I blame it all on the magazines. Even though they have given me plenty of business over the years they still hold up the gold standard of what you can't afford. Sure everyone wants to duplicate that summer porch in the Hamptons but you don't have that summer porch and you don't live in the Hamptons. Face it, no one is sending a camera crew to your home in anyplace USA to document your stunning choice of outdoor fabrics. You need a famous relative or a multimillion dollar home with catered breakfast (camera crews have to eat) to make that happen. The best you can realistically hope for is to make what you do have look good and support your lifestyle. By lifestyle I mean if you have half a dozen head of screaming children then your surroundings are going to reflect that and they will reduce that idealized dream porch of yours to their existence in no time. The rich and famous don't worry about play-doh stains and unidentifiable stuff between the cushions. They have people for that. Face it you still have that fast food french fry the vacuum couldn't reach in whatever vehicle you use day-to-day be it a Chevy or a BMW. Then there are the adults. If you choose to share your haven with friends that enjoy hospitality and good times they will invariably repay your graciousness with wine stains, spilled beer and sending down burger condiments to join those of the childrens between the cushions. The magazines don't show the effects of people actually using the spaces that they are showcasing. That spongebob doll or petrified onion ring won't make it into the glossy pages. It's all about making it work for you.
To that end what we do is what works for us. If you don't have kids you are ahead of the game since you don't have to work around them. If you do have kids then you are still ahead of the game since you already know how to work around them. Comfort should never take a backseat to style because style without comfort is never a good thing. Remember the good furniture your parents wouldn't let you sit on? Who wants more of that? If a 4 year old can't sit on it with a dribbling popsicle then it may not have a place in your home. Conversely if a 30 year old can't sit on it with a dribbling beer bottle then perhaps it was a bad choice and money not well spent. But hey! It looks good right?
To that end what we do is what works for us. If you don't have kids you are ahead of the game since you don't have to work around them. If you do have kids then you are still ahead of the game since you already know how to work around them. Comfort should never take a backseat to style because style without comfort is never a good thing. Remember the good furniture your parents wouldn't let you sit on? Who wants more of that? If a 4 year old can't sit on it with a dribbling popsicle then it may not have a place in your home. Conversely if a 30 year old can't sit on it with a dribbling beer bottle then perhaps it was a bad choice and money not well spent. But hey! It looks good right?
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