Are you a 90 Percenter?

Well, that depends...what is a 90 Percenter?

A 90 Percenter is someone I define as a person who takes on a home improvement and/or decorating project, gets close to the end of the project and then runs out of steam...leaving the project almost, but not quite, finished.

Ninety Percenters are easily identified by the following tell-tale signs:

Their walls are sporting a fresh coat of paint, but they are devoid of any artwork or life. Let me just say, I get this one. I really do. I mean, after you go to all the work to re-paint a room, it's hard to put a bunch of new holes in the wall in order to hang art work you feel so-so about.

OR...

HALF their walls are sporting a fresh coat of paint and the other half isn't because about midway through the job, they decided the color was all wrong and were too afraid (or pooped!) to try again.

Some 90 Percenters start out with ambitious plans...like tearing down a wall or refinishing a floor only to find that life and it's uncanny ability to get in the way has prohibited them from completing the project, or maybe the job was simply bigger than they thought and they're not sure where to proceed from here.

Maybe it's something as seemingly simple as you've bought the furniture you like, it's paid for and been delivered, but you can't figure out how to place it in your room, or maybe you like the way it looks, but the room just needs something....more?

A lot of 90 Percenters I see have recently undergone an extensive renovation and are now enjoying their hard-earned new floors, new walls, new blinds and new light fixtures, but they're just so tired of home improvements that they want to give it a rest for awhile.

So when you put it like this, you'll see that most of us have been a 90 Percenter at one point or another, so I don't want you to think that I'm picking on 90 Percenters. I'm not. In fact, I live with a 90 Percenter (my beloved husband) and my experience with him tells me that 90 Percenters aren't bad people. They're human beings, just like you and me, so they deserve our love and pity more than our scorn...all they need is that last little bit of inspiration to help them cross the finish line!

So depending on where you fall on the Unfinished Project Spectrum (the 'ole UPS), I have some suggestions designed to help you go from tired, frustrated Ninety Percenter to triumphant, proud, and you can say it...a little bit cocky, 100 Percenter!

Which of these statements best reflects you and your 90% Situation:

"I like the changes I've made so far, but I don't want to mess up our newly patched and painted walls with artwork that we've had forever and I don't really care about."

This one is simple...it's time to go shopping for artwork that inspires you and makes you happy! The thing about art is it doesn't have to be trendy (in fact, it shouldn't be), expensive or one-of-a-kind...it just has to stir something in your soul when you look at it. Maybe it's a family photograph framed and hung over the mantle or a hand-me-down painting that used to hang in your grandmother's house and reminds you of fun visits to her house as a child. It's amazing what a new frame and a matte will do for something you cherish!

And remember, it's art because YOU say it is. Andy Warhol's "32 Cans of Campbell's Soup" sold for $11.7 million dollars and it was literally an image of 32 cans of Campbell's soup!

"I didn't like the paint I selected so now I'm afraid to try again."

Seriously...don't beat yourself up. Even the most knowledgable designers make mistakes in this area. As a matter of fact, my husband and I are planning to re-paint our bedroom this weekend in order to eradicate an ill-advised blue that instead of making our room feel cool and serene like I intended, makes our room feel dark and depressing.

In this area, the best advice I can give is the old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again...and get one of those tester samples first." Okay, I added that last part, but the tester samples offered by most paint stores now can be a real life and wallet saver. I recommend painting a test patch in your room and living with it for a few days in order to see how it looks at every hour of the day.

"After watching HGTV one Sunday morning, I got inspired and knocked down the wall between our den and kitchen, but that's as far as I got. It's been six months and I still have a big hole in my wall."

In a situation like this, I like to quote the great Chinese militarian Sun Tzu who said, "Sometimes it's better to lose a battle so you can win the war."

Okay, I don't know if he really said that or not, but my point is that it's important to recognize when you've gotten in over your head and when it's time to call in a professional. The fact is, you can't live indefinitely with a hole in your wall, so you've either got to set aside a long weekend and fix it yourself or call in a professional and pay them to fix it. But hey, it happens. Don't beat yourself up, just pull out the Yellow Pages and make the call!

"I bought some furniture that I like, but I just can't figure out how to place it in my living room."

You can either call a professional (like me) for a couple hours of work, or there are some websites that can help you map out placement taking into account traffic flow, furniture size, etc. Just google "Furniture Arrangement" and see what comes up.

"The hard work is done. I just need help with the finishing touches. "

Again, a professional can do this in a couple of hours and nine times out of ten, use a lot of the things you already have.

OR...

One thing I recommend to hesitant homeowners is going out to a major discout retailer (like Target, HomeGoods, Garden Ridge Pottery, etc.) and just buy up whatever looks good to you, put it on your credit card and take it home. Then just fix yourself a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, put on some inspiring music and spend the afternoon moving stuff around until you like it. Once you get everything in a place that's pleasing to you, take the rest back and get your money back. Designers do it all the time!

One last tip that covers everything...

Make a list of everything that needs to happen in your room before you are ready to declare it "Done." For whatever reason, the act of breaking down a big project into an itemized list seems to make big goals feel more attainable...and let's face it. There are few things in this world more satisfying than marking something off of a "To Do" list.

Then tell yourself, "Whatever happens this weekend, I'm going to get #1 and #2 marked off my list." Build in a little motivation, but keep your goals reasonable and before you know it, you'll be kickin' back in your newly finished, perfectly appointed new room!

Good luck!