Revealing my True Colours: The Perfectionist

The Dawn of a Brand New Year: An opportunity for beautiful beginnings, life changes and personal growth. The world awakens once more, eagerly embracing our hopes and dreams for a better and brighter tomorrow.

This post is the first in a series of five articles in which I ultimately intend to reveal my TRUE COLOURS.

I'll be sharing with you how my dominant personality traits affect my design style, my creativity and my quality of life, and what I hope to change about myself in the coming year.

And, while this personal challenge is difficult (and terrifying!) for me, my intention is to begin an open and honest dialogue with you, my readers, that will hopefully help us understand and learn more about each other and what makes us who we are.

Chapter 1:  The PERFECTIONIST

As a self-oriented perfectionist, my expectations of others are far more realistic and accepting than those I inflict upon myself. I'm compelled to always give my best, whether I'm writing, decorating, or developing my blog.

And while that's not necessarily a bad quality, it takes me forever to complete a single post!

I spend hours researching my topic, resizing each image and arranging them by colour to create visual flow and continuity, and brutally editing my written work for proper spelling, grammar and accuracy. I then save the piece and review it again later with fresh eyes before I finally hit 'publish'.

(Phoebe Howard)

My desire for perfection also influences my interior design preferences. I'm naturally attracted to symmetry and balance, and I admire rooms where thoughtful attention has been given to the tiniest of details.

(Cindy Ray)

(Samantha Pynn)

I'm continually changing and 'perfecting' each room in our home. In my mind, my best is rarely ever good enough.

Upon reflection, I now realize how my perfectionism is preventing me from truly enjoying the creative experience of writing, decorating and working on my blog.

And so, the first step in my personal growth plan for 2012 is:

Replace my motto of 'I Must Always Do My Best' with:

Now, it's your turn. Are you a perfectionist? Are you highly critical of yourself or your work? Or, do you embrace the concept that:

I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments, and hope you'll still choose to follow my blog even though I'm crazy enough to reveal my TRUE COLOURS for you and the whole world to see!

Keys to Creating a Picture-Perfect Wall Gallery

(via Better Homes and Gardens)

I love the idea of a long wall or hallway dedicated to the display of beautiful photographs or artwork.

The repetition of black, white and gold creates a gallery-inspired setting in this modern living room.  Stark white walls enable the sketches to hold the space with their quiet presence.
 

(via Traditional Home)

Charles Spada has expertly designed a stunning art vignette, adding a sophisticated layer of dimension to this glamorous interior.

(Charles Spada Interiors)

Simple, horizontal picture rails allow frames to lean against the wall, providing the option to easily change or update the collection of personal photos on display.   

(via Better Homes and Gardens)

Successfully hanging frames in varied sizes requires a keen eye.  This picture gallery exemplifies the mastery of perfect balance and proportion.  

(via Once-Daily-Chic)

Utilizing the power of negative space, this designer has skillfully arranged a cohesive and eclectic composition of sculptural pieces and framed artwork.

(via Canadian House and Home)

Floor space is employed to house the overflow of this homeowner's collection, instilling the charming atmosphere of a working art studio.  

(via Modern-Sophisticate)

The arrangement of this staggered art cluster is dictated by the sweeping contour of the staircase,  creating an impressively complex and striking feature wall.

(via Inspiration-Bliss-1026)

A series of architectural prints line the full expanse of this hallway, deftly repeating the scale and design of the surrounding wall mouldings.

(via Eclectic Revisited)

A personalized wall gallery is a beautiful way to showcase your collection of art or photographs, and when careful consideration is given to scale, colour and composition, the result is certain to be nothing less than picture-perfect.

 

Striking the Perfect Balance with Symmetry

Caldwell Flake

I've always been drawn to the structured and serene appearance of symmetrical design.

Perfect symmetry is characterized by the positioning of identical objects on either side of a vertical axis, with each half being an exact mirror image of the other.

However, this sense of balance can also be achieved with approximate symmetry.

A room is given added interest when objects on either side of a central axis are similar in scale and visual weight, but are varied enough to prevent the design from appearing too predictable or monotonous.

The following images beautifully illustrate how adding subtle variations in shape, size, pattern and colour can create an entirely new dimension of style to a symmetrical design scheme.      

Caldwell Flake

via Decor Pad

via Cote-de-Texas

via American-Homemaker

via Decor Pad

Candice Olson

via Decor Pad

Jan Showers

via Conspicuous-Style-Interior-Design-Blog

via Interi0r-Design

via Better Homes and Gardens

via The-Handmade-Home

via Design-with-Christine

via Design-by-Cara

Diana Sawicki

Whether visual interest is achieved through an asymmetrical mantle display, an offset furniture layout, or the addition of an accent chair, solitary lamp or unusual decor piece, the end result is always the same;

A beautiful room designed with the perfect balance of symmetry and style.