Autopilot Decorating

Paris was fab u lous! We found some incredible stuff. From vases that stopped us in our tracks to mirrors that we couldn't stop talking about all night long. Sweet little occasional tables, fab stuff for the kitchen, I am beyond desperate to have it all arrive. It all has either a glam, tad tribal or whimsical vibe which I can see in my head as looking fabulous together. Just now need it all in. Beyond tired today though, apart from a doctor’s appointment its PJ's all day. PJ's and fires and planning and obviously a spin round the park with the kiddos who I missed so much. Something that baffles me with Paris and France in general is the milk thing.  UHT milk in coffee - its soooo bad. Where ever you go. I had to keep throwing it, Gem was on the black stuff, which is way to strong for me, I love everything else about France but the coffee needs an upgrade if you don’t mind me saying! Anyways lets get down to biz, it kind of links in a way to what I'm yabbering about above. I didn't go with any preconceived ideas on the buying trip. There are no lists saying we need more lighting or tables, or we need to introduce a boho, retro who knows what edge. I let my heart decide, if I happen to come across amazing cool lighting I'll buy it even if that means I'll have more lighting than to know what to do with. Sometimes I think we decorate (and buyers buy) in a stereotype manner, decorating our homes via someone else's vision - the conventional vision that we all follow like sheep. For example do we stop and think why are so many of our ceilings (obviously not mine) white. Why?  When they are white they shorten walls and focus the eye up rather than down. Why would we think that is good? Its autopilot decorating. Ditch it I say! I think if we can loosen and let go of all those barriers, we can create an approachability to design that is wholly and uniquely ours. I don't follow trends if I did based on this last buying trip our  store would be full of pastels, tons of Nordic/ Scandinavian products, blond wood, sisal ish carpet that kind of thing.  Its spring, people think pastels, people think Scandi people think white etc etc etc.  I don't I'm not into trends I don't want to pay any attention to them. Spring to me is bottom of the lake inky type hues, coupled with shots of glamour. Whilst most people are up above cooing over baby blue or pastel God knows what, I’m at the bottom of the pond swimming happily along and seeking out deep dark greens, olives, a grey with undertones of brown. Am I making any sense? Probably not! It's hard to ditch convention. I've just spent three long days walking around halls where the majority of stuff I don't like. Stands full to the brim with buyers queuing to place orders and Gem and I standing outside not liking a single thing, bemused that some of this stuff is so popular.  Do I worry that I'm missing a beat or I’ve lost the plot, or everyone else’s store will look one way and we’re going down a different route. No, nope and no again. We simply follow our heats; if they skip a beat we buy it. I would say do the same with your home – when you decorate from the heart you'll get the best results!