Azure Elizabeth Design

My resistance to follow the crowd…

A topic came up on social media recently that sort of sucked me into a conversation about its relevancy in my field of Interior Design, that as always forces me to sit back & think about why I do what I do…as well as why I approach it the way I do.

The topic is monetization. Nowadays when you talk to almost any entrepreneur, business coach, business owner & the push towards monetizing is huge. I cannot tell you how many people (including a client) have told me I need to monetize to be successful.

While they may be well meaning, the fact they would even say this about Interior Design shows me how little they understand what we Designers do...It also speaks to what I see as an alarming trend to homogenize the masses.

I’ve noted in the past that the purpose of trends is to catch our attention & help us see the world in a whole new way. In my almost 20-year career in Interior Design, I have seen so many extremes in the way people respond to new trends & it may come as a surprise that I think their resistance to accept them, to be a little healthier than when they immediately embrace them.

I often worry that we have become so socialized to fall into step with those around us, that we really lose our identity & an individual understanding of what supports us best environmentally speaking. We also have become detached from how the environment influences us on a daily basis.

As I have consulted clients over the years, I have not been blind to how confused & indecisive the social climate can make them. Thank goodness I have always had a secondary interest in psychology, because I rely on that a lot to help walk them through their decisions.

The truth is, I find this heartbreaking sometimes & it has made me desire to dive deeper into creating spaces that really reflect the owner of the space in a very personal way…because I believe in a way, our homes,can become living breathing vision boards.

What has been interesting though, is that most clients are not interested in going that deep, because they really feel a need to compete with what everyone else is doing & that is still okay. The truth is you have to do what is going to be consistent with your comfort level. This is something I must assess right from the start when I begin working with someone.

It is a dance though. I see myself mainly as a guide & facilitator…helping make their vision come to life & sometimes even helping them get out of their own way. With so many personalities, gifts, interests…then of course the physical realities like floor plans, sun exposure, location & the things they hold dear& can’t part with…there is no way I could realistically monetize my work.

I believe each home should tell a story about its occupants…one that reflects the essence of each person in such a way…so that they feel supported by their environment. This is why in my opinion designing must always be a personal experience for each of my clients.

So that being said…Here are a few questions you can ask yourself. What does your home say about you as a person & how do you see yourself reflected in it?