You Can’t Spell Unique without U!
I often wonder about our obsession with being like other people. I constantly implore my kids not to try to fit in. But this is the temptation, isn’t it? Kids get to school, see a classmate with “awesome hair” or “cool shoes,” and instead of admiring those traits for what they are — awesome hair and cool shoes — they immediately start to question their own hair and shoes.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could instead say, “Wow! Can you believe how different and cool we all are? I can’t believe that God is out here making us all so special and awesome!” A dream? Maybe. But I believe our kids will get there.
But what about adults? We are just as guilty, if not more so, of the same behavior. We do this with our style (if you don’t believe me, jog your memory to the start of everyone wearing biker shorts, hoodies, and rubber slides because Kanye dressed the Kardashians, who then influenced the culture)… our cars (y’all can’t convince me that these Tesla trucks are cute or functional), and unfortunately, our homes (thanks A LOT, Pinterest!).
As an interior designer, I find this to be one of my greatest challenges when working with clients. Hiring a designer is expensive, and people want to feel like they got something really special for their money. Completely understandable! However, sometimes, in the same way we look online to see what our clothing style should be or what car everyone is driving, we tend to look somewhere other than ourselves to discover what our homes should look like and how we should spend that money. We may notice, “Oh! It seems like all the influencers with pretty homes have this paint color on their walls or they all have this sofa! I’ll do that so I know I made the right choice.” We are looking for the magic formula that will make our homes worthy and beautiful. But the truth is, my clients are the “sauce” that creates the magic formula in their dream home. Their own favorite color, family traditions, personal style, travels, and culture are what make a house feel like a home. I take that history, background, and uniqueness and elevate it through my design skills.
This concept is what I continually try to instill in those who work with Thomason Interiors. To be honest, some of it is truly psychological. I’ve spoken in the past about conversations I’ve had with people who deemed their culture or heritage as “too much,” so they rarely use color because they weren’t proud of how color looked in their grandmother’s cluttered home. Or they steer clear of heritage art because their aunt had that crazy curio cabinet filled with odd figurines. We do ourselves a disservice when we go against our background because of the parts we did not understand.
Being vulnerable, I can share that I grew up with a grandmother who loved garage sales and thrift stores. I felt like she collected a bunch of stuff that didn’t go together. I’ll never forget staying the night at her house as a young adult and seeing a porcelain clown mask hanging in the same room as a small statue of a brass rabbit playing the saxophone. What I can appreciate now is that a woman who grew up in the 30s and 40s, orphaned by 13 with limited resources, found joy in the ability to spend a few dollars to purchase something small that delighted her to place in her home. And wouldn’t you know it… all of a sudden, we have design styles and terms like “Granny Chic” and “Dopamine Decor” that are basically rip-offs of our grandmothers’ eclectic styles that we failed to appreciate at the time.
Our homes are everything. It's where we keep our families safe, store our food and valuables bought with hard-earned money, and lay our heads to rest. It’s where we invite our favorite people for cocktails and games, or for prayer and comfort. Why not make it reflect you? I help you make it the elevated you, but it does need to be YOU. After all, you can’t spell unique without YOU!!
