Yikes, Are You Decorating Like A Grandma?

Grandmothers are great, though their decorating habits are not. Love your sweet grandmother just don’t decorate your home like she did (or with all her stuff). Even if you are a grandma, the worst thing you can do for your home and potential guests is decorate like one. We want our homes to be inviting and comfortable, a happy place where our families can relax and we can entertain friends. Keep reading to learn if you are scaring people away by decorating like a grandma.

Our grandmothers LOVED stuff. They over-decorated and filled every inch of their home with collectables or needless items (“don’t touch”) which too often have been mislabeled heirlooms. They saved everything, adding to their rooms though rarely removing or changing anything.

Look around, are you rocking this museum-like, over-decorated and outdated vibe?

Yuck, a home should never be an homage to the past, especially someone else’s past which landed in your hands. To get some expert help, visit the Painters and decorators in London website.

Avoid over decorating and allow a beautiful piece of furniture to stand on it’s own.

Regardless of how stylish or chic grandma was, our homes should look nothing like theirs. Outdated drapery or the need for a repaint is easy to identify, the decorating habits you’ve borrowed from grandma might surprise you.

How do you stop decorating like a grandma?

1. Limit or eliminate tabletop decor – tables should be at least 75% empty
2. Allow empty and open spaces in a room on both walls and floor
3. Do not fill bookshelves, especially with books you haven’t read or items which are not yours
4. Remove furniture or items not relevant to today
5. Eliminate unnecessary decor items (that set of wedding china for 8 especially if it isn’t yours and it can’t go in a dishwasher)
6. Curate and/or rotate your mementos if you must display them

Applying this one simple rule to inherited items will transform your world: If you didn’t procure it, it isn’t yours to save. Likewise, if you didn’t collect it, don’t waste shelf space on it.

Even with new items, decorating like a grandma happens. Too much is too much, eliminate all the unnecessary and useless items and you have a restful space.

Ban yourself from buying decorative crap, just because it is cute! 

Of course there are certain family heirlooms worth holding onto, if they have a personal connection to you. Because it sat on your great grandparent’s mantel is not a good reason for you to hold onto it. We like to hide behind perceived value, saving rather than tossing items because they might be worth something. True priceless antiques are few and far between. Don’t ignore the hidden costs of what it costs you to hold onto something you didn’t procure. If something has no monetary value, no visual value and there is no connection to it, bye bye!

Modern interiors which feel good and are visually exciting have one thing in common. Nothing or we’ll call it nothingness. Seriously, lots of spots of nothing, no clutter on the table; empty spaces; spacious bookshelves; can make a home rather fabulous. If clutter makes us anxious, nothing makes us smile. 

Decorate your home with what matters to you and your family, items which you’ve collected on your journeys.  Use colors and furniture which fits today’s lifestyle and the needs of your family. Beautiful homes feel alive. They smell good. They look good. Beautiful homes make us comfortable the moment we step through the front door.