Ask Alix #1 - Design Confidence

From our inbox:

Question

"Hi Alix,

I’m feeling completely stuck with our main living room and can’t seem to move forward. I keep second-guessing every decision and asking friends and family for their opinions, which only makes it harder because everyone says something different.

My husband and I also are not quite on the same page, so nothing ever feels like a confident yes. I feel like I should be able to work this out, but instead I’ve gone in circles and now I’m scared of making the wrong choice.

How do I break this cycle and move forward without regretting it later?

Thank you,

Lisa, Bellevue Hill"

Answer

"Ah Lisa. Pull up a chair. You are not bad at this. You are just stuck in 'Designing by Committee'.

Here’s what’s happening: You make a tentative decision ....you ask five people ...you get five different opinions... confidence evaporates ...rinse and repeat.

The problem isn’t your living room. It’s that there are too many voices in it.

Step one: fire the peanut gallery!

Friends and family are lovely, but they design their homes, not yours. Their feedback is filtered through their taste, their budget, and their tolerance for risk. None of that has any business in your lounge room.

You don’t need more opinions. You need one clear point of view.

Step two: and this is the biggie

You and your husband need to get on the same page. If this doesn’t happen, you’ll still be going around the same circles this time next year.

You don’t need to agree on every cushion. You need to agree on:

• how the room should feel

• how it needs to function

• what matters most (comfort, entertaining, durability, wow factor)

  
  

Once that’s locked in, you earn the confidence to move forward.

Step three: accept that confidence comes after the decision

This is the big one. Confidence doesn’t arrive first and then allow you to decide. It shows up after you commit.

Every good room looks wrong halfway through. Every strong decision feels scary in the moment. Don’t see this as failure. It’s progress.

Step four: choose a lane and stay in it

Pick a direction. Stop asking. Stop scrolling. Stop polling the group chat. Then move forward decisively.

We need momentum, not perfection.

Lisa, you don’t need better taste. You need fewer voices and a little faith in yourself.

You’ve got this.

Alix"

If Lisa’s story feels uncomfortably familiar, you don’t need to figure this out alone.

A Design Review is a focused session where we cut through the noise, align priorities, and give you a clear direction to move forward with confidence.

Think clarity, not overwhelm. Momentum, not second-guessing.

You can book a Design Review via this link