15 Signs You’re an Interiors Geek
Do you have an obsession with interiors? Don't be ashamed, you're not alone
There are people who like to have a nice home, and then there are the total interiors geeks among us – those who go that little bit further. Perhaps you can’t resist adding to your ‘fantasy room’ Ideabook on a daily basis, or do you have to be the first to show off a new paint or style trend? Perhaps you’re addicted to estate agent windows, finding pleasure in imagining how you would improve the rooms in the photos, or do you always have a home-related project on the go, simply because – well – there’s always room for improvement, isn’t there? Read on to discover how many of these classic interiors-obsessive signs you recognise – and share your own below.
2. You can spot a paint shade at 50 paces
A quiet cuppa while leafing through a paint brand catalogue is blissful downtime for the interiors obsessives among us. We don’t even need to have a wall in mind; it’s just nice, you know, to explore your options, isn’t it? And besides, there’s sure to be a wall in need of a new look soon…
(NB If this rings true, you won’t, of course, need me to tell you that this wall paint is Dulux’s ‘Tristan’)
A quiet cuppa while leafing through a paint brand catalogue is blissful downtime for the interiors obsessives among us. We don’t even need to have a wall in mind; it’s just nice, you know, to explore your options, isn’t it? And besides, there’s sure to be a wall in need of a new look soon…
(NB If this rings true, you won’t, of course, need me to tell you that this wall paint is Dulux’s ‘Tristan’)
3. You have lots of decorative cushions on your bed
Some members of your household may think this extra bed padding is pointless – especially when you insist it must be removed before sleeping and then neatly rearranged again in the morning. But why argue with some of the most luxurious, and equally well-cushioned, hotel bedrooms around the world?
Some members of your household may think this extra bed padding is pointless – especially when you insist it must be removed before sleeping and then neatly rearranged again in the morning. But why argue with some of the most luxurious, and equally well-cushioned, hotel bedrooms around the world?
4. You’ve colour-coded your books
People who don’t obsess about creating a stylish and inviting home are likely to arrange their bookshelves by type or size, or alphabetically, by author. You, on the other hand, can’t get past how much better your books look lined up by colour in an invigorating rainbow display.
Never mind that it took you a full day to get the colour order just right, nor that it could take just as long to find the book you’re after. On the plus side, this way, you’ll probably rediscover gems you’ve been meaning to read for ages.
People who don’t obsess about creating a stylish and inviting home are likely to arrange their bookshelves by type or size, or alphabetically, by author. You, on the other hand, can’t get past how much better your books look lined up by colour in an invigorating rainbow display.
Never mind that it took you a full day to get the colour order just right, nor that it could take just as long to find the book you’re after. On the plus side, this way, you’ll probably rediscover gems you’ve been meaning to read for ages.
5. You’ve arranged your book spines facing inwards
If you’ve gone a step further than colour-coding and turned your books around, then your style obsession has scaled way more vertiginous heights.
To employ this good-looking, minimalist-pleasing display, let’s face it, you’ve probably given up on reading your books. The palaver of rummaging for a particular tome when none of the titles are visible – not to mention the damage you’d do to your display – means you’ve probably long ago invested in an e-reader for the times when you actually want to find a good novel.
If you’ve gone a step further than colour-coding and turned your books around, then your style obsession has scaled way more vertiginous heights.
To employ this good-looking, minimalist-pleasing display, let’s face it, you’ve probably given up on reading your books. The palaver of rummaging for a particular tome when none of the titles are visible – not to mention the damage you’d do to your display – means you’ve probably long ago invested in an e-reader for the times when you actually want to find a good novel.
6. You’ve been known to hide receipts
Some might feel a pang of guilt at splashing out on a pair of designer shoes or a lavish piece of tech, and knock a chunk off the price when telling their nearest and dearest about their new purchase. But the interiors geeks among us are more likely to fib about how much that feature wall cost to paper.
Some might feel a pang of guilt at splashing out on a pair of designer shoes or a lavish piece of tech, and knock a chunk off the price when telling their nearest and dearest about their new purchase. But the interiors geeks among us are more likely to fib about how much that feature wall cost to paper.
7. You’ve disguised your TV
Admittedly, it’s a pretty dedicated soul who’ll go to the lengths of disguising an ugly TV when it’s not in use so as not to detract from well-thought-out decor… But for those of us who haven’t managed this level of interiors geekery, coordinating your walls with your flatscreen is surely one for the to-do list, no?
Learn to hide your TV
Admittedly, it’s a pretty dedicated soul who’ll go to the lengths of disguising an ugly TV when it’s not in use so as not to detract from well-thought-out decor… But for those of us who haven’t managed this level of interiors geekery, coordinating your walls with your flatscreen is surely one for the to-do list, no?
Learn to hide your TV
8. You believe a sunny weekend is for … painting!
It’s beautiful weather outside, and the less interiors-obsessed among your friends and family are probably out doing things they consider to be fun: picnics, country walks, messing about by the water…
You, however, see the warm weather as the perfect opportunity for helping the paint on your latest DIY project to dry faster, whether it’s sprucing up floorboards, upcycling a cupboard or prettifying the garden shed.
It’s beautiful weather outside, and the less interiors-obsessed among your friends and family are probably out doing things they consider to be fun: picnics, country walks, messing about by the water…
You, however, see the warm weather as the perfect opportunity for helping the paint on your latest DIY project to dry faster, whether it’s sprucing up floorboards, upcycling a cupboard or prettifying the garden shed.
9. A classic chair can get your pulse racing
Admit it, you find the walnut-veneered plywood curves of these mid-century Cherner armchairs a little seductive, don’t you?
And you know that even in the plainest of rooms a serious designer piece like one of these – or perhaps a Philippe Starck Ghost chair, a Le Corbusier lounger, an Eames rocker or even an original Thonet Bistro Bentwood – would show off your style skills a treat. It’s ok, you’re among friends – we can all admit that matters, right?
Admit it, you find the walnut-veneered plywood curves of these mid-century Cherner armchairs a little seductive, don’t you?
And you know that even in the plainest of rooms a serious designer piece like one of these – or perhaps a Philippe Starck Ghost chair, a Le Corbusier lounger, an Eames rocker or even an original Thonet Bistro Bentwood – would show off your style skills a treat. It’s ok, you’re among friends – we can all admit that matters, right?
10. You know who designed this house
Design nerds like us also know that Charles and Ray Eames didn’t only design chairs. The Eames House, in California, was designed in the late 1940s by the famous creative couple, in part collaboration with fellow design giant Eero Saarinen.
The house was part of a group of more than 20 houses by different designers of the era, commissioned to showcase ideas for affordable accommodation for the masses in the post-war housing boom. Charles and Ray moved into their own soon after it was completed and lived there for the rest of their lives.
And this house, along with, perhaps, artist Carl Larsson’s 19th-century home in Sweden, with interiors designed by his wife and depicted in so many of his paintings; or the Art Deco ‘party palace’ at Eltham, on the outskirts of London, redesigned magnificently by the glamorous Courtaulds; or Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s family house, Fallingwater, in Pennsylvania – well, these are the sorts of places some of us, ahem, might even plan entire holiday itineraries around … no?
Design nerds like us also know that Charles and Ray Eames didn’t only design chairs. The Eames House, in California, was designed in the late 1940s by the famous creative couple, in part collaboration with fellow design giant Eero Saarinen.
The house was part of a group of more than 20 houses by different designers of the era, commissioned to showcase ideas for affordable accommodation for the masses in the post-war housing boom. Charles and Ray moved into their own soon after it was completed and lived there for the rest of their lives.
And this house, along with, perhaps, artist Carl Larsson’s 19th-century home in Sweden, with interiors designed by his wife and depicted in so many of his paintings; or the Art Deco ‘party palace’ at Eltham, on the outskirts of London, redesigned magnificently by the glamorous Courtaulds; or Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s family house, Fallingwater, in Pennsylvania – well, these are the sorts of places some of us, ahem, might even plan entire holiday itineraries around … no?
11. Your table settings are works of art
When you’ve put all that thought and effort into decorating a room, why let it down with thrown-together table settings?
When you’ve put all that thought and effort into decorating a room, why let it down with thrown-together table settings?
12. You understand the power of lighting
Even the best-designed rooms can fall short of reaching their full potential without the right lighting. And you know a well-placed lamp or dimmer switch can turn plain into interesting. (You might even have been known to switch off unflattering overhead lights in other people’s homes and flick on all their lamps when they’re out of the room. Tsk.)
Even the best-designed rooms can fall short of reaching their full potential without the right lighting. And you know a well-placed lamp or dimmer switch can turn plain into interesting. (You might even have been known to switch off unflattering overhead lights in other people’s homes and flick on all their lamps when they’re out of the room. Tsk.)
13. Even your children’s artwork has to go with the decor
Come on, that wallpaper deserves respect. And it’s not like you’re refusing to display your darling’s creative output at all – it’s just about adding a bit of colour direction to drawing sessions, isn’t it?
Come on, that wallpaper deserves respect. And it’s not like you’re refusing to display your darling’s creative output at all – it’s just about adding a bit of colour direction to drawing sessions, isn’t it?
15. Details are everything
In other words, when it comes to your home, you’re a perfectionist; it won’t be perfect until every last detail is finished. And we all know that day will almost certainly never come, don’t we…?
TELL US
What do you think makes an interiors geek? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments section.
MORE
Italy’s Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect: Renzo Piano
So Your Style Is: Mid-Century Modern
Herman Miller and the Icons of Mid-Century Design Explained
In other words, when it comes to your home, you’re a perfectionist; it won’t be perfect until every last detail is finished. And we all know that day will almost certainly never come, don’t we…?
TELL US
What do you think makes an interiors geek? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Comments section.
MORE
Italy’s Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect: Renzo Piano
So Your Style Is: Mid-Century Modern
Herman Miller and the Icons of Mid-Century Design Explained
Even if you’re saving up for your dream furnishings – or still unpacking them – you know you have enough style to always make a place feel like home on a shoestring.