Do you ever freeze up when it’s time to hang something on the wall? Or feel stuck in a creative rut and want to try something different?
Not long ago I came across a pretty embroidered rug and fell in love. I immediately saw how it could work as a wall hanging, but I also started overthinking every detail.
I’m the type who overthinks: indecisive, a procrastinator. I tend to put off hanging anything until I’ve explored every option and feel completely certain it’s the right choice.
Deadlines usually push me to act quickly and accept imperfection. A party coming up will get me to hang plates or rearrange a room, fast. But with Seattle in the midst of a ‘Snowpocalypse,’ when no one is visiting, I had no external reason to hurry.
I didn’t even know if I’d like the rug on the wall, or where exactly it would go. I lacked a hanging rod or velcro, and the spot I imagined might need a new table or bench below it. Long-term, that corner is supposed to become a built-in bookcase, so why do anything that isn’t perfect?
See what happens in my head?
Too many possibilities. Too many decisions. But then I asked myself one more question: what’s the worst that could happen if I just put it up?
Maybe I wouldn’t love it. Fine—take it down. Yes, there would be two nail holes, but my husband said he’d patch them. Or maybe I would like it. Or maybe others wouldn’t approve of a rug on the wall. In the end, the risk felt small.
With that in mind, I hung the rug. Two seconds later it was up.
Does it spark joy?
I’m still not sure. It might come down today, or I might decide to keep it. Often I need to live with a change for a while to see how it feels and to experiment with what goes around it.
First impressions—mine or someone else’s—don’t always tell the whole story. It’s perfectly fine to try something new and give it time. Sometimes risks pay off; sometimes they don’t. You won’t know unless you try.
Sometimes the most freeing choice is to allow yourself to get things done and move on. That sense of progress can spark its own kind of joy without overthinking every decision.
Are you an indecisive decorator?
Sources:
Embroidered Rug (on the wall)
Rug on floor
Console table: flea market find
Aged Brass Candlestick
Aged Brass Planter
Faux Peonies
Bench: purchased previously
Blue and White Lamp
Shop My House
Paint Colors