share post

Design Decisions By Consenses

by | Apr 15, 2010 | Decorating Inspiration, Details

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

Design Decisions By Consenses

Yesterday on Design Team Hyacinth (remember, Holly, Layla and I are working with The Pioneer Woman’s best friend Hyacinth on her family room?), Hyacinth (after introducing Layla!) posted three color options she is considering for chalkboard paint. She put the paint colors up for vote! You’d think working with three designers would be complicated enough for her (not to mention wading though her own unique creative style and ideas!), but she is doing a poll to see what the readers think!

It is fun to see what the popular vote on the paint color is, but it is also pretty funny to see how many people have opinions on things she didn’t ask people to vote on (at least yet!), like her furniture, pillows or tables. A couple of commenters even said that they feared the designers were steering her away from her true style, which was kind of funny too since NONE of us on the design team would make those particular choices for themselves, they are all made with and for Hyacinth to showcase her own style. She wasn’t happy with the room as it was, thus her idea to ask for help from Design Team Hyacinth and the 12,000 other women who have voted so far. LOL. Brave woman!

What about you?

Do you like to ask for opinions on your style or decorating decisions?

Does it help you make the best choice or does it overwhelm you with too many opinions?

Go ahead, discuss amongst yourselves.

Enjoy the latest Team Hy post over at The Pioneer Woman!

PS. the sale is still on for the adorable cupcake stands!

24 Comments

  1. Emily

    She is very brave. It does make me LOL that someone would say your team is steering her away from her style, yet clearly she WANTS to be steered. Isn’t that the point of asking for advice and opinions? :)

    I would much rather be blissfully ignorant about what people really think about my home and appearance than to ever ask for opinions. The second you ask, the floodgates open and it seems to be a license to be harsh for some people.
    .-= Emily@remodelingthislife´s last blog ..The Pleated Poppy Giveaway =-.

    Reply
  2. Kelly

    I guess I have been lucky..I am the only one in this household who really cares how rooms look. (My crew is happy to have plenty to eat, a bed to sleep on, hot water for the bath, and clean clothes.) So when it comes to design decisions I am on my own. Not trying to sound selfish, but I don’t usually ask anyone for advice. I know that in the long run any decision has to ultimately please me, and my sweet husband will paint, build, or take down pretty much anything I ask him to. And I guess I am lucky to have “good taste” because our house has been featured on a couple of home tours and hosted a wedding and numerous parties. In the end, if I weren’t so lucky, I might ask a person or two for advice.

    Reply
  3. Stephanie

    I’ll ask people what they think, but it usually always comes down to what me and my husband really want.
    And i am lucky that me and my husband have the same taste is just about everything, but especially decorating!

    Reply
  4. Becky K.

    In my recent experience with the living room project, I came into it with an idea of a few projects that were going to happen no matter what others thought. I stuck with that and am perfectly fine if some disagreed. No one was nasty about it. I am blessed that way….

    Becky K.
    .-= Becky K.´s last blog ..Cat in A Tree – And a Clothes on a Line =-.

    Reply
  5. Jan

    Since way before I became a professional Interior Designer, I decorated the way I desired…and still do! I have never asked for advice and don’t intend to. I’ve always had a keen eye for color and what looks “right” for me…and for clients, as well.

    While I’ll never be an artist who can paint lovely portraits or scenery, I am an artist who can paint people’s homes and lives with joy, comfort and relaxation.

    Jan
    .-= Jan´s last blog ..PROJECTS, PROJECTS & MORE PROJECTS… =-.

    Reply
  6. Black Eyed Susans Kitchen

    I have always had carte blanche when it came to decorating our home. Everyone just went along with my decisions. Several years ago I won an in home appraisal from a professional designer at a PTA fund raiser. She came to my house and made many suggestions about the living room decor…I felt somewhat deflated about my own sense of style. Fast forward a few years later, I have slowly implemented some of her ideas…she was right…our taste did run toward modern and some of the heavier traditional furniture did not work in the room. The lesson I learned is that if you are going to listen to someones opinion, make sure they know what they are talking about. People don’t pay professionals good money for nothing.
    .-= Black Eyed Susans Kitchen´s last blog ..THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US =-.

    Reply
  7. Melanie

    I picked black but I LOVE black. I am going to paint my double two story mantel black.

    I have brownish black kitchen cabinets and I have some black furniture. So I guess my choice came naturally.
    .-= Melanie´s last blog ..Some answers about paint. =-.

    Reply
  8. Pink and Polka Dot

    She is quite brave! I don’t know that I would ask for that much advice. I like what I like, but sometimes you do need a different set of eyes to see things in a different way. I always ask my friends for their eyes! And they are always happy to lend them.
    .-= Pink and Polka Dot´s last blog ..How to Make a Ruffle Video =-.

    Reply
  9. Hip Hip Gin Gin

    I only ever ask the opinion of the people who live here, which means just my husband (the dog could care less so long as there are plenty of blankets to sleep on). It would be nice to have more opinions but we both have the type of personality that if someone says something negative about our idea we will psych ourselves out of it, even if we love it. So as long as he and I agree it goes up whatever it is. People will definitely not come into your home and bash something that is already there, at least not in real life, and at least not anyone I’d invite over ever again.

    Reply
  10. Vee

    Yes, sometimes I do that. I often find myself reading the suggestions and coming across one that resonates with me. Some of the others are helpful in that I know that there is nO WaY that I’d want to ever do that. Yes, Hyacinth is brave, brave, brave. It’s obviously nOt about redoing a room. ;>

    Reply
  11. Kathy

    It is funny how you always get more opinion than you bargained for! I don’t think people realize that the other items they are giving their opinions on might be the next project in the line-up, but the one you want the opinion on is what you are dealing with right now.

    Reply
  12. Tracy

    I’ll ask for advice or opinions about my home if something feels “off” to me. Just to double-check that what they see is what I see. But I can only ask someone I trust who has a style I admire. My daughter has a very good eye and will tell me the truth. My husband only objects to things he finds odd (a window on the wall? really?), or inconvenient, or too expensive (what a party pooper, right?). Otherwise, I pretty much have carte blanche.
    As for designers steering clients away from what they want… that’s the opposite of my objective. I’m trying to steer them toward what they do want but don’t know how to describe or acheive for themselves. And more often than not, their results are nothing like my personal style. Actually, never like my own in my experience so far. But that’s the fun of it for me! If they’re also happy with the process and results, it’s a win for both of us.
    .-= Tracy´s last blog ..How to Decorate With Cats =-.

    Reply
  13. o~girl

    I love the gray wall color for Hyacinth’s room but I like the pillows on the couch & stuff on the table that are in the picture with the black wall. :) When you’re done with Hyacinth’s place how about you gals come work on my home? ;) I’ve lived in my house 12 yrs with barely anything hanging on the walls.

    Reply
  14. Karen

    I have a couple of friends who I rely on when I have questions about paint color or upholstery. I find those to be the most challenging.

    Reply
  15. Lesley

    I like to hear other opinions. I particularly want to know my mom’s opinion because I value it so much.

    But in the end, I’m very independent. And if everyone else’s opinions don’t match my vision, I do what I want anyway.
    .-= Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last blog ..Tips for finding a second hand ‘treasure’ to redo =-.

    Reply
  16. Kristin

    The ide of fully decorating or redecorating a space intimidates me a bit. I just add things here and there. My husband is the one who will look at a room and formulate a vision for the final look. I’m trying to contribute more, but it overwhelms me! Love your site! ~K

    Reply
  17. Barbara (WA)

    21 years later and I am still very stuck on decorating my house, especially the master bedroom. I am not sure I could handle 12,000 opinions, either !! But I constantly look at ideas in magazines and online. I did have to quit watching TV design shows that made me feel dissatisfied with what I do love. I was beginning to want a very contemporary home which just isn’t me.

    Reply
  18. Bethany

    The only person I seek design advice from is my best friend – we have very similar styles and she can take it when I say, “No, not my thing.” What I have learned is that I have to go with what I love because I am the one living there. I recently redecorated my home and am getting close to being finished (and will post pictures then) and I LOVE it. I feel so myself there. Before I had pieces chosen by other people that I had inherited (and not in the good way). I have gone through a spiritual/mental/emotional transformation this year and part of that was saying, “This space isn’t me – I don’t feel me here.” Now, it feels like me. I love it. I feel good in my house and my skin. AND, it has been FUN. Life should be full of joy – not agonizing design decisions.

    Reply
  19. Traci

    I always appreciate others’ opinions, but in the end I try to pick what speaks to me the most. I have to live with, not them.
    :)

    Reply
  20. linda

    Oh…that’s a toughy. I sometimes wonder If I don’t put the question out there (to peeps, on my blog) to just bide time. But sometimes a whole new idea is unearthed….

    I’ll have to go see.
    .-= linda@LimeintheCoconut´s last blog ..Growth… =-.

    Reply
  21. Mary Jean

    i do ask for help, sometime I use it, sometimes I don’t. I steal alot of idea from blogland…but always fess up and give credit to the owner!
    .-= Mary Jean´s last blog ..Nutty Girls Stick Together! {Give-Away} =-.

    Reply
  22. Jess

    Sometimes it can take me awhile to make up my mind on something and talking it out with others can help me feel out what I really want to do in a space. While the hubby pretty much lets me do whatever I want – he will tell me if he thinks something is completely impractical!
    .-= Jess @ Frugal with a Flourish´s last blog ..Dinette Dilemma – A Decision and a Hint! =-.

    Reply
  23. Joseph

    I am a cabinetmaker who got into it through a series of events. I really wanted to write novels for a living and actually wrote two, but I was never able to find a publisher for them. At the time we got our home some 17 years ago, I was working on a third, but I put it aside to remodel our home, thinking that I would go into business with what I’d learned through the work on the home. That work still continues, but I have learned a ton. And the third novel is destined to remain unfinished. But all of that is just prelude to my stating that I am very comfortable with my own designs and my own ideas.

    The only person I consult is my wife, and that is constant throughout the process. She has a wonderful eye for color and has insights into shape and such that have saved me a lot. I sometimes make a model for something that is too thick, but she always catches it. We normally just kick it back and forth until we have a design that pleases both of us.

    It is very rare for me to insist on a color scheme she doesn’t like, but I have done it. If I have a strong feeling that I’m right, I’ll go with it. We’ve never been unhappy with the results, but I must point out that it has only happened two or three times. And I only stand my ground when I just KNOW I’m right. The vast majority of the time when she objects, I look for another way because I know she’s right. As for what others think of our choices and our designs… Sometimes they like them and sometimes they don’t, but all the time I really don’t give a damn. We have designed this home for us.
    .-= Joseph´s last blog ..Stosa Bring Kitchen Designs =-.

    Reply
  24. Amy

    Oh how fun! I had no idea you all were being featured on Pioneer Woman. I have been MIA from reading blogs lately. Looking forward to seeing what happens with her home.
    .-= Amy @ Living Locurto´s last blog ..Free Printable Reward Jar Tag =-.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Kelly Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php