In an age of 24-hour room makeovers and perfect homes on social media, I want to remind you it’s okay to decorate slowly, wait for things you love to go on sale, and not feel the pressure to rush to make your entire house feel finished. And yes, this might sound hypocritical coming from the girl who’s doing a one-month living room makeover with AllModern (which I’m SO excited to show you) – but this makeover led to a great conversation with my roommate about our decorating mentalities, and it was super eye-opening to me. I realized there are two major camps when it comes to decorating…let me explain.

As designers/design enthusiasts, many of us spend years shopping for things we love and collecting them in hopes we’ll find a spot for them later (because we usually do). So, for me, when I moved into a space, I already had a fairly large inventory of vintage, home decor, furniture, and art. And these collections can grow FAST since it’s our hobby and our life’s joy (well, other than family, friends, and those kinds of important things). I can only really speak for myself, but I know many of you will relate to this: generally, my approach to decorating is to put up the things I’ve collected and love – even if it’s not totally right for the space. I just know that I could (and will) swap anything out later if and when I find a piece that’s more perfect. And then, in order to make the existing pieces I have work in the room (even if it’s just for now), I’ll likely purchase more pieces to make the room cohesive because I just want the room to feel finished. And thus, the home decor collection grows, and random pieces start flying in and out of the house at a rapid pace. I personally struggle to relax in my home if it feels like it’s unfinished or lacking personality – so while I’m partially this way because of my job, there’s also a lot of incentive for me beyond my profession that makes me want to decorate quickly. If this sounds like you, welcome to the fast decorators club.

Now I’m sure you can guess where this is going, but the other group is comprised of the slow decorators. And there might be some crossover here: slow decorators also collect items over time and decorate their spaces to be livable when they move in, but the mindset from there on is a bit different. This group can include people who might not be as invested in design, people who love design but just might not want to invest in the space they’re living in yet, or people who really love design and want to invest in their space but are more intentional about doing it the right way. So many people I know fall into this camp (and it’s because it makes a ton of sense). This group likes to be intentional and slowly collect the perfect pieces, for the right prices, and they plan out exactly where it will go (which means in the meantime they might be living without art on the walls, a side table, etc). They don’t want to invest and go through the hassle of bringing stuff in and out if a piece isn’t totally right or if they don’t see longevity in it.

Now don’t worry – you don’t have to choose one group. There’s a lot of crossover between these imaginary camps of people I just made up – so don’t think you have to be boxed into one camp or the other – but generally, this is where I realized my roommate and I differed. Since this is my job, I will always invest in furniture, decor, or art pieces I genuinely think are awesome and love because I don’t mind the hassle of swapping them if they don’t work out (as long as it can be done sustainably). I know I can always sell the pieces, put them in another project or give them away to friends or family (plus as a designer/decorator/content creator it’s good to have a lot of variety in the styling of your projects – so why not take a risk, try a trend or do something that might not end up living in your home forever?) And especially when you create content, you want to give the people something fresh! new! risky! fun! scroll stopping! It’s a very specific mentality to have – I know – so this conversation with my roommate was a good reminder for me and hopefully for you too that it’s okay if every single detail in the house isn’t fully done and perfect right this second (which I know we all can feel that pressure from the internet, clients, people coming over, or whatever factor it may be). Decorate on your own timeline and do what feels right to you.

Thanks for reading my rant. Let’s get to the part where I share some pieces that can make your space feel more dialed in. AllModern’s Black Friday In July sale is REALLY GOOD (they have up to 70% off select items), so I’m sharing the picks that I think are awesome for both the fast decorators and slow decorators. Whichever camp you’re leaning into right now (because yes, it can also change depending on your mood and time in life), it’s always great to get good design for a good price, and these pieces will really make your home shine and give it the upgrade that you might be looking for. I’m breaking it out by price point so you can choose your adventure on how much you want to invest in your home at this time. And since my living room makeover is in partnership with AllModern, I’m excited to share some of the pieces I recently received and can give you my genuine thoughts and reviews on (and everything came super quickly, which is a bonus for the fast decorators like me!)

Small & Simple Home Upgrades

A drink table can save you the daily annoyance of sitting on your chair or sofa that’s slightly too far away from the coffee table – trust me, it makes a big difference in the livability of your space! The best part is they’re generally pretty affordable, so you can make yourself more comfortable for not a lot of dough. I love this table that’s on sale right now. Plus, I personally just got the Walt end table, and I am so impressed with the weight and sty

Drink Table

Here’s an example of a skinny drink table styled out in Brady’s old apartment:

End Table

This end table is really great for the same problem, but it’s specifically great with a sofa because it can slide under the bottom of the couch!

Fluted Tray | Black Tray

Another fun piece to add (that I’m also currently shopping for) is a tray for a coffee table. They make your little trinkets look more intentional and your home look less messy. This one is awesome (I have actually one that’s super similar), and this black one is also really sleek.

Medium-Sized Home Upgrades

This next category is full of items that are great quality and really feel solid and take up a bit more space. In my living room makeover, I’m using a good amount of stone and marble materials (shoutout to my dream coffee table for pushing me in this direction although it is unfortunately not on sale currently – sorry!!!), and they’re SOLID. Like, so heavy but in a really good way. I also snagged this travertine side table, and I just love setting stuff down on these tables because I know they’re not going anywhere. They’re certainly not cheap because marble and travertine are expensive materials, but I found this awesome end table which comes in a ton of colors at a pretty reasonable price point.

Marble End Table

Sometimes all your space needs is a little bit of fun to give it more personality and make it feel more like you. Here are some fun, whimsical pieces we’ve used before – Em put this bench in her niece’s bedroom makeove,r and she put this floor lamp in the art barn (see below!)

Floor Lamp | Bench

photo by kaitlin green | from: the river house kids’ shared bathroom

And if you want a fun bench with some simple, cleaner lines, here’s the more “streamlined version,” which is on sale now too. We’ve used it in the river house and the quality is awesome.

Bench

Desk

For this price point, I’d recommend grabbing a larger furniture piece in need of updating. Want to upgrade your home office?? This desk is pretty affordable (and it’s so cute).

Recliner

Maybe a comfy club chair like this or a secret recliner (my boyfriend has two recliners that look super similar to this one).

Chair

You guys also love this chair (we know because you purchase it through us a lot, actually!) It seems super comfy and streamlined too. If you’re looking for something like this – it comes in a ton of colors :)

Big Home Upgrades

Sofa

This is the big ticket item upgrade! I just grabbed this sofa to replace my older IKEA sofa. The reviews were excellent, so I figured it would be great, but I highly recommend it if you’re in need of an upgrade (and it comes in a ton of configurations). The fabric is soft and it’s low but not too low. It’s also pretty deep, which I love, so someone can comfortably sleep on it if need be (or if I want to personally nap on it).

Leather Bed

Obsessed with this leather bed – what a star piece. This is so timeless and would work in so many different bedrooms :)

AllModern has a lot of sofas and beds all year (obviously), but the sales are just so good right now – if you’re thinking of upgrading any large pieces, check out the full sale here.

So I hope you found something you love, and/or I hope you take away that slow decorating and fast decorating can both exist, and it’s all about how much time, effort, and money YOU want to spend and put in in order to make yourself comfortable in your own home. It’s your timeline and your space – not anyone else’s. I can’t WAIT to share my living room makeover with AllModern now that it’s almost finished (because boy was it bare bones and as a fast decorator, that was very stressful to me lol) but hope you all take it as an inspiration for what you can do in your space and not a timeline you need to follow. We’re shooting the room in August, so stay tuned!! And okay fine…you twisted my arm. Here’s a sneak peek of the new sofa!

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Brother’s Kitchen Patio With AllModern