Why you don't want to live at a motel 6....part 1

ecently someone told me that decorating their place was just not a "priority". Which I took to basically mean it wasn't something they would ever really get around to doing in all probability. Because if you've lived somewhere for quite a long time and still not done anything to decorate or make it a home, you probably aren't going to get around to it at all. I can see how particularly, some men, may feel this way, but I've known women who have a similar attitude. I think it probably has more to do with a lack of confidence in their ability to decorate, than an actual lack of caring.

Some people just have a flair for decor. But a lot of people do not. Sometimes when people don't have a flair, they hire someone else to do it. But a lot of people can't afford that. And what if you are too scared to start choosing crazy paint colors, or if you're renting and you can't even paint? Then what?

Where to start?

First of all let me try to convince you that decor does make a difference. Ever stayed in a motel 6? Or a super 8? Most people have at some point in their life. Ever stayed at a 5 star hotel? If you're lucky, you have, but I'm guessing most everyone has stayed at a NICE hotel at some point in their life. Why were you willing to pay a lot more to stay at the nicer hotel? The bed was better? Yeah, probably. But that's not why. You liked the way the nicer hotel made you feel. You like that moment of anticipation when you open the door to a new hotel room and the decor is lovely. You almost let out an audible sigh don't you? And then you verbally say something like this is nice. And immediately you feel a little happier, a little more ebullient, a little more relaxed, like your world just got a little sunnier. Am I right? Of course I am. And the moment that you've walked into that crappy motel because you had to stay there for some reason? How did you feel? Like you're life just went down-hill for a moment and you told yourself, it's okay, it's only temporary. Right? You know I am.

Worst hotel I ever stayed in? Possibly a motel 6 outside of Denver.

This photo possibly does not even do justice to how truly depressing it was. Not a picture on any of the walls. Slick bedspreads with flat pillows. Just...barren and depressing with bad carpet and an air of desperation that permeated the whole place.

Best place I stayed? I'm happy to report I have a list in my head about 10 deep which it is difficult to pick the very best from, but I will go with the Ardoe House in Aberdeen Scotland, because we got to stay in the turret and it was FANTASTIC. It was a 3 story room, with our own private library on the top floor. And the exterior is modeled Balmoral Castle, which is just up the road. That's the outside of hotel, and not the castle. Yep, it was pretty awesome.

Okay so have I convinced you decor matters? Where do you start? It's overwhelming if you're whole place needs a make-over.

Start with the first room a person would enter upon entering your house. In my house this is the front room. Since our house is a 1950s architectural design, formal front rooms were still the norm. There are possibly things you can't change. For instance whatever furniture you have you probably aren't going to want to have to change right away, that's fine. Just work with what you've got. If you have a really awful sofa you can always cover it, but for now let's just focus on going with what you already have to work with. And you say you can't paint or you really don't want to right now? Okay let's pretend the walls are white. Here are some simple white rooms that look really great:


In the next few days I'll do posts on how you can turn your room into something similar in a few simple steps. Because there are just a few key things happening in each of these rooms that make them work. Can you tell what they are? Leave your guesses in a comment if you want and I'll follow up with parts 2, 3, and 4 in the next few days...