, because the room has all the basics of a comfortable atmosphere. Good comfortable furniture helps but I am happy to sit on the floor a lot, too.

This is why I like a lot of the rooms of both extreme collectors, and the rooms of minimalists, if they are good rooms. The rest of the contents, or lack of contents are just different expressions.

Basically, I decorate because I like to surround myself with pretty things. I grew up in a home where nothing was decorated. Everything was just thrown together, and then once my parents divorced and my mom went to work full time, not only was it not decorated, but it was a mess. It was a very chaotic time in my life, and for me, I love things decorated and clean (at least I try), so I feel peaceful.

My decorating is very simple because I can't stand clutter and extraneous belongings (probably comes with being the eldest of 6 and being in charge of Saturday morning dusting when growing up) and so my decorating is, by this forum, nonexistent. But within that, I hope that my window treatments, as simple as they are, coordinate with the wall colour, furniture and area rugs and that they all present a calm unifying picture that offers a warm home for my family and guests.

I'm a SAHM and years ago my DH asked my why was I painting the walls and why was I spending so much time choosing colours and told me the kids and he didn't care and that it was a waste of time. At the same time he had just redone his office at work and so I told him to view the house as my office - then he got it. I'm still that way.

I love to bring old things back to life and like someone said, I love that feeling of accomplishment. I decorate for my comfort and enjoyment, no one else's.

I have learned a great deal from this forum and hope one day I know enough to really make a worthwhile contribution to the forum.

The proportions of the rooms and the wall colors combined with beautiful moldings and architectural details make the rooms. I am most intrigued by the light in each room...always have been in this house. The rugs and art work alone are enough...we need places to sit but they are fewer than they were a few months ago.

I checked out a book from the library last year. It was the most wonderful minimalist decorating. That book got me looking and thinking. After doing another bike tour of 2 months and having everything I needed within arms reach in my trailer I was more than ready to eliminate even more from my own home.

I am going on a tour for 3+ months this Summer...I believe I will come home and rid myself of even more....perhaps the chairs too :) although I love chairs..

.

First I never think in terms of decorate, decorate implies finished project. I will never be finished.

I have to be creative, I bore easily, I crave change. Our house has been home for over twenty years. If I ever finished I would be bored out of my mind, and insist on a move!

I'm like the Golden Gate bridge, once you finish painting, it's time to start again. Prevents rust ya know.

I love your pre-Restoration Hardware chair! :0)

It's a way to express myself.
I am a visual person, so my surroundings at home have to be comfortable aka visually appealing.

I was born under the sign of Cancer - true homebody.

I decorate with old family pictures or mementos to remember loved ones.

I decorate with trinkets or etchings/artwork purchased while traveling to bring back those memories.

But the best reason is to make our house a home for our family, friends and pets.

My mother is dying at home, and while clearing out junk and preparing space for all the hospital equipment, etc, I did some "decorating" too.

Then, yesterday, after she had been at home for a week, I moved things around. Replaced the orange fruit bowl with a crystal one (it's so warm outside!), moved a chrome-cosied teapot to a location where it better echoed the faucet, decluttered a bit more (now you can really see the copper collection). I know cleaning is not decorating, but shiny, spotless surfaces give back that same sense of peace as do beautiful objects, at least to me.

I really don't know if she appreciates beauty in the same way as I do. She has a lot of beautiful stuff, but never seemed to need to spend time showcasing and highlighting it like I do.

Nonetheless, I'd have to say that for me, too, it's "in my blood" even if the blood bypassed a generation.

Funny, it's been a very hard time and there are many things I can't talk about, but my most comforting conversations with aunts have been where I listened to them tell me about what they're doing in their decorating lives. Small things that have a lot of meaning in them.

As for decorating - I do it because I too am a nester and love making a house a home. I love making our house reflect us and our life together. For me too, it is a creative outlet. It's a way of caring for your family, making your home the best it can be . . .

tina

Jamies, I'm sorry too about what you're going through. Best wishes to you and your mom.

Besides, nobody lives here except me and DH. He likes things neat, but he's not picky.

We do have a new home that I want to look nice, but "decorating" isn't that important to me. I read here because I love to see what others do. I guess besides a tosser, I'm a Decorating Voyeur.

Oops. I think I just confessed.

My dh is audio focused and creating music gets him in his zone. I find it fascinating how there is no way, no how I could write a decent song and enjoy the process where that is one of his (and dd's) greatest joys.

I remember being chosen to decorate the classroom bulletin board in 2nd grade and the rest of the world just disappeared as I worked on it.

jamie, you said 'true and essential' and I so agree. Wishing you the best with your mother.