September 2016
10
Patience Pays Off
Waiting to design your apartment right has more benefits than you think.
By Aphrodite Takos
Picture this: you move into a new apartment and decide to look at a few interior design magazines for inspiration (you could be in that situation right now), and as you look at these perfectly manicured bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms you get an overwhelming sense of urgency. You need to finish your apartment today.
You go out, buy a can of paint, pick up a few things from IKEA and Target respectively, and within a month or two everything needs to be replaced. However, the beauty of patience is much more rewarding and tends to last much longer than a $20 IKEA side table. You may feel you need to rush - have your entire apartment completed within a month or two of move-in but, you don’t. In fact, it may be smarter to take your time and be meticulous.
Patience with implementing your design plan leaves room for mistakes, do-overs, and mind changes. You may find that a wall color you once liked now turns your stomach, which makes waiting to paint your entire apartment (in search for the perfect colors) a time saver in the long run. Waiting to do any alterations in your apartment can help to ensure that you will be utterly ecstatic with what you decide to change for the duration of your stay.
Joanne Tetteris, a teacher at a Bronx elementary school, shared that her experience with designing her space has been a long and tedious one. Tetteris has lived in her home for a little over 8 years now and says she’s “still working on it today.” She went on to say that there was always something new to do (both planned and unplanned projects) and it can be frustrating when it feels like nothing is ever officially done. There is also something beautiful about that though, if the home is ever-changing its almost like it’s alive. It ebbs and flows like you do, the home reflects its maker and shouldn't need to be pristine.
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Photos courtesy of Laurel Bonell Mas.