How to make a confident decision on ANY product for your home.

When I ask my clients what made them get an interior designer A Lot of them say this, “the thought of trying to pick out things was so overwhelming. And I just have a really hard time making decisions and committing”. Sound familiar? The thing is- We all do it. YES even interior designers. You see when it comes to your own house sometimes we are so close emotional to the problem it is hard for us to see the bigger picture.

Over the years I have developed a process that provides CLARITY and ELIMINATES the confusion when it comes to finding products for your home. It’s a really simple method but extremely effective when it comes to finding things for you home. Let’s face it, with SO many options now it can be paralyzing trying to make a decision! Most importantly this will save you time and energy. I know for most of you TIME is your greatest asset.

Ok. Let’s get a this party started!

I am going to us a family room rug as an example. But you can do this with anything in your home.

STEP 1. Set a timer: This step is critical. And will keep you from disappearing down a rabbit hole. Get your phone out and set the timer for 20 min. If you want to set it for longer that’s fine. But the most important thing is to decide beforehand how much time you are going to spend looking at rugs.

Step 2. Create an Inspiration Board. Go into Pinterest and make a separate board and title it FAMILY ROOM RUGS. Now it’s time to start pining away! You are are going to start pinning rugs that you love. Rugs that you are really drawn too. We are NOT looking at size, price, material or even if it will go in your family room. We are not worried about any of that business right now. Now once the 20 min is up on your timer. STOP. ( Sorry I’m feeling really bossy right now, BUT I know how easy it is get lost on Pinterest.) Next, it’s time to go back to your Rug board and look at all the rugs you have pinned. You will notice that the rugs you have pinned will have a common thread. (no pun) Maybe you have pinned really neutral rugs. Or maybe a lot of the rugs you have pinned are very opinionated. Once you establish the common theme- this is going to be the style that you are going to look for. For example I know for me when I look at rugs for my own house, I tend to gravitate towards rugs that are more bold and have a worn vintage look. So I am going to be looking for rugs in that style.

Step 3. The details. Do not over complicate this step. You just need to decide on these three things:

• SCALE: What size of rug? Tape it out in your living room if you need to. Usually you want to error on the bigger size than smaller. ( This is true with most things in your home.)

• Price: How much do you want to spend. Your not allowed to say I don’t know. :) Pick a number range. If you decide to splurge later you can. Bur right now we need to establish a solid price range.

• Material/ construction This is important for furnishings such a rugs and furniture. Example: If you rug is going in a high traffic area you don’t want to pick a silk. Or if you want your rug to last 10-15 years you are going to go for the hand tufted rugs. Don’t be afraid to educate yourself on this. The internet or even your local furniture store can help you will these questions.

  STEP 4. Sourcing Most people want to start with this step first. Starting with this step causes so much confusion and overwhelm. But now that we have established your rug criteria: style, price, and size this next step is so much EASIER! First we are going to start with that timer again. On this step I give myself 30-40 min. You may want to give yourself a little longer. You can do this a couple different ways. First you can check your pinterest board and see if any of those rugs fit the criteria. If not, then start looking at brands that would best fit your criteria. For example if I am on a tight budget- I am going to first check out Target, homegoods, USA Rugs or Amazon. But if I know I want something luxurious on my feet and want to something that is going to last longer than 5 years I am going to look at brands like One Kings lane or Restoration Hardware. Now once that timer goes off. STOP. No really stop. you are going to want to keep looking. But stay with me. The goal is to have 2-3 rugs that fit within your criteria.

Step 5. Now it’s time to see if the rug checks all the boxes.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is it the right size?

• Is it the right price?

• Is the material and construction functional?

• Do you Love it? Everytime you walk into the room will it make you happy?

• Will it get along with the rest of the room? ( Don’t get to hung up on this questions. If the rug is a little too opinionated for the sofa- Try switching out some pillows. Especially if you don’t love your sofa and you are planning on replacing it soon).

  If this rug can check all those boxes than you did it! You have a winner! If your rug doesn’t then take a look at the other rugs you have your sourced. If you need to go back and do a little more sourcing that is fine. But the trick is to not change your rug criteria. Because once you start doing that, down the rabbit hole you will go! Which is totally fine if you like doing that. But I know for me I don’t want to spend my time doing that.

Here are a few guidelines to keep you stay on track

1. Don’t ASK. What I mean by this is stop asking for other people’s opinion. YOU and only you and maybe your spouse if he cares has to like it. If you have a trusted friend whose opinion you value- ask them. But that’s it. Too many opinions only causes confusion! Because everyone will have a different option. This is stuff is objective people.

2. Stop indulging indecision. I have found that people get paralyzed when it comes to making a decision about their home because they are so worried about making a mistake or a wrong decision. BUT you have to remember. You might pick a rug you hate in six months. You might buy a sofa that turns out to not wear well. But this is what I say to that. You still took action and you have learned from these mistakes. Instead of staying stuck, wasting your precious time and two years later still don’t have rug or your still living with 80 dollar costco shag rug. You now have more information to make a your home a place you love. Because of the action you took you have more confidence and experience with materials that allow you to make a better informed decision. So maybe it wasn’t a bad decision at all. It was exactly what you needed for you home at that time!

Good luck! I know you can do it! I

If you have any questions be sure to leave them in the comments!

Love,

Hayley

5 things you can do to start Loving your Home right now.

Ok. So your in a home that your not in love with. Maybe your kitchen cabinets are having a dull moment right now or you still have some stellar green carpet left over from the 90’s circa. Or maybe you are in rut and you don’t have time for any major decorating or remodeling but you just need to give your home some love. I got you girl. Here are my favorite ways to love on my home. If you want just pick one, you don’t need to do all of them. Just doing one thing can make a BIG difference. But if you are feeling a little EXTRA, by all means do all 5! Ok let’s do this.

1. LOVE your sofa again. It’s time to switch out your pillows so your sofa looks refreshed again! Etsy, Homegoods, Target, Tj MAX can hook you up if you are looking for a quick switch out. And if your pillows are always ending up on the floor- just start with two. If you have a sofa that has a little too much love, adding pillows to your seating really helps the vibe of the living space. Another tip when buying pillows. Some pillows don’t come with a down or down alternative form. Switching out the pillow form to one of these forms instantly upgrades your pillow and gives an higher-end look without spending a fortune on your pillows.

2. Buy a plant you LOVE. Seriously. A small little plant can make a room happy! You want to know a secret. I usually kill my plants. But I buy inexpensive small table plants. I admire them for about 2-3 months. kill them. Then repeat! Your home feels fresh when you bringing in some organic elements such a plants.

3. Organize one drawer. I know you hate me now. But just organizing one drawer has the ability to make you feel so accomplished Have you ever organized your closet or pantry and then you just keeping walking back in it. You just want to soak up all the order and accomplishment. Just start with ONE drawer. I promise you will LOVE opening that drawer.

4. Frame a picture that you LOVE. That is the rule. YOU have to love it. It could be a family memory at the lake or a beautiful landscape. Start with a 5x7 and put something in that sweet frame that sparks inspiration and happiness. Our favorite places to buy printable prints is Juniper print shop, Minted, Etsy and BBF printshop.

5. Write a list of everything you LOVE about your home right now. This is a powerful exercise that helps redirects the brain into a gratitude mindset. I have been trying this one, instead of listing everything that I want to change in my home. One of the things I realized is that lots of learning, mistakes, tears, joys all happen in this place I call my home. I love that about my home! We as women all have the capability to create homes that do this. Isn’t that amazing? And the best part is- this process was never intended to be perfect. I think we forget how powerful our homes truly are. So my hope is that each of you will know that you don’t need a Instagram perfect home to feel proud of your home. Your home and you are already enough!

If you want to take things a little deeper- check out my Free Family Room Recipe Guide. This will help you create a beautiful family room with all my secret ingredients I use! Check it out here.

Lots of LOVE,

Hayley

Berniel's cozy home round up!

Whenever I would come back from college and go home, I remember walking into the front door and it felt soo good. I was home. I was on no longer fending for myself! But I was so happy I was home. It was a feeling only your home could grant you. I know you all know what I’m talking about. It’s the comfort of the little familiar things that didn’t seem important until you lived with out them.

I rounded up a list of my mom’s favorites things that kept her home feeling fresh and welcoming. My mom (Berniel) was so good at making you feel like you were a part of her home. Mostly it was just her love that you felt when you were in her home. Now that my mom is gone, walking into her home is still one of the hardest things I do. We all miss her like crazy especially this time of year. But I am forever grateful for her teaching me how to turn my house into home where everyone feels welcomed and loved.

OK! Here is a round up of Berniel’s Top Cozy essentials for your kitchen !

1. Candles

A REALLY good smelling candle. I think one of the best feelings is cleaning up your kitchen and then lighting up a candle. It makes everything feel like- All IS WELL. I will survive. LOL

2. Pretty Dishtowels

Ladies- you have to keep a fresh rotation on your dish towels. All the ones that look tired and stained- retire them! A bright clean dishtowel hanging on your sink or over your oven will bring a simple pleasure to your soul every time you pause to look at it. I promise!

3. Rugs!

Because we lived on a farm we had a lot DIRT that would make its way in our home. Usually that meant sweeping the floor multiple times a day. Therefore my mom had a lot of rugs to help with the lovely dust. She changed them out about every 6 months. I loved it when my mom got new rugs for her kitchen. It always made the kitchen feel warm grounded.

4. Table runner

My mom had a long island that would always be dressed with a runner. Every season should she would change them up. I love this little touch she would do. It just made the kitchen feel pretty.

5. Pretty Dish Soap

Really? Yes. When you have a dish soap that smells as pretty at it looks- It’s a GAME CHANGER. Doing dishes becomes an entirely new experience.

6. Plants

Go get your self a little plant or in my case something fake and put it by your sink. Can you tell that I’m really good at tricking my self into doing the dishes. They have to be done right? So why not smell and look at pretty things while you are doing them!

Have a great weekend! Hope this list helps in making your home feel a little bit more cozy this holiday season! The ones pictured below are some of my favorites this year! Links above.

Love,

Hayley