Why “just buy what you love” is horrible decorating advice.
I used to say this all the time.
"Just buy what you love."
Back in the early days of Wild Soul Interiors, when I was still finding my confidence and my own voice as a designer, I genuinely believed it.
And honestly?
I still think it can be good advice.
For the people who are deeply rooted in their personal style.
For the people who know exactly what they like.
For the people who have a clear vision for their home.
And for those rare unicorns who seem to have a natural knack for pulling a room together.
But for most people?
It's actually terrible decorating advice.
Because if you're anything like many of my clients, you've already been buying what you love.
You loved the pillow.
You loved the lamp.
You loved the artwork.
You loved the rug.
You loved the chair.
And yet somehow, when you brought it home, it didn't work.
Or maybe it worked on its own, but not with everything else you already had.
So you returned it.
Second-guessed yourself.
Wondered if you were bad at decorating.
Started over.
Bought something else.
Repeated the cycle.
The problem isn't that you don't know what you like.
The problem is that you've been making individual decorating decisions without an overall plan.
Imagine trying to put together a puzzle without looking at the picture on the box.
That's what decorating feels like when you're buying things one piece at a time without knowing where you're headed.
The truth is, creating a beautiful home isn't about finding the perfect rug, or lamp, or piece of art.
It's about creating a vision first.
Before I buy a single thing for a client, I spend time figuring out:
How do they want their home to feel?
What colors light them up?
What are they naturally drawn to?
What parts of their personality aren't reflected in their space yet?
What story are we trying to tell?
From there, we create a plan. And once the plan is in place, every decorating decision becomes easier.
Not because decorating suddenly becomes effortless.
But because you're no longer making decisions in a vacuum.
You have a filter.
A guide.
A direction.
Something to measure every purchase against.
This is exactly why I teach color first. Because a color palette becomes the foundation for everything else.
Furniture.
Rugs.
Art.
Textiles.
Accessories.
Paint.
When you know your colors, decorating stops feeling like a guessing game.
You don't need more inspiration.
You don't need another Pinterest board.
And you definitely don't need to keep buying random things you love and hoping they'll magically work together.
You need a plan.
And if color feels overwhelming, that's exactly why I created, From Beige to Brave: A Free Color Confidence Workshop
If you want a colorful home but keep second-guessing every decorating decision, this free workshop will help you approach color with more confidence, joy, and ease.
