Keeping up appearances
The constant pressure to keep up with the Joneses infiltrates every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s about wearing the right kind of clothes or eating the latest superfoods, there’s always something to be done better.
Now the pressure has turned to our homes. Do you have your European cushions and throw rugs? Is your home painted in the colour of the year? Are your sheets bamboo and your pillowcases silk?
It’s all a bit much.
My home is the most private area of my life, the place I exhale and escape from the outside world, but I still feel the pressure to make it aesthetically pleasing.
This means I trawl interiors websites daily, hunting for the next big thing to spruce up my space.
I’ll admit that my job does have a lot to do with it, but no matter what I do, I just can’t shake the home improvement niggling.
Sure, I could ignore the constant advertisements for a new glassware set or the best bar trolleys, but like all the other external pressures in our lives, it gets to you.
I’m not looking to become the next big home decor Instagrammer, but I still strive for the recognition that I know what’s hot when it comes to homewares.
To put things into
perspective, a conversation I had with my partner involving some perfectly fine couches went something like this:
He suggested bringing his cream leather couches over to my place, which would save us a couple of thousand dollars on a new one.
I was extremely hesitant, not because they aren’t comfy, not because they aren’t in good condition, but because quite frankly, they look like crap.
I’d rather fork out money on a new couch that is visually appealing than sit on a perfectly good couch that doesn’t fit in with my aesthetic.
I know it’s ridiculous. I know that the money saved on a couch could be put towards more important things. I know that the chocolate we will eat while watching a movie will still taste as good and a chat with Mum will still be as meaningful on the ugly couch, but I don’t care.
Having a stylish home is no longer exclusive to the upper echelons of society. Department stores like Kmart are constantly updating home decor ranges to reflect trends, while home renovation shows flood primetime television.
It’s all around us, and it’s an absurd standard. Despite knowing that the colour scheme of my couch cushions don’t make a damn difference to how I enjoy my home, I can’t help but care … even just a little bit.
– domain.com.au