Americans like to break records. Unfortunately, we’ve been breaking stress-related records lately. In 2017, the American Psychological Association found that people’s reported stress levels had gone up significantly from the prior year. Something must be going on. People are working hard and trying to make enough money to get by, but the cost of living makes it hard to keep up. You don’t have time to get stressed out by things that should be easy. Those things include figuring out the best ways to decorate your home. Here are some tips on finding home decor without increasing your blood pressure.
Don’t feel pressured to meet a ridiculous standard
If you’ve ever read a celebrity magazine, you’ve probably seen a future about a celebrity showing off a palatial estate on the beaches of California. That’s nice to look at, but it doesn’t mean you have to try to imitate that celebrity. In general, you shouldn’t try to model either your diet or your home after a celebrity. Both of those standards are unrealistic and, in some cases, unhealthy.
Celebrities are famous for a living. Sure, they work hard at jobs such as acting and singing, but a big part of their personal brand involves looking a certain way. They can pay interior designers six figures to tell them that they should buy throw pillows that cost $1,000 each. You wouldn’t do that. Even if you could, you likely wouldn’t want to.
Focus on simple home decor that brightens up your house and gives off a welcoming vibe. Photos of you and your loved ones are a great way to do that. If framed photos are a bit too ordinary for you, head to a site like Simple Canvas Prints and get that photo printed on an elegant canvas. It will look a lot more expensive than it actually is, and that’s always a plus.
Look for home decor online
Some people love shopping. For others, though, it can be a real act of emotional labor. You may have heard of emotional labor as something that tends to disproportionately affect the female partner in heterosexual relationships. But it can be exhausting regardless of whether you’re married, single, or somewhere in between.
Shopping for clothes and groceries is one thing, but shopping for decor that fits with your home can feel even more intense. If you see a lamp or other appliance that you like, you have to wonder whether it will fit into your car. Then you have to make sure that it matches your home, and that can be hard to do unless you have a photographic memory.
When you shop online, you can look around your home and be sure the colors will complement each other instead of clashing. Even better, you don’t have to worry about stuffing it in your trunk and hauling it all the way from the car to your front door (or farther, depending on where the item is going in your house).
Make it personal
Sure, photos of flowers and landscapes are traditional home decor, but you should feel free to mix it up and make things more personal. You want your home to feel like it belongs to you. It shouldn’t resemble a random hotel room in the Midwest.
Your career or interests can guide you to decor that feels more like a statement than just something random you found on sale. For instance, maybe you’ve long been interested in the legal field, and now you’re finally going back to school and getting an online criminal justice degree. Why not find artwork that represents Lady Justice? If that’s too far out, fill your bookshelf with true crime books. Thinking of what you’re passionate about will make decorating your home feel much more natural.
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
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