Sometimes I get an offer for an exchange home that seems to meet all of my preferences for a vacation spot. The location is ideal, the house is big enough for my family, everything looks clean and the swappers sound like nice people. But there is one factor that I have learned to consider carefully: decor.
DOES DECOR MATTER?
I used to think decor didn't matter. How shallow could a person be to prioritize the look of a home when everything else about it was perfect for a home exchange? After all, we don't need to live in a home whose colors or style don't match our taste. Then I stayed in a few homes that really clashed with my own aesthetic sense.
BAD DECOR = BAD VACATION?
One apartment we used in Paris was clean, if tiny, but it was also a time capsule from 1981. It seemed to have been set up by an impoverished student and never changed again. The stained burlap wall covering and tired shag carpet were just depressing and set the wrong note for a romantic Paris vacation. We were just happy that we didn't have any guests who had to use the lumpy cracked vinyl sofabed.
DECORATING NO-NO'S
Everyone has their own idea of the look that appeals to them. Besides old cheap furniture like that described above, there is another decorating style I can't stand. I call it "Early Old Lady" or "Fussy Traditional".
Elements of the kind of decor I can't stand include:
* Overuse of plaid, usually in chair upholstery. By "overuse" I actually mean "any use."
* Big floral patterns, generally on sofas and wall paper.
* Wall paper in general is a bad idea 99% of the time. Same goes for "decorative" borders.
* Ruffles are a big part of this decor scheme. I see them on bed skirts and window valences. I have never seem the point of dust ruffles, except, perhaps, to attract dust.
* Recliner chairs. Comfortable? Yes. Attractive? No.
* Wood paneling on walls is almost always hideous, unless it's mahogany and done well.
* Pink, turquoise or other bright wall-to-wall carpet. Wall-to-wall carpet in general.
* Folksy knick-knacks, especially porcelain figurines and most especially porcelain figurines of "cute" creatures.
* Hand-made covers for appliances/toilet paper rolls/tissue boxes. These are kitschy, but not in a good way. I make an exception for tongue-in-cheek attempts like those found in the book "Anticraft".
* Also in the category of annoying crafts are samplers more recent than the last century, hooked rugs, and "witty" plaques,
We tend to spend more time in an exchange home than in a hotel. And while most swap homes are better-decorated than the average hotel room, I have found that being around tacky decor is just not the way I want to spend my vacation.
If you are as picky and obnoxious about these things as I am, you might want to relax those high standards if you live in a less-popular area and receive few swap offers, or if your swap partner has no design sense but is one of few people living in the exact spot you want to visit. As for me, I know the kind of design that appeals to me. We'll accentuate the positive next time.
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