Encyclopedia of Me - I is for Interior Design

May 08 2009

Encyclopedia of Me - I is for Interior Design

Published by Kirsten under Encyclopedia of Me

Once upon a time, I wanted to be an interior designer. This was way before the organizing thing. I’d say I was in my teens when I started showing an interest. Once I outgrew the teen celebrity magazines (BOP, anyone?), I moved on to home magazines. I couldn’t do the normal teen girl thing and go for fashion mags. Nope, I was happier looking at houses instead of clothes and makeup.

This is apparent in my choice of stores when I go shopping, or at least window shopping. It’s no struggle to get me into a Bed Bath N Beyond, but clothes shopping is another beast entirely. Not a fan of clothes shopping, definitely a fan of ogling pretty house things.

When I started college, I naturally chose a program in interior design. I pored through my textbook, eagerly went to class, and as many college freshman do, drank myself into oblivion. Needless to say, I didn’t do too well that semester, and a combination of a holier than thou attitude and avoidance of failure led me to change my major a few times before ending up with a degree in liberal studies and a lovely career in retail - not even in a home store! I was on my way to . . . what exactly I wasn’t sure.

Fast forward about a decade. I had just arrived in Las Vegas and was planning my new life, trying to figure out how to make friends and influence people in my new home. I did get myself a job, part time, and decided to take a class or two in order to meet people. While I was looking over the course catalog at the community college here, I decided to take up Interior Design studies again. I enjoyed the classes I took, and suffered through a few core classes that I didn’t want to take but had to if I wanted a degree (not all of my credits transferred from my old school). I liked studying design again. But this time, real life got in the way. By now I had a full time job, and a lot of the classes I was going to need weren’t always offered at times convenient for me, and my job wasn’t flexible enough to take a few hours out of the day two or three times a week so that I could attend class. Sigh. Enjoyable course of study thwarted again, this time due to forces beyond my control.

I haven’t picked up studying design again. I haven’t picked up studying anything again, despite my declaration that I wanted to go back to school to study accounting. There’s a lot of reasons for that, but mostly I don’t feel ready and eager to go back to school at this point. But don’t get me wrong. Just because I’m not interested in studying interior design doesn’t mean that I’m just not interested in it. Far from it. I spend far more than I should on magazines (which is still far less than I used to spend on them). I wander around home stores looking at all the eye candy they have. I watch as much HGTV as I can get away with. And of course, thanks to modern technology, I eagerly some great home blogs. Here are some of my favorites:

Young House Love - John and Sherry showcase their awesome house and give lots of fabulous and cost effective tips along they way. They also feature the homes of their fans and offer spot-on design advice.

Chez Larsson - Because it’s in Sweden. And because it’s a great look into the light and bright Swedish look without feeling like you’re in IKEA.

Hooked on Houses - This is pure house porn. Houses from real estate listings, movie and TV houses, tiny houses, retro houses, and all sorts of other house stuff will keep you on this site for hours.

Decor8 - This blog features lots of ideas you always knew you wanted but didn’t think existed. Another site to get lost in for hours.

Real Simple: Simply Stated - All the great tips and ideas for your home and beyond that you love from Real Simple Magazine, in blog form.

Making it Lovely - Lovely home pics from the gal behind the awesome stationery at Pink Loves Brown. What I wouldn’t do for a built in dining room hutch like hers!

Design Happens - If you watch HGTV and read blogs, then you absolutely must read this blog. ‘Nuff said.

Go ahead and check those blogs out, but before you do, tell me about your favorite design and decor blogs. I’d love to find new ideas to drool over!

2 Comments to “Encyclopedia of Me - I is for Interior Design”

# Cynthiaon 13 May 2009 at 5:05 am

I love me some interior design and HGTV. Since we moved into the house, the latest manifestation has been landscaping pr0n. I haven’t done much other than look at magazines and read books and fantasize, but I’m more than a little preoccupied :)

Thanks for all the links! I added them to my reader.

(Ha! My comment was blocked when I spelled P 0 R N correctly.)
# Kirstenon 13 May 2009 at 12:17 pm

Cynthia, my husband thinks HGTV bores me because I always fall asleep in front of it. It’s not boring, it’s relaxing! Pretty house pictures are soothing to the soul!

And yeah, pr0n, gotta keep the spambots away. I’ve blocked myself out of comments before.