Any one been following Bravo's latest hit Million Dollar Decorators? While it is very entertaining, I have to admit that it doesn't paint the best picture of high-end professional designers. I've even read a fellow blogger's post exclaiming that after she watched the first episode she had the sudden urge to quit her job! What I think is the most striking is the level of shallowness associated with decor that is portrayed. It really got me thinking, is this field that I adore so much just a bunch of showy and unnecessary fluff?? What is the goal we are trying to achieve?Ok, gotta admit I am in love with Mary's style, those red doors with oversized pulls get me every time!
Then it came to me: No, it's not all as shallow as this show would make it seem. A decorator's true goal is to enrich people's everyday lives. It's to bring function and beauty to some one's home, not to tell them what they can and can't have in their home. This can't be a true representation of the industry. I really believe interior design does not have to be pretentious and out-of-touch. These thoughts have been floating around my mind for the passed few weeks, and I even had a great discussion about it with friends at work. We talked about the fact that families do desire beauty and comfort in their homes, and that this is a legitimate desire. Good design and decor can change a families every day life! This took the discussion on a whole other tangent ... children are as affected by decor as adults are.
This is an important point to realize, how many decor/home reno shows have you seen where the kids are just as thrilled with a home makeover as their parents? And I'm not just talking about their bedrooms, I'm talking kitchens and living rooms and the like!! The first season of Sarah 101 featured a beautiful kitchen reno, and I distinctly remember the homeowner mentioning that the kids now LOVED to do there homework in the space and just generally hang out there. Now that's what design should aim to accomplish, don't you think?
My friends made a few good points; first that they could distinctly remember thinking certain friends had 'really nice homes,' that they wanted to visit, and a few even admitted they were too embarrassed by their own homes to invite their friends over!! And remember the days when people kept the somewhat 'sterile' living room a child-free zone and certain furnishings were off-limits? I'm sensing that those days are fading ... good design should be comfortable and accessible to every one in the family. So, coming back full circle, decorating does not have to appear shallow, showy and unnecessary. Good design is as important to us 'average' people as it is to those with a million dollar budget.
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on this topic. And just out of curiousity, do you have any experiences/memories of being affected by design as a young child? Do you have children who have already shown signs of being affected by their surroundings? What do you think a designer's aim should be?
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