Investing wisely in your home’s design and in the furnishings you purchase for that home should not be negotiable. Design is a gift when done wisely and well, yet the losses are great when it is not. Protecting and guiding design clients and design consumers everywhere is not just a passion for me – it’s become a mission. Perhaps this is due to what I see clients struggle with today, or perhaps it’s because a hundred years ago (!), long before I was an interior designer, I was a design client, too. Design quality, design wisdom, high ethic and product performance should always be the goal. And yet, so many people are not satisfied by their home or their home’s furnishings. Read on.

In an interesting article in Home Textiles Today titled “Pent Up Demand,” editor-in-chief Jennifer Marks gives a brief state of the union about the home furnishings landscape today in addition to how people just like you are feeling about their home’s furnishings. It was eye opening. So before I toss the conversation to you, which I plan to herein, here are a few interesting statistics from the article.

• Only 20% of consumers are happy with the current state of their furnishings.  (That means a mind boggling 80% of us are not.)

• More than half of American households have not updated their home’s décor in five years or more.  (The economy…hence the pent up demand.)

• According to a study from InStyle Modern, for 47% of the country, it has been five years since they updated their home’s decor.

•  According to the same study, for 9% of consumers, it has been 10 years since they updated their home’s décor.

Can it be then that 80% of us are not happy with our home’s furnishings? And if it’s possible that more than 50% of us are overdue for a design intervention, re-invention or just some invigorating – what has changed in our understanding as consumers to ensure we are following the best furniture course for ourselves so we are not unhappy again in 5 years?

Where are you on all this and the following 4 key questions:

1. How statisfied are you with the general state of your home’s current design? (Very, somewhat, not at all, other – feel free to explain)
2. How satisfied are you with the general state of your current furnishings?  (Very, somewhat, not at all, other -feel free to explain)
3. How satisfied have you been with the long term performance of your current furnishings? How well have they held up? (Very, somewhat, not at all, other – feel free to explain)
4. If all things were equal as far as the  “look” of furnishings, what is more important to you when it comes to purchasing furniture – Price or Quality?

Wisely investing in your homes design as well as  furniture that will look and perform as you hope for the long term is a slippery slope. Done well, the rewards are great, long term and daily. Done poorly, the costs are great, long term and daily. This is precisely why we address this at our new site, www.theinteriordesignadvocate.com.

Hold steady and be wise when it comes to investing wisely in your home’s design – which includes purchasing big ticket items like rooms full of furniture. Find a great designer &  guide in your area who can educate and steer you.  Or let us be your design guide and advocate.

Next time:  “Unable to Make Decorating Decisions?”

About Donna Hoffman, The Interior Design Advocate™

Donna is a former top QVC Show Host and now one of the country’s foremost consumer advocates in interior design in addition to being an award winning designer herself. “I help people avoid wasting big dollars and unnecessary frustration when  furnishing and decorating their home by offering clear strategies for finding the right products, professionals,  contractors and services.” The results are that people get what they want, spend smart, eliminate the stress and get that beautiful home of their dreams. Known as The Interior Design Advocate™, Donna is here as your advocate, making sure you get wise in design so you can get what you want. For more information, go to www.theinteriordesignadvocate.com.