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Are Home Ratings Helpful?
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I had a viewer write in the other day and tell me his story about having his home rated. He uploaded a picture of his family room to a Web site to see if the room would get the coveted five stars or thumbs up or whatever the standard was. Instead of getting constructive criticism, he was blasted for being plain and told to change what was in his room.
So he did. And then he wrote to me a little later because he wasn't sure if he liked the changes.
This happens quite often with decorating. We make decisions about color and fabric that we like. Then we ask our friends and family what they think, and trouble ensues. It's not their style. The fabric is too bright. Did you really buy that sofa? And now that home rating Web sites, such as Rate My Space on HGTV.com, have sprung up, the problem has gotten even bigger because there are more people we can easily reach who will hopefully give us approval.
But is approval really what we need? As far as I know, that person from Chicago and the other from Sacramento don't live in your home. So why does their opinion matter. It's you that you have to please. It's those who actually use the room that should like it - not the millions of people using a ratings Web site. And sure, the chance at a perfect 5 star review might be a tempting reward after the hard work of decorating. But in the end, the best reward is you liking the room. You walking in and loving what you see. And you seeing the people in your home love it as much as you do.
So go and pick what you like, and forget about everyone else. For all you know, you might hate their homes if you had the chance to peak in.
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Posted by Meghan Carter on Monday, Apr 21, 2008 in
Musings.
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