Designing Our Homes With Joy in Mind

Why it’s so hard to take design risks and why play is the answer.

This article has been flying around the socials for the past two weeks and to be frank, there are a lot of people feeling quite smug about it. As much as it pains me to see any trend I love become stripped of its original form, bashing those who love it is just as insidious. Lately, I’ve been asking myself why I’ve been so judgy of those who are dishing the judgments.

Through this reflection, I’ve realized something. We’re all afraid to take risks when it comes to the design of our homes. Even those of us who love “maximalism” are scared of what people will think if we go too far. It’s like we can see the finish line but don’t know how to cross it without risking a tiny bit of dignity.

To brush off the fact these choices take courage keeps design inaccessible and elitist.

Yes, color is disappearing from our lives. And yes, it goes beyond the psychology of our pack mentality. We’re all focusing on the same color trends and styles—even those of us who are ahead of the trends—but I don’t think it’s because we consciously all want our homes to look the same.