The art of “slow”: how speedy design decisions lead to regret (and so much more)
We’ve all done it – moved into a new home and immediately raced to fill every space and wall. I’ve done this every time I’ve moved because I love my space so much and always felt rushed to “finish” it. But we all know we’re never truly “done” with our spaces (much to my husband’s chagrin).
So therein lies the secret: slow and steady wins the race. Now that I’ve hit (post ;)) midlife, I crave the opportunity to slow down and create meaningful, intentional spaces. This method can only be done over time – not in a few Target runs.
What happens when we “rush” design decisions:
We waste time and money. Rushed decisions end up in eventual regret, which means more money to replace the regretted choice and more time to find the “right” one. This is especially costly if contractors are involved – you might be stuck with a less-than-ideal choice for good!
We miss the opportunity to understand our space. We don’t get to see how we feel in each room, how the light hits, or how things actually work. Have you ever rushed a design decision before you knew your house well, only to realize later you’d do it totally differently? Yep, been there too.
We miss opportunities to create truly personalized spaces. We settle for the “ready to ship” couch instead of waiting 12-16 weeks for the one we really love – the one that speaks to our personality and how we want to feel in our space.
We cheapen the look. When we rush, we often go the lower-cost route to “do it all at once.” Even with a bigger budget, hurried decisions can leave spaces feeling cold because we’re missing the special touches that come only with time and intentional choice.
This is hard – for me, too. My current home is far from where I want it to be, and I’m forcing myself to take it slow and be intentional. To dream and visualize how I can make each room feel just the way I want it to. It’s been a fun lesson in patience, and the result is so much better than any past home I rushed to “finish.”
The good news? This means I have several projects to share with you as I continue personalizing my midcentury gem – both our primary home in Redmond and our vacation home in Palm Springs. Stay tuned to see my “long and slow” approach to finishing each space in our homes.
Fun fact: the round ottomans in the header image of this post took me the better part of 15 months to find. It was a weird space with the way I had to arrange the couch – so it was narrow, and I wanted something soft but not rectangular – and it couldn’t be too high. It took months and hours of searching, but the end result was perfect. I love them SO much and it’s like they were made for that space. Color and all. My patience paid off!
So do it. I challenge YOU! Leave those walls bare, order the couch you REALLY want even if it means living with what you have longer, spend weeks or months (or years!) slowly collecting special pieces that speak to you. Put paint samples on the walls and leave them for weeks. See how the hues feel in different lights. And of course, you can always call in a designer who can do the long and slow with you.
With that, I leave you with this:
When in doubt, wait it out.
You WON’T regret it! I think this goes for most things in life.
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