"I'm not sure what to do in my bedroom. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Look around, the whole store is filled with ideas. The catalog alone could help you decorate a whole house!"
She cringed, "I don't want the room to look like it threw up page 27. I just don't know where to begin."
I crossed my arms and started walking in the other direction.
"Me either."
House and Home
Most decorating rule books say that you should never, by any means, "copy" someone's space in your own. Using it as inspiration is perfectly fine, but the minute you try and imitate the room entirely you have broken the cardinal rule.
Your designs must be your own.
You must not copy.
Every thought in your brain must be that of originality.
So many rules, so little time.
Benjamin Moore Philipsburg Blue
My question is, where do you draw the line between copying and "inspiration?" No two rooms are ever going to be exactly alike, unless you are on Wednesday's set of Gossip Girl, then walk over to Thursday's. Serena's bedroom might be exactly the same depending on which direction they are shooting from.
But that's just rambling on my part.
The fact is, you can attempt to copy as far as your budget or resources will take you, but at some point you start to run out of exact replicas and need to substitute. You are then forced to find what you yourself like. Once that happens, confidence in your ability to choose grows stronger. You might even veer off page 27, finding a piece of art that you prefer, or pillows that are nothing like the originals.
It is at this crucial moment that the photo in the magazine ceases to be a source of plagiarism, and becomes a source of inspiration. The two rooms may seem similar, but each one has an individual touch added by its owner.
I began collecting items from around the store, and bringing them for her to see.
"Ooooh," she cooed, "I like that, and those! This is perfect! You are just so good at this, I wish that I was able to put these things together. But I do like this throw.....Do you think it would go well with what you've picked out?"
I smiled and nodded in agreement. She went on to furnish her whole bedroom that day, starting from the few items that I gathered for her. Little did she know, I picked them all from page 27.
So go ahead, imitate to your hearts content, but don't be afraid to make it your own.
I promise, No-one will even notice.
*Side note, this philosophy does NOT apply to term papers, unfinished novels, or inventions of any kind. I refuse to be held responsible for you attempting to pass Stephen Hawking's, A Brief History of Time, off as your own.
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