When in doubt, call a professional!

I had a vague decorating style in mind when we built the house, but due to taking our time with the purchasing part of the operation, I've found myself getting a bit distracted from my vision. The idea was for a modern look, but with some Balinese/Thai kind of tropical accents. I didn't want a whole lot of heavy carved furniture though, nor did I want a clinical tiled and sparsely furnished look. Yep, I was good at knowing exactly what I didn't want.

I was attracted to a number of different styles and had picked up a few bits and pieces along the way that didn't really fit the modern or tropical genre... and I was worried that what I'd end up with was a mish-mash of styles that just looked all wrong together.

I kind of knew what I wanted to achieve, but couldn't pinpoint the how. Would this work with that? Was I getting too far away from my intended style? The more decorating magazines or blogs I read and the more shops I browsed through, the more confused I got. Aargh!

Then in my blog travels, I stumbled onto The Painted Hive. I loved Kristine's style, not to mention her talent for spotting a treasure in an ugly old piece of furniture and then working her transformation magic on it. I stalked her blog and her eBay auctions for ages, before I finally realised that HERE, right under my nose, was the answer to my decorating problems. Not only does this talented lady offer design consultations, but she's a whiz at helping clients perform miracles on a budget. I remembered what a relief it was to get professional help with the landscaping design... So a quick email was sent to Kristine, begging for help, and before I knew it, I'd hired my own interior decorator.

We met, we chatted, she asked lots of questions and took lots of photos and notes - and now I have A Plan (yes, with capital letters) for our family room. One that I know will actually work. No more worrying about buying things, then finding that they just don't work with the other furniture and "stuff" we have.

I won't be rushing straight out and buying everything I need to achieve the look though. Some of the items on my list will take some work to track down - only because I don't have a budget of squillions, so will be keeping an eye out for bargains and most likely transforming them with a bit of paint and elbow grease.

This will be a work in progress, but I know it's going to be worth it. Next I have Kristine working on the lounge...