I got a NO but then I got a YES. It took just a little nudge, which got me thinking about it all, not necessarily this client. The fear of making a mistake or doing the wrong thing when tackling a home renovation, or simply just decorating, can be gripping and it’s why many either end up with something bland or just copy something verbatim, just playing it safe. (Pro tip: resale value means nothing when you are going to actually live there for years anyway, so why do you care that real estate photos are all white, gray and oatmeal?) The goal is to find YOUR personality and make it come alive in your home. You will love your home so much more when something was done specifically with you and your family in mind. But sometimes you have to let go and let someone make those choices because they can objectively see who you are, what you might like but are afraid to try, maybe even what you don’t even see in yourself, and give you the encouragement, the nudge (sometimes the strong push) to just go for it. That being said, not everything is over the top. Matter of fact, I don’t ever plan anything “over the top”, it’s always just what I think the client can handle, even if it takes a little convincing at first. It’s not my way or the highway, I work clients through it all so that they can feel comfortable with the choices they are making. There are a few who push back, thinking they know exactly what they want but 1. Why did they hire me and 2. If they know, then why can’t they make a decision already? It’s not because the design choices are bad, it’s fear of missing out on something better that hasn’t come along yet. It’s fear of wasting money. It’s fear of trusting someone else to do it for them. It will cause hesitation, delays, frustration, anxiety, and incompletion. The best is when I can feel the trepidation going in, yet I also feel the client’s spark is reachable and I can wiggle my way in there. Sometimes I can start a fire. Sometimes I just light a candle. But my goal always is to get them to glow a little brighter than before. You feel me? Hopefully you will see that light in my new projects. (See what I did there?) #designninja (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1Qnm9l3ia/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kz5cxg82dtos