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“Should It Stay or Should It Go?” | A Decor Date

"Should It Stay or Should It Go" | How to Plan a Decor Date with your Significant Other & FREE Printables including a Decision Tree and Inventory Chart to help you curate a home decor collection you truly love!

Here’s a new first:

This past Tuesday, Mark and I planned a date to discuss decor.

Yes, you read that correctly: my dear hubby and I dedicated an entire hour to assessing each furniture item and accent piece in our living room and kitchen area, asking ourselves, “Should it stay or should it go?”

And yes, it was a fun enough process to merit the title of “date.”  I’m not kidding, we both left that decor date more excited and fired up than if we had gone go-cart racing.

Our "Decor Date" Faces! | Mark & Lauren
These are our “excited” faces.

Now, I know some of you are scratching your heads right now and contorting your faces in confusion, wondering how the words “decor” and “date” and “excited” could all fit together in the same paragraph.  I get it.  It’s still blowing my mind, too.

So, why don’t I catch you up to speed on what inspired our decor date and how exactly it all went down…and just you wait Henry Higgins!  You’ll be planning a decor date of your own in no time flat.  Trust me.

Free Decorating

Free Decorating by Jackie Hernandez | How to shop smart, save money, and love your home decor! Last month, in just a few sittings, I gobbled up every single page of Jackie Hernandez’s new book, *Free Decorating: How to Shop Smart, Save Money, and Love Your Home Decor.  If I could have, I would have probably underlined the whole book–that’s how much of it resonated with me.

One chapter in particular had me nodding my head in agreement like a bobble-head doll…Chapter 3: The Eviction Notice.  Here’s the passage that helped inspire our decor date:

A good home collection is edited and curated.  To create a valuable decor bank, you need to edit out the wrong items and then carefully curate your collection going forward.  If you’re surrounded by things you don’t love, it’s time to create a transition plan–how you’re going to get from a home stuffed with fillers to a home filled with decor you love.  It starts with evicting the things you don’t love to make room for the things you do.  –Free Decorating, Jackie Hernandez

I realized that a lot of my insecurity over decorating was founded in my regrets over certain decorating choices we had made.

For instance:

The chocolate brown couches that pre-dated our discovery of our nautical vibe…

Nautical Star Burlap Banner: love that this can be used for everyday decor as well as for the Fourth of July! Also, is it not amazing that you can cut stencil material with a Silhouette machine?! Game-changer!
Nautical Star Burlap Banner

…the black table and buffet we refinished to perfectly match the black chairs we found on Craigslist…that we now wish were all a light gray instead…

Black Distressed Table, Chairs, and Buffet via The Thinking Closet
Black Distressed Table, Chairs, and Buffet

The scarf curtains that I’ve had since college.  They follow me around like a stray cat.

Hot Drinks Station Table Makeover using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence | Tutorial with step by step breakdown for beginners! There is NO need to be intimidated by this medium any longer. Trust me! You are going to fall in love.
The Beginner’s Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I realized while reading Chapter 3 that while these things may be fine for now, they don’t need to be fine forever.  And we can even create a game-plan for replacing them with items we truly love.

Naturally, it was time to schedule a decor date!

The Decor Date

Before our date, we printed out two of the bonus materials that come with Free Decorating:

1.  Keep it or Lose It Decision Tree: series of questions to ask yourself that lead to a clear KEEP IT or LOSE IT verdict.

"Should It Stay or Should It Go?" A Decor Date | The inspiration behind our "decor date" was this nifty printable DECISION TREE from the book Free Decorating. It made what could have been an overwhelming process of cataloging our decor, one that was actually FUN. Download the free printable at thinkingcloset.com!

2.  Replacement Plan: timeline and budget planning for the LOSE IT items.

"Should It Stay or Should It Go?" A Decor Date | The REPLACEMENT PLAN printable from the book Free Decorating helped give us a course of action for replacing some of our decor items with ones that were truly beautiful, useful, or meaningful. I love the budget planning and timeline! Hear more about our productive and inspirational decor date over at thinkingcloset.com!

And because I love any excuse to create a chart, I whipped up a document I’m calling my “Should It Stay or Should It Go” Chart.  That way, we could easily keep track of the different decor items as we assessed them in each room.

"Should It Stay or Should It Go?" A Decor Date | Inspired by Free Decorating by Jackie Hernandez, my hubby and I dedicated an hour long decor date to assessing our furniture and accent pieces as items to stay or go - - keep or lose. Thanks to some handy dandy printables, it made what could have been an overwhelming process quite fun! Stop by the blog to hear the full run-down and download some free printables!

So, with Mark holding the Decision Tree in hand and me with my clipboard chart, we went item by item, first through the living room and then through the kitchen, asking ourselves,

Is it beautiful?

Is it useful?

Is it meaningful?

Surprising Discoveries

As we walked through this process, I was actually impressed by how unified we were on most of our Decision Tree decisions.

Items we mutually love as KEEPERS:

Our pallet wall display…

Rustic Vintage Spring Mantel via thinkingcloset.com
Rustic Vintage Spring Mantel

…our glass top coffee table…

Rustic Glam Christmas Tree...an oxymoron that works!
A Rustic Glam Holiday House Tour 2013

…and our rustic pallet recycle bin.

Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin. Gotta love that the recycle bin itself is made from recycled materials! And it's actually big enough that it doesn't need to be emptied every other day. Such a great way to transform the recycle bin corner, so it's no longer an eye sore!
Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin

Only a few times would one of us need to go to bat for an item we truly thought of as beautiful or useful or meaningful that the other didn’t.  And when in doubt, we chose to default to KEEP IT.

I also didn’t expect to discover as many LOSE IT items as we did–especially considering that we spend most of our waking hours in these two rooms!  You’d think we wouldn’t put up with items that we both agreed lacked beauty, usefulness, and meaning.  And yet, we had!

Items we mutually agreed to LOSE:

Our living room rug…

D.I.Y. No-Sew Ruffle Christmas Tree Skirt by The Thinking Closet
D.I.Y. No-Sew Ruffle Christmas Tree Skirt

…both sets of “stray cat” scarf curtains in the kitchen and living room…

Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin. Gotta love that the recycle bin itself is made from recycled materials! And it's actually big enough that it doesn't need to be emptied every other day. Such a great way to transform the recycle bin corner, so it's no longer an eye sore!
Rustic Pallet Recycle Bin

…and the plastic recycle bin next next to the buffet.  We agreed we can walk across the room to our massive rustic recycle bin instead.

It was quite freeing to unanimously give a “peace out” to those items (or at least make plans for their departure).

Which leads me to…

Replacement Plans

After our Decision Tree round, we sat down to complete the Replacement Plan handout.  This is where you discuss an ideal replacement, its cost, and your replacement deadline.

One thing we discovered during our walk-through was how many furniture pieces we’d love even more if they were re-painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Like the black table, chairs, and buffet I mentioned earlier!  So, while they are definitely KEEPers, we’re not content to leave them as they are.

I even dedicated one of the Replacement Plan pages just for our future DIY projects…many of which we plan to tackle this month and next.  I told you this decor date fired us up!

A Beginner's Guide to Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint & Wax: One Beginner's Tips to Another! | I let my intimidation over using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint keep me from exploring the medium for all too long. Now that I have finally given it a whirl, I'm eager to empower other beginners to give it a go. It's SO much easier than you think it is! Especially with this step by step run-down.
The Beginner’s Guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Free Printables

Where we once felt aimless and discontent, we now feel like we have a road-map and a game-plan.  That’s what made our decor date so fun.  And the printable tools were a huge part of that!

And guess what?  Jackie has kindly offered up a free copy of the Keep It or Lose It Decision Tree for The Thinking Closet readers.  (Thanks, Jackie!)  Just click the image below to download it!

Download your free copy of a KEEP IT or LOSE IT Decision Tree, which will help you edit and curate your home decor collection so it becomes one chock full of items you truly love.

And if you want to document those decisions you make, feel free to use the “Should It Stay or Should It Go” Chart that I created, as well! You can sign up to download your free printable using the nifty form below or by clicking HERE. {Fine print: this printable is for personal use only and is not to be used for commercial purposes. Thanks!}

"Should It Stay or Should It Go?" A Decor Date | Inspired by Free Decorating by Jackie Hernandez, my hubby and I dedicated an hour long decor date to assessing our furniture and accent pieces as items to stay or go - - keep or lose. Thanks to some handy dandy printables, it made what could have been an overwhelming process quite fun! Stop by the blog to hear the full run-down and download some free printables!

These printable resources really are just the tip of the iceberg, though.  Jackie’s book Free Decorating has been the most practical information I’ve ever absorbed before on the subject of decorating, and I trust the same will be true for you, dear reader.

Exclusive Interview with Jackie Hernandez, author of Free Decorating! at thinkingcloset.comA Special Visitor

Now, before you rush off to grab your copy of Free Decorating, I have special visitor I want you to meet: the author herself!  Some of you may already know Jackie Hernandez from Teal & Lime or School of Decorating, but for those who don’t, get ready to be rocked by her wisdom-bombs.

Jackie has kindly offered to give The Thinking Closet community the inside scoop on Free Decorating by answering a few of my questions, interview-style!

Lauren (profile pic)

 

LAUREN:  Welcome to The Thinking Closet, Jackie!  I’m curious to know if there was a particular moment when you thought, “I need to write this book!” or perhaps a series of moments that built up like an avalanche?  What pushed you over the edge to make Free Decorating a reality?

Jackie (profile pic)

 

JACKIE:  Thanks for inviting me over, Lauren. Free Decorating, the book, came about rather quickly. I’ve actually been sharing and teaching the concepts for years without really knowing it. I was inspired by your amazing journey to becoming a self-published author and couldn’t help but wonder what my message was. If I could have told my younger self anything about decorating to make it easier and more fun what would I say? When I really got serious about putting the book together the outline just poured out of me. I knew then I really did have a message to share. In fact, this is the first book in a series I am planning called Decorator’s Field Guides–actionable decorating books for real homes. I am already working on the second book, Project Home due out in July.

When I started planning the series, I wasn’t sure which book to put out first. I think one of the reasons I felt called to make Free Decorating the first book was to share a different perspective. There are so many wonderful decorating books already available by very talented designers. Although they are inspiring, they aren’t always relatable. I also know for myself I enjoy reading those books, but I rarely walk away with any action items to do in my own home. I wanted to share a message that goes beyond how to decorate a particular room or how to decorate in a particular style. I wanted to share the actionable strategies and mindsets that helped me create a home I love without a designer decorating budget.

Lauren (profile pic)

 

LAUREN:  Well, you’ve certainly succeeded at that!  I can attest to that.

Now, as a fellow self-published author, I know how hard it is to settle on a book title.  And I think you have chosen so well with Free Decorating.  In your book, you address the concept of “free decorating” by intentionally building up a decor bank of items from which you can pull to re-decorate your home.  But after reading the book, I also discovered the second meaning of “free decorating” in that I no longer feel bound up by own decorating insecurities.  I truly feel FREE and empowered to create a home I feel proud of.

Can you share briefly why the word “free” has been such a significant part of your own journey of home decorating?

Jackie (profile pic)

 

JACKIE:  It’s exactly how I feel in this moment in my home. This is our third home in the past eleven years and this is the first place I feel free. After many mistakes in my first two homes and learning everything the hard way, I realized what it really takes to decorate sustainably. Now I am free from the burden of re-doing spaces I don’t enjoy, and at the same time I am able to change things up and refresh rooms for free using the things I already have and love. That’s what I want for my readers, too…to feel free in their own homes.

Lauren (profile pic)

 

LAUREN:  Thank you for giving us that gift!

One thing I noticed right away when reading your book was the absence of photos.  In fact, I went back and checked, and aside from a diagram, there wasn’t a single photo in the book–which isn’t what one might expect from a decorating book.  I have my own personal reasons behind why I think that was such a smart move on your part.  But I’d love to hear you share your motivation behind that choice.

Jackie (profile pic)

 

JACKIE:  There are pretty home pictures everywhere–on blogs, on Pinterest, in other decorating books–but I think more often than not, these inspiration pictures lead to inaction. Some people can’t see beyond what is right before them, so they can’t extrapolate how to turn a pretty example picture into reality for their own home. Instead they point out a bunch of reasons why it won’t work for them…it costs too much, it isn’t their style, they’re not a designer, etc. Also, relying on and gathering inspiration pictures is a form of procrastination…waiting for someone else to show you the way. But no one else can show you a picture of exactly what is right for your home.

So I challenged myself to skip the pictures. To not make this book about my home or other people’s homes with perfect after pictures, but instead to make it about the reader’s home. To let them envision for themselves how the Free Decorating concepts could work in their home. By doing so I think I created a book that isn’t just inspiration, but one that actually triggers action. And I think your story above, Lauren, illustrates that exactly. Within a few weeks of reading Free Decorating, you’re making changes in your home…and you’re excited about them.

Lauren (profile pic)

 

LAUREN:  I certainly am!  You’ve lit a fire in me and that has in turn infected Mark.  There’s no stopping us now!  {Grin.}

Okay, I have one final question for you: in these two weeks since Free Decorating’s launch, what has been the most surprising reader feedback you have received?

Jackie (profile pic)

 

JACKIE:  Just to receive feedback and reviews has been so amazing. I think I have been most surprised at the diversity of readers that this book is resonating with. I honestly thought it might only appeal to suburban housewives that spend too much time at home decor stores, like I used to. But I have received heartwarming feedback and stories about how the book is being used as gifts for newlyweds and housewarmings, about one woman who found the courage to let go of furniture she doesn’t love, but felt obligated to live with because it was left to her by her late mother, and the conversations this book is stirring among couples. I know when writing the book, my husband and I had a lot of great decorating discussions and reminisced (and laughed hard) about some of the stories I shared in the book. I also love seeing how you and Mark turned a chapter in the book into a decorating date and how other women are telling me the book has helped them get their husband on board and excited to help decorate.

I’ve also had several readers send me before and after pictures of their room makeovers inspired by the last chapter in the book. What strikes me most about these makeovers is the meaning and life that shines out of the rooms afterward, even though they didn’t buy anything new to turn rooms they hated into rooms they loved.

Lauren (profile pic)

 

LAUREN:    Jackie, I can’t thank you enough for how you’ve empowered us all to be intentional about home decorating as we make our homes our own.  You truly succeeded in publishing a book that wasn’t just about theory, but the meat of it was about practice.  And our decor date was just one of the many practices to come in the Lanker family that you have inspired.  Thank you again!

To Close

Well, dear readers, I hope this inside scoop into our decor date has been an inspiration to you.  And I hope you enjoyed hearing those gems from Jackie’s exclusive interview!

To nab your copy of Free Decorating, click HERE for the eBook version or paperback.

And let me follow that up with a challenge to pull out the calendar and schedule a decor date of your own right now–whether it’s with you and your spouse, roommate, or fur-baby–and even if you just tackle one room for 20 minutes.

I have no doubt it will be fruitful.  Once you get those decorating gears turning, you’d better have an umbrella handy because there is going to be a downpour of inspiration comin’ your way.  You betcha!

"Should It Stay or Should It Go?" A Decor Date | The inspiration behind our "decor date" was this nifty printable DECISION TREE from the book Free Decorating. It made what could have been an overwhelming process of cataloging our decor, one that was actually FUN. Download the free printable at thinkingcloset.com!

*Full Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for helping to support this site!

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14 Comments

  1. I am printing the Should it Stay or Should It Go printable and pinning this…I think this is an exercise that will be very useful as we prepare to downsize! It will take a few years but I like this plan! You’ve got a keeper in that Mark Man!

    Great interview with Jackie, too!

  2. I love this. It’s only me, but I’m going from an apt. That I shared with my soon to be ex-husband, to a trailer I bought by myself. I’m so excited to finally have a space all my own. No one can tell me what to do!! Woo hoo!

    1. It sounds like you needed a clean slate! How exciting that you’ll have some new decor decisions to make and that you’re feeling empowered to make them. Have fun making that trailer a space that truly feels like home!

  3. Can I first of all just say how happy I was to see your face pop up in my blog feed today? It’s just what I needed on this unbearably hot & humid day!
    And I love this post so much. I love that you and Mark are both so involved in making your home a place for the both of you to enjoy and feel comfy – it seems only logical, but I feel like it’s not a given, which is why I love you even more for it (if that’s even possible). Also, that photo is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen . Ya’ll are my favorite couple, after my parents. And David and Victoria Beckham. Sorry.
    Have a lovely weekend, dear friend!

    1. Ha ha. You always know how to make my day with your sweet-as-pie comments, Johanna! I feel you love so strongly (must be that humidity that helped carry it over across the pond). Thanks for being such a loyal friend to me and for cheering me on for the small victories in life (like decor dates). Turns out, in the end, the small victories really do add up, don’t they?

      And I’ll chalk up our bronze medal award as your favorite couple as another victory. (Don’t worry. Knowing your love of the Beckhams, it’s an honor to even be in the same paragraph as them.) Thanks, girlfriend! And hope you have a fantastic week, my dear!

      1. I have such an affinity for stray cats, that I almost didn’t include that line for fear it was too negative in connotation. But your notice of it makes me feel I made the right decision in leaving it. Thanks, Gina! #writerproblems

  4. Hey Lauren! I hope you have had a great week. I am always surprised and amazed at all your posts and what is to come next. You didn’t disappoint this time either.

    I first read the title of the post in my email and I have to be honest. I thought there is no way my Mark (Yes, my husband’s name is Mark too) would ever want to have a decor date and sit down to help me make decisions. But after reading this post and about this book, I can’t wait to get myself started.

    For a while now, there have been several rooms that I have wanted to redecorate and get rid of old items that we have had for so long. What usually stops me from moving forward is not having a huge budget to use. Now I know ways to be able to move forward without breaking the bank. We also follow Dave Ramsey’s principles so there isn’t always a lot of room for decorating purchases. Planning ahead is the key and seeing what I have already that I can redo. I really want to redo our kitchen table and chairs with chalk paint. It is the same set that Mark bought when he got an apartment before we were ever married for only $100.

    I will definitely download and print the list and map to get me on my way.

    Have a great weekend!!!

    1. Bethany, could you BE any more encouraging? I think not.

      So glad this post may have given you a glimmer of hope that a decor date could be in your and your Mark’s future! I think the concreteness of the decision tree and chart really appealed to my hubby…and to me, too! Sometimes decor discussions can feel so endless. But the printables gave us clear tasks. And helped us navigate what otherwise might have been murky waters. So glad you’re going to download them to use yourself!

      And yes, I think this whole system works seamlessly with budgeting and all things Dave Ramsey. Ya know, I didn’t think about it until now (when you mentioned it), but I wonder if that’s why we in part had such fun with the decor date! It was just an extension of what we’re doing this year financially in that we are being intentional with what we have been given and are setting short and long term goals. It all makes sense now! Lol. Thanks for clarifying that!

      And love that you’re also using Chalk Paint to do some room transformations. Paint really is such an inexpensive way to make bold changes. Can’t wait to see what you do!

  5. Lauren ~ So happy to see your ideas come to life! I think this is an excellent approach and can’t wait to see some of the fruits of your labors. You and Mark are on the right track – isn’t it amazing how so much of our “stuff” is taking up space in our lives and means so little? Clutter-free is key!
    And quality, not quantity is another! Have fun!

    1. Thanks, Mom! It really was such a valuable exercise for us both, and I think it will be a practice we continue for other rooms and homes one day!

      You’ve definitely helped me to experience the freedom that comes with de-cluttering and surrounding yourself with what is beautiful, useful, or meaningful. Everything else can just become white noise!

  6. As soon as I started reading the headline, I started singing “This indecision’s bugging me/ If you don’t want me, set me free”. Now to go back and actually read the post!

    1. I think you’ve been the first comment on my last two posts, Mackenzie! I should give you some sort of award. 😉 You’re always so supportive and encouraging of me. Not to mention this comment in particular gave me a chuckle! Lol. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one with that song stuck in my head!

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