6 Reasons Why You Aren’t Decorating Your Home (and how to overcome them)

A few secrets to help you get started decorating your home and overcome the reasons that you haven’t started yet. Or you get you restarted when you stopped!

Do you have reasons that you haven’t started decorating your home?

Reasons or excuses?

I know, I know.

Some of our reasons are valid and can’t be helped.

But we all know that some of our reasons are things that we say because we’re uncomfortable (excuses).

But guess what?

You can decorate your home!

You can do it!

You should do it!

Reasons You Aren’t Decorating Your Home

We all have reasons for not getting something done. I want to do this but I don’t have (insert reason) time/money/ideas, etc.

Sometimes we have events in our lives but sometimes we are just using excuses for why things aren’t getting done.

It can be because it’s not important to us at the time, or it can be because we’re stuck.

If you’re stuck then I’m here to help!

Let me be your cheerleader and let me help you figure out how to overcome a few design dilemma’s.

What I Know for Sure

You are definitely the best person to decorate your own home.

You deserve to live in a beautiful space.

You deserve to live in a space that makes you feel comfortable and welcomed. A space that inspires you. A space that you can’t wait to come home too.

You deserve a space that makes your family and friends feel welcomed and nurtured.

Read on to find out a few reasons that might be holding you back and my tips on how you can overcome them!

You can also send me a message or comment at the bottom and I’ll do my best to help you!

I’m renting my home so I can’t change it

In the not so long ago past this was a tough one to overcome.

In the past a rental wasn’t allowed to be changed in any way, no holes poked in the walls, no paint, etc.

Previously renting made decorating your home really challenging.

These days there are so many products that can be used and removed without anyone being able to tell.

Other than they’ll want to keep your great style when you move.

Rugs are a great way to cover up carpet, or any other flooring, that you don’t love.

They’re also a great way to keep that builder’s beige carpet clean for when you move out.

Removable wallpaper is a great way to add style into a small space or a large wall.

You can use removable wallpaper or even the fabric and starch method to apply a unique pattern to your walls that cleans off easily and quickly.

Painting an accent wall is even an option as long as you can paint it back to the original color when you leave.

There are also some amazing new hangers for drywall that only leave tiny pinholes in your drywall. The holes aren’t noticeable so they can easily be touched up without having to repaint.

Look for The Claw drywall hooks or even command strips for hanging lighter weight artwork.

If you’re ambitious you can also change your light fixtures to ones that you love. Just keep the originals in storage so that they can be switched back when you move out.

You may be surprised that this isn’t as expensive as you think, and if you plant to stay somewhere longer than a year it can really pay off!

I Have Kids/Pets

While kids or pets may require different things in our decor, neither are a reason to not decorate at all.

No matter what stage you are in your life, it will change. Your needs will change and your decor will change along with it.

Having kids means that you need sturdy fabrics and surfaces that don’t show stains and finger prints.

Having pets means that you need sturdy fabrics and surfaces that don’t show stains and paw prints.

In our house we use these surfaces because we really live in our rooms. The house is decorated and comfortable but it’s not a museum and we want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome. I would never want someone to question if they were allowed to sit on a chair or put a drink on the table.

When choosing decor with kids and pets think about slipcovers and rugs.

Slipcovers can easily be laundered when they start showing wear. We even go a step further on our slipcovered sofas and add a quilt on the seats.

Our slipcovers get cleaned a couple times a year but the quilt gets washed weekly. Sometimes more often if it’s rainy and muddy outside.

The point being that we don’t sweat it, we just figure out the best way to deal with it.

To that end, patterned rugs will hide dirt and pet hair very well.

Stains show up less on patterns than they do on smooth surfaces.

Be sure that paint (if you’re repainting) is scrubbable. Even matte finishes these days can be wiped down and it’s important to be able to wipe off the inevitable spills or (tail) shakes that are going to happen.

I’m not sure other people will like my style

Well guess what? It’s not their house.

Seriously.

Sometimes I share photo’s and get an ugly comment and have to remind myself that I’m sharing things to inspire someone.

The people who choose not to like something are not my fans anyway. They’re probably never going to enter my house and they probably won’t like a lot of my decor choices.

Shake it off.

Even the most popular decorator’s have people that dislike their style or choices.

You are the most important person to decide how your house looks and feels.

You know your living situation, your family, your budget and all the decisions that go into picking decor.

Never, ever, ever decorate to someone else’s style.

It will leave you wondering why your space feels “off” and not “just right”.

You know why there are so many decorating styles?

It’s because there are so many people.

So many people with different tastes and hobby’s and family’s. So many different ways to make a house feel like a home.

My partner/husband/roommate has a different style

This may seem like a tough one to overcome when you’re decorating but it can actually be fun and make for a really interesting and unique home.

Don’t give up on decorating and don’t underestimate how much fun you can have when you start thinking out of the box.

There will be some negotiations and compromises but you can make an amazing space together.

Try making a game out of it – you can each pick a room that’s most important to you. Or you can work on a room together. Sit down and discuss what the most important things are about the space and see what you can brainstorm together.

You will definitely surprise yourselves!

I can’t afford to decorate my home

This is probably the number one reason that anyone is afraid to start decorating.

Budget is a major consideration for anyone who’s decorating. For anyone who’s doing anything really.

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that any room you’ve seen didn’t have a budget.

Some budgets are higher and some are lower but there’s alway money involved.

We all have things to overcome in our homes and budget can be a big factor. But it’s definitely not a make or break for decorating.

For instance, I have a few antique pieces of furniture in my home.

I’m not required to keep these pieces but I love them so we figure out how to fit them into our decor.

Not only that, but we’ve been doing it successfully for 30 years and over 12 houses now.

I love to consider how to update or upcycle a piece without spending any money on it.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve picked up furniture and chandeliers from the dumpster and the side of the road. Much to my husband’s horror.

Sometimes the best ideas come out of working on an item with a very limited budget. It can help you become more creative and also take more chances on your decor.

Decorating on a Budget

Decorating on a budget seems to bring to mind a lot of DIY or hand me downs. It may make you cringe but I’d beg you to reconsider.

DIY is so much better than it used to be!

There are videos to teach how to do just about anything you want to learn. There are products that weren’t previously available to make your work look almost professional.

And remember that trim in a house and caulking are what we use to cover up the gaps during building. We’ve become used to seeing them but we’ve forgotten the real reason we use them!

If your budget is at zero right now you can try moving furniture from room to room or just rearranging a room.

Spray paint a lamp or vase or repaint that piece of art that you’ve never been in love with.

Don’t underestimate some of the free furniture that you can find online as well.

Check out the popular sites like Craiglist and Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor for your community.

There’s some creative freedom that comes with thrifted and free items.

With a little thought and time you’ll be surprised at what you can pull together.

I don’t know where to start

Not knowing where to start can cause you to not start at all.

I can absolutely identify with that.

I’ve been slow to try TikTok because I don’t understand it. I don’t want to make reels on Instagram but I’m going to have to.

Decorating your home shouldn’t be stressful for you.

Decorating your home isn’t something that you’ll finish overnight.

I think one of the downfalls of social media is thinking that a project can happen immediately because we miss so many of the small steps that take place in a project.

Or we miss the actual timeline of a project.

Many times we see a before and after and want that.

But that takes time.

So take your time.

Think about how you live.

Think about how you want to live.

Think about the people who live in your home and what their wants and needs are.

Consider your budget and timeline for your home.

Save your ideas on Instagram and on Pinterest.

Check out a few of my resources to help you out!

Links to help!

• How to Decorate a Room in 4 easy Steps
• Use Pinterest to Decorate
• 7 Ways to Improve Your Home This Weekend
• Update Your Kitchen on a Budget

If you’ve got more questions about decorating your home then check out my Pinterest and Instagram accounts and be sure to leave a comment below and I’ll try to help!