Y’all know that I spend my days working on my own. Proper now, I’m working (nonetheless) on the grasp toilet, and as quickly as that’s completed, I’ll be engaged on our house fitness center. Which means I spend many hours every day on my own, left alone with my ideas. And I typically take a brief break each couple of hours to scroll Instagram for a couple of minutes earlier than getting again to work.
What has struck me currently is the sheer quantity of busyness and consumerism that’s promoted on blogs and social media. I’ve been a blogger now for 15 years, and so I feel to some extent, I’ve change into numb to it. It simply appears regular to me now. However earlier than I began running a blog in 2007, I solely embellished for one vacation — Christmas. And so far as basic adorning in my house, as soon as I received a room carried out, it was carried out. I didn’t frequently tweak the room, purchase new stuff, change out the decor, and so on. I completed it, after which I loved it.
That’s to not say that I’d by no means purchase a brand new throw pillow. After all, if I occurred to be in a retailer and discover one which I completely liked, and I assumed it labored higher in my room than the one I at present had, I’d purchase it, swap them out, and do away with the unique one.
However I by no means had the considered hanging onto 20 couch pillows in order that I may swap them out seasonally or with each single vacation. I don’t actually know anybody who did that again then.
However now, my Instagram feed appears to be crammed with folks continually altering and tweaking their rooms. I see folks adorning for each single vacation, not solely the massive ones like Christmas, however all the things in between — Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, Easter, Mom’s Day, Father’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and the listing goes on and on.
Then there are the seasonal decorations for winter, spring, fall, and summer season. After which there’s the swapping out of the decor each time a favourite retailer releases a brand new collaboration with a favourite social media particular person, or originally of the yr when every paint firm releases their “coloration of the yr” for the brand new yr and we begin to see these colours extra within the shops.
All of it will get a bit dizzying for me, and I’m genuinely curious how blogs and social media have affected you on this space.
Do you’re feeling stress to embellish an increasing number of typically? To swap out your couch pillows, paintings, and curtains for every new season or vacation? Is that this one thing that actual world individuals are truly doing of their actual world properties? Or is that this simply one thing that content material creators are doing with the intention to create content material?
As a result of once more, except somebody was internet hosting a New 12 months’s Eve celebration, I’ve by no means identified somebody who went all out and embellished their house for New 12 months’s Eve. And except somebody was truly internet hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve by no means personally identified anybody who decorates their house for Thanksgiving.
And I’ve actually by no means, ever identified somebody who redecorates rooms — swaps out pillows, curtains, paintings, and so on. — for every new season. At the very least, I had by no means identified that in the true world, and I had by no means seen anybody do it till the appearance of running a blog, and it appears pretty widespread now on social media. (After all, what I’m speaking about goes far past merely swapping out your summer season quilt in your mattress in your winter down comforter. That makes full sense.)
All of this appears manufactured by social media, however I’m questioning in the event you agree, or is these things that you simply had been doing lengthy earlier than the appearance of running a blog and social media?
I do know that for me personally, spending an excessive amount of time on social media (particularly Instagram) could cause me to start out feeling discontent with what I’ve. I see folks continually refreshing and redecorating, and I feel, “Wow, I suppose I ought to be doing that, too! I suppose I would like to vary issues up in order that I and others don’t change into tired of my home!”
However then I go searching my home, and I understand that I’m truly fairly content material with it. The truth is, I really like my home, and I don’t wish to change it.
Even simply this morning, as I used to be standing within the kitchen mixing up my morning collagen drink, I glanced on the colourful artwork wall within the sitting room, and had the fleeting thought, “Possibly I ought to swap out a few of that paintings for brand spanking new paintings simply to maintain it contemporary and attention-grabbing.“
In any case, that wall has regarded precisely like that since September of final yr. However then I attempted to slender down which of them I’d swap out for one thing new, and I noticed that I don’t wish to swap out any of them. There’s nothing on these ledges that I’m bored with but.
After all, the day will come when this room will bear a big change in operate. As soon as we’ve our addition constructed (which I talked about yesterday), I’ll be capable to transfer the recliners out of this room and convey again a eating desk and chairs in order that it could possibly operate as a correct eating room once more. However that’s not fairly what I’m speaking about.
Then I glanced into the lounge to see if there was something in there that I’d think about updating and refreshing.
Once more, it’s a no, a minimum of for essentially the most half. There’s nothing in right here that I’d redecorate to vary the look or so as to add a seasonal contact or a vacation vibe. However clearly, I’m one who will change issues out extra for sensible functions. I did do away with our grey chenille couch that our cat may (and was) simply shredding, and I swapped it out for a grey velvet couch that she will’t claw and shred. However that didn’t actually change the general look of the room. I swapped out grey for grey.
And I’ve by no means discovered a very good mixture of throw pillows for my couch that I’m pleased with, so my couch has by no means felt “completed” to me. However as soon as I do discover a mixture that I really like, I’ll most likely stay with them for years.
I’ll additionally say that if I may discover a pink cloth that’s the very same (and I imply similar) coloration to what I at present have, however is extra sturdy than what I at present have, I’d most likely purchase it and make new curtains for this room. However my objective wouldn’t be to vary the look of the room. My objective can be to have curtains that stand as much as my cat higher and that she will’t snag along with her claws so simply. However once more, that’s extra of a sensible change. I’d solely try this if the colour is identical, which implies the room would find yourself wanting the identical because it does now.
The remainder? I nonetheless love these floral pillows, paintings, lamp, throw, rug, espresso desk. I’m simply totally happy and content material with what I’ve.
After which there’s my music room…
I did suppose the opposite day that it may be enjoyable to attempt to make new paintings to go above the piano some day. However that was extra only a fleeting thought than an precise plan. And if I by no means get round to it, I’m completely pleased with what I’ve.
In order that’s me. When you’ve adopted alongside on my adorning and reworking adventures for lengthy, then you understand I’m the form of one that has no downside in any respect altering my thoughts and redoing initiatives till I get them proper. I imply, what number of tries did it take me to get the lounge proper? I feel it was about 5 occasions, together with one wayward try to show the lounge right into a eating room. Similar with the entryway. I simply couldn’t appear to get these areas proper, and I actually struggled with them.
However now that I’ve lastly gotten them proper, and have ended up with rooms which can be very a lot “me” and really feel proper to me, I simply can’t think about feeling the necessity to continually swap out, tweak, and adorn for each passing vacation, season, or retailer collaboration that’s launched.
And it’s a battle of the thoughts for me once I’m scrolling by means of social media. It’s a battle to not permit myself to really feel like I ought to all the time be busy doing extra. However greater than that, it’s a battle to not permit myself to really feel discontent with what I’ve, and to suppose that I all the time want new issues. I feel discontentment can rob us of the peace that we should always really feel within our properties, and my goodness, nothing can breed discontentment greater than seeing the fixed consumerism on social media (a minimum of for me).
Inform me what you suppose. Do you battle discontentment if you scroll social media? Does it make you’re feeling like it’s important to do extra and purchase extra? Or are you fairly good at having fun with social media whereas shielding your self from that stress?
And the way typically do you redecorate and tweak your decor? Are you a seasonal decorator? Do you adorn for holidays? Do you purchase new issues every time a collaboration is launched at Goal or different retailer? And I’m additionally very curious to know if being on social media modified any of this for you.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You’ll be able to study extra about me right here.
I hope you’ll be a part of me on my DIY and adorning journey! If you wish to observe my initiatives and progress, you’ll be able to subscribe beneath and have every new put up delivered to your electronic mail inbox. That manner you’ll by no means miss a factor!
