I'm changing my mind.

Last weekend, between cartoons and the kids 145th request for a snack, I hung a few strips of wallpaper in the hallway graciously gifted to me by Spoonflower. I’d worked with the artist to create a custom colorway and was so excited to see it up on the wall. Once the first strip was up, I was feeling good. But then I turned the corner with the second strip and stood back to take a look. I had a feeling in my gut that something wasn’t right, but couldn’t put my finger on it just yet.

Later that day during my toddler’s nap, I hung another two strips to complete a wall and really get a sense of what I thought. As I stepped back to examine it, I realized the background just felt too white. Maybe it’s because this is an older home or that this hallway is dimly lit — which sounds counterintuitive, I know. I shared my thoughts with my design assistant (Andrew - ha) who instantly agreed.

And then I had an ah-ha moment, and ran upstairs and pulled out a wallpaper sample I ordered a while back. It was the one. I love the cream background, how it felt artistic and fluid and playful, but still sophisticated. And it incorporated many existing colors in the front two rooms. It just felt right.

And then I thought, well hell, what do I do now?

I knew I needed to use the first wallpaper, but this is my home and we use this stairway all day, every day. I could hang it all for the purposes of content and also to make Spoonflower happy, but then I’d probably want to replace it soon. Because once you know something isn’t quite right, it’s near impossible to accept it. When I realized I could install the wallpaper elsewhere in the house — namely the cute linen closet outside of our bedroom or even the downstairs front wall, I felt so much relief. I could make this work.

I connected with Spoonflower, and they were fine with the change in plans. And so is my gut.

You might be asking, why do I share this switch up with you? It feels important to reiterate that sometimes you don’t know what you like until you’re a bit further down the path. That every room and every home is different. You can be experienced helping people decorate their spaces, but it can be harder to make decisions for your own space. I certainly still love the first wallpaper, but this next one is just a better match for my house.