I’m mesmerized when I watch home design reality shows. I love to watch HGTV and shows like Design Star, Divine Design or Design on a Dime. I am amazed at the things decorators can do. They make it look so easy, but to me, easy it is not.
I think the decorator gene skipped me. Both my mom and sister can take an empty room and make it look like the room was made up by a professional designer. My sister was able to turn my parent’s basement room into a cute little studio apartment. She even worked with the small space to create an adorable nursery for my niece. Take a look at what she did.
Nursery 1
Nursery 2
My mom is a bit like Martha Stewart. She can probably make something totally cool from straws, string and duck tape. My mom is also a great bargain shopper decorator. She can find clearance deals at home decor stores, put them together and somehow it all works. Here are a few pictures of the potted faux plants she arranged.
Floral Arrangement 1
Floral Arrangement 2
The pictures don’t do it justice, but time and time again I’ve had people ask me where I got them. I would also go to stores and similar items would be listed $150 and up. If my mom ever wanted to get out of nursing, she definitely would have a great second career.
As for me, I have no such luck in interior design. When I moved down to Maricopa, I decided to tackle decorating the bathroom. I thought it was a great small project to start off with. I discovered Ikea and after looking at the display room, I thought anyone could do it. Boy was I wrong. Let me have the pictures speak for itself.
Bathroom 1
Bathroom 2
Yeah. I can only imagine what you are thinking. When my mom saw it she asked me, “What did you do to that room?” I tried to explain that I thought the room needed some color and that I liked the color red. The room is so red that when the sun sets and shines through the small window above the tub, it makes the room glow red. I guess that’s not the right way to decorate. I’m sure it’s a decorator’s nightmare.
Obviously, I have a lot to learn about home decorating. I will continue to watch HGTV to gather tips, but I think at this point I’m a lost cause.
Irene Agustin 