Monday, October 8, 2012

Unhealthy extremes?

"Not since the 1950s have women devoted so much attention to the minutiae of kitchen towels, bathroom grouting and indoor plant trends..."


I love this, because it hits so close to home.  I know someone who is obsessed with her fiddle leaf fig...

Thank you Lisa for bringing this article to my attention. 
This raises the question - obsessing over decorating or is it really an issue of self worthIt cuts open a rather large cross-section into how obsessive we can get over the details of our own homes.  Do we feel our homes don't measure up to pictures in magazines? Are we more likely to show pictures of our home or projects instead of pictures of ourselves? (You can bet we are)  

The author suggests the core of this issue may be self worth and wanting our homes to look picture perfect even if we ourselves don't. Very interesting.  We may not be able to control our bodies or our looks, but we can get that perfect look in our homes (if we just obsess about it and spend some bucks or go DIY crazy)!

Admittedly, blogging has lead me to obsess more than ever over decorating my own home and all the staging details and I've been a decorator for decades.

What do you all think?

Other supporting stats from this article - "Home decor is the No. 1 industry driving growth on Pinterest and, according to an April 2012, report, Pinterest draws more traffic than any site other than Facebook and Twitter."  (Phew...it's not just me!)

My friend, Phyllis, was recently guest posting at High Cotton Style where she said that he husband has threatened to stage an " Pintervention" and that is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time! And so true! I've often gotten looks from my husband like I've been abducted by internet aliens, but I mention it's for decorating, like it's OK. 


But, for me, it's not OK to spend 4 hours at a time in front of the computer and ignore the world around you (after 8 hours at the computer for work), not to mention what it is doing to my neck!




And... when did we start thinking "my house isn't perfect enough to have people over?" or "I can't ask them over until I do a major cleaning!" ?

PEOPLE ARE HUMAN just like us, and we are losing site of what is important.

FACE TO FACE interchange is what's important.  

I vote for more spur of the moment drop-ins, having a friend over for coffee in the morning before the house gets straightened, less time on the phone or on the computer,  and more time face to face!  As soon as I get off of Pinterest, that is :)

Here's to keeping it REAL, ORIGINAL and to trying to maintain BALANCE in our lives
- you in?
(my latest wire figure for the yoga studio)

Have a great week, and let us know your thoughts!
-Nancy

Check out this awesome giveaway at Furbish!

And this amazing clutch at Style Me Swanky!


If you are looking for help with your home, we'd love to work with you! Contact us for a listing of our services and prices.
Nancy and Bethany

21 comments:

  1. This is so right Nancy! It is even becoming evident in the magazines, Joni at Cote de Texas just showed us several celebrity homes and how they really look compared to the staging done for high end design magazines. Even their homes evidently didn't match up to our expectations!! Time to take a breath and keep our homes REAL!!

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  2. What would I do all winter long? I can't garden. For those who enjoy it, rock on. That wire art of yours is so good.

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  3. Blogging/Pinterest definitely does push me to want to make my house exactly the way I want it...though I've always felt this way...maybe to a slightly lesser extent though. And I agree... sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and just live/breathe:)

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  4. I think you can go over board on anything and everything. You have to create balance in your life.

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  5. This was a great post! I agree, we need to have balance in all things. It's important to have a clean and well put together home, but it is way to easy to get carried away .

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  6. I think Martha Stewart was instrumental in the revival a few decades ago...and it's a good thing! As for having a friend over for coffee, absolutely...we look at Pinterest together! :)

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  7. I read and commented on that very post you referred to. It's very much like looking at the superskinny airbrushed models in fashion magazines and then feeling like you don't measure up. Those gorgeous pinterest images have been professionally photographed (in most cases) with proper lighting, have been professionally styled (which is an art in itself) and then professionally edited. I agree - we need to keep it real and in the realm of what works for each of us individually. Great post, Nancy!

    www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

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  8. Perfect! I often feel like my builder grade kitchen just doesn't measure up, among other things, but then I remember that I have it pretty nice. I love to have visitors and I don't think they are thinking, "No more more hanging out with her in that ugly kitchen." I'd rather have friends who visit than an empty but beautiful house.

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  9. I have a philosophy about homes and how they relate to the topic you so eloquently focused on within this post....I was never interested in having a large home...just one that was right-sized for my family and one that was done or far enough along that I felt peaceful walking through it during my day. A home and all the furnishings in it should make you feel like you are on vacation 365...I never understand the concept of living in chaos and unhappiness within your home and then vacationing two weeks a year in paradise! That said, once you achieve that feeling of peace it is very easy to let go of the comparisons to others spaces...and I am all for doing everything you can to get there- to that place- no matter how long it takes. After all- for us design freaks- the journey is the fun part!

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    1. I totally agree. The journey for me is to make my home a sanctuary where we do feel we are on vacation 365 days a year here. Well said, Emily, you brought perfect sense to all of this!

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  10. So true, I've been noticing major neck pains in myself since blogging, gotta work on the posture at the computer the doc says! I agree that there needs to be balance, but I also think that wanting our homes to look good isn't all bad. The space we live in has definite effects on our mood, and I think that creating a comfortable and happy space is a great thing! We need to rely more on our own instincts for that, rather than pinterest!

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  11. i love....."it's a beautiful day outside!"

    xox

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  12. People are obsessed with home decor, and unfortunately, our blog world is making it worse! I'm trying really hard ot be happy with what I have, and only buy things that I love and that my husband doesn't hate:)

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  13. This is so important and interesting. To keep it real, I don't have the perfectly matching towels in the kitchen. And the only reason anything new ever happens in my house is Linda at My Crafty Home Life and her One Room Challenge or Paint a Rug Party. I can't for the life of me understand how there's time in the day to shower, do an amazing DIY, cook a delicious dinner, keep your house all decorated to the nines for the latest holiday and take care of children properly. Does everyone else have twice as many hours in the day than I?

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  14. Amen, amen Nancy! I guess i don't feel guilty about showing off my home more , since I do show more of ME and my life over to more friends on FB :-), but I do understand the effort and time that we bloggers give to this passion.

    I admire everyone who does this (blogging), since I know for a fact the hardwork that goes behind it. But, I also know that the amazing people behind such blogs have amazing lives to begin with in order for them to share more of their ideas and their lives to others. I agree, we can't spend 4 hours a day doing this or life will just pass us by - I think the distinction is when blogging becomes more of WORK rather than a fun outlet to share, browse and interact with people with similar interests.

    Agree with your beautiful Yoga wire art, we have to balance our lives well, so that we may continue on blogging well too! Have a wonderful evening Nancy!

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  15. If only I could remember your words everyday! I grew up in a house where my mom obsessed over every little thing, to the point where it wasn't even a home any more, but more like a museum. Luckily I couldn't even pull that off if I tried (living with three boys, ya right!) but I do put waaayyy too much effort into making everything picture perfect. I also get this feeling inside, sort of like an itch I can't scratch, when I look at a part of my house (ugly back splash anyone?) that I can't fix immediately. It can drive me crazy if I dwell on it too much. Whew! Do you charge by the hour because I think I just had a mini counseling session! :)

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  16. I think we have to have a balance of the lived in home and picture perfect. Most people prefer to visit a friend's home that feels livable rather than picture perfect. No one wants to feel the pressure of Can I sit down or Will I mess this up if I touch it. But the pressure from magazines and Pinterest can get to you, and I agree with you, lets try to have a more balanced life. And lets get back to real living rather than computer living!

    www.donnaviningblog.com

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  17. Sometimes I need a really hard smack in the head to make me realize I have a life going on all around me and I'm absorbed by just one more blog. It's a bit much sometimes and articles like this are great for providing some balance.

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  18. Oh wow, what a great article.

    I totally freak out if my house isn't clean and I have people coming over. I think I got that from my mom. I swear, nothing makes one clean faster than knowing people are coming to visit. :)

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