Yesterday my contributor, Kimberly Dekker of Days of Dawn blog, recently revealed a makeover she did on dining room. She showed how some small changes can make a dramatic difference. One of my readers commented,
“What a perfect example to people that you don’t have to spend weeks and weeks and lots of money to present a big reveal that would intimidate half the blogosphere out of redoing a room for themselves.”
Her comment stuck with me and made me wonder if bloggers have become out of touch.
In the world of blogging, the number of followers you have on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter mean everything if you’re trying to turn your hobby in to a paycheck. As a result, the pressure to push the envelope and come up with a totally unique and creative projects is intense. As of late, I’ve seen some spectacular and almost over the top projects come out of blogosphere. Half of me is totally amazed and blown away. The other half knows of me knows I, and everyone else would NEVER attempt some of these projects in a zillion years. Not saying bloggers should play it safe when it comes to design but on the other hand are some projects totally unrealistic?
My intention for my blog has always been to bring pretty to the world and inspire people when it comes to interior design. I’ll bet 95% of design bloggers have that same intention, just said in various ways. In our quest to come up with the latest and greatest, never seen before projects I wonder if we are intimidating rather than inspiring our readers?
What are your thoughts as a blogger and/or reader of blogs?
Also, the winner of the Albion Fit giftcard is #409 Trulie.
Congratulations!
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
Interesting thought…thanks for posing this question. I have been a reader of blogs for about four years now. In the beginning there were a lot of posts about thrifting and diy-ing, that very much inspired me on my limited budget and limited know-how. Lately, I think you are correct, the posts have become more and more intense and I have noticed that thrifting seems to have started dying down. It seems like more and more home design has started to go the way of purchasing beautiful stuff, instead of thrifting it and diy-ing it. I haven’t ever thought bloggers were out of touch and I have continued to be inspired but generally only by the smaller scale diys that I see come out of the bigger reveals. I also continue to be inspired by color choices and styling techniques. But I would never attempt or have the money to attempt the large scale projects and room designs. Very good question! THank you for bringing it up.
Yes, you are right on. I’ve noticed that people seem to have gotten away from the thrift “hunt”, myself included. It seems that the thrift stores here are quite “picked over” and I haven’t found much. Craigslist and KSL classifieds included. I appreciate your point of view.
I totally agree with you! I am a DIY blogger and I try to keep a tight budget and share projects that everyone can do, with the least amount of tools! I do love to see those amazing projects that take lots of time, money, and skill…probably something that I myself or my average readers couldn’t replicate. I try to target homeowners/DIYers, with kids running around, who still have to cook a decent dinner, and wake up early the next morning to pull eight hours at the office. That’s my life as a DIYer and the life of the average family trying to make their house a home.
Great comment. Thank you!
That’s an interesting question! I guess I never stopped to think about it. I always find inspiration when I read blogs. I appreciate being a part of a community that shares ideas and supports each other’s efforts. I guess the times I’ve felt intimidated is when I see a phenomenal blogger who is always doing big projects, but then I remind myself that they have been at it a lot longer and probably have the sponsors and money coming in to support all those projects. I love design and DIY bloggers 🙂 xo Kristin
I’m inspired by all the home projects on yours and other’s blogs but it does seem like sometimes they are trying to “one up” each other or themselves – I like you have a great balance of easy changes with a big impact, like repainting or adding colorful accessories. I don’t know anyone who works and has a family that has the time or money to seriously redecorate a single room in their house multiple times a year and it’s not just one room, it’s every room in their house! I can handle maybe 1 or 2 rooms a year (if I’m lucky!) but otherwise major renovations are just not in the budget on that sort of scale. Thanks for keeping it real!
I am not a blogger, but I am a reader of many types of blogs….and as a new home owner, quite a few are home design/improvement blogs. I do think that, while many of the projects I read about interesting to read, they contain things I’d never attempt. Bloggers are trying to make their mark in an ever increasing field, and many of the projects have become unrealistic for “normal” people. Some of this is due to the time these projects would take (as obviously fixing up my house isn’t my job) and some of this is due to the amount of money that I would need to spend to continually update and redo rooms.
Anyone with a lot of money can easily have a beautiful magazine-worthy home. The reason I love blogs is because they are women like me, with the same limited budgets and resources but – armed with a paint brush, a hot glue gun and some fabric scraps – show me how to create a beautiful home for my family. Sometimes a blog becomes successful and their projects too complex or expensive to be of any help to me. Whether or not I continue to follow along would depend on the attitude of the author and whether they are still relating to their readers. Are they showing an attitude of gratefulness and positivity that makes it fun for me to still follow along and feel a part of it? The death knell is criticism. There are so many people who are not blessed with talent, taste, artistic abilities, or DIY abilities. If you are blessed with taste and talent and then laugh at people who have none, that comes across the screen as mean, no matter what your income level. I appreciate the sweet bloggers out there who are encouraging, inspiring and help me create a beautiful home with my limitations.
I agree…there is a lot of amazing diy, high end content out there. Sometimes it feels like unless you are super rich or a full time blogger its’s possible to keep up. I work full time and have two kiddos. I just don’t have time to do elaborate diy projects but I still enjoying blogging about all my ideas should I get the time and money. And I enjoy seeing other people’s projects and designs. It is inspiring to have so much amazing content available
I agree! I am so impressed by all of the talent in blog world. And yet at times I feel inadequate with my little home grown blog, where I post crafty ideas. I guess there’s room for all of us in this big old world- the amazing over the top project people and the little people like me! 🙂
For awhile I have wanted to start a pinterest board board entitled something to the effect of “that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen”. Some of the ideas for projects or recipes are very obviously things that people have thought up just for a wow factor. Here is a shocker that will make all bloggers cringe – I have actually gone through and unfollowed all of the bloggers that seem to be just trying to get their numbers up on pinterest. It has made it an enjoyable place for me to go again now that I am just seeing ideas from my friends and family. I am not trying to be mean but I feel the answer to your question is a resounding yes!
Thank you for your comment!
I am always so impressed at the creativity in the blog world, but I feel that lately it’s all about buying the right things and doing certain “in” things to your home (chevron anyone?). Everyone is trying to be the latest and greatest rather than being themselves. Everyone has a different unique style and no matter what it is, it can be beautiful. I get sick of everyone trying to be farmhouse chic, simple modern, or upcycling just because it’s “in.” People are just playing to the numbers and popularity game rather than being themselves.
Trying to fit in or impress others won’t lead to happiness or satisfaction. You can only get that through improving your space for yourself, not the blogosphere.
I use to blog…until I felt as if I got lost in the crowd when looking outwardly at others blogs spots. I stopped. Not due to defeat, but more because I felt I was “competing” and had to step back and decide to enjoy others creativity. I wasn’t out here just to see my numbers grow, much like many blogs I was a part of. It lacked luster…and with that, my pause came into play. I’ll come back, and when I do, I won’t look at others and all their glamour, but instead, why I want to do this…to touch the lives of others who take the time to follow…I’ve enjoyed your spot for some time now…I love your creativity…and the little touches of hearing about who you are and your family…makes it more real. Great talent. Don’t fall into the trap of looking at others when you are great just the way you are…Thanks for sharing. Great post!
I have read blogs for years as an outlet from my job as a pediatric therapist but lately I have stopped reading as much. I just shared with my husband how much money people are spending and how unrealistic a lot of the blogs are because it seems that there is a constant push to consume which can be frustrating. I really appreciate your blog when you show the hours and investment into project..it’s not misleading. I like House Tweaking for the same reason. I’m the type of reader who just likes checking in because seeing what others do helps me be a better mom and sometimes gives me a little “mommy pump it up” to push myself so the huge projects are great to look at but I check out from those blogs because I lose the connection. Thanks for your honesty and reality checks!
Aww, thanks Kelly. Good points.
I am not a blogger – I read blogs. I am a designer without a website, blog or an internet listing. I work strictly from referral, and as shocking as it may seem, I have full time employment without any of this. I originally read blogs in order to stay informed of tastes in décor and to find inspiration. I have found bad trends (skulls are a decorating tool?!?), glitter, clutter, and displays of excess. I have seen photos of ‘reveals’ with items included in the photo which are obviously out of context and included strictly to impress the viewer. (a Coco Chanel designer handbag was perched atop a stack of books on a glass shelf of a featured bar cart – and this fits the environment how???) I have deleted many blog links for this reason. The other issue growing in blogosphere are bloggers who behave as qualified designers, both in fashion and décor, when, in fact, they are not. They dole out bad advice which unsuspecting readers follow (for at least one bad episode) which serves to give the rest of us a very bad name.
DIY blogging doesn’t need to go over the top or become larger than life to be appreciated by the readership. Sometimes the best projects are achieved with a minimum of money and materials. Review this blog to see some of the wonderful projects Michelle has accomplished for her home!
This is definitely food for thought. In this new pin-able world I do notice bloggers not really showing before pics unless they can follow up with a great after. I think sometimes we lose out by not showing that making a home is a process and there’s joy in the in-between. I try to be as real as I can on my blog, but I often wonder if I’m shooting myself in the foot from a business perspective as let’s face it no one pins the ugly before pics. 😉
So true, so true. Thanks for your comment Carmel! Looking forward to meeting you in NYC!
Big or small, costly or thrifty, it’s all good. You can learn something by looking at Versailles or a 300 square foot space, why anyone would take the size, scale or price (on either end) personally is a bit mysterious to me 🙂
I know one of the things I find frustrating as I read other blogs is that a number of their makeovers aren’t realistic because over 1/2 of the materials used have been compensated to them. To me that is not really DIY for the rest of us. i understand that this helps them make money but it seems the more and more I read, the more far away many have gotten from actually doing anything themselves on a budget.
So very true. As a blogger this question runs through my mind every day. I’m totally impressed by all the creativity in the blogsphere but as you said a lot of the major bloggers are moving towards time consuming/labor intensive/$$$ projects. Agreed the results are always beautiful and magazine worthy but how much of it can I implement at home as a simple reader? I’ve always reasoned that as a part time blogger (I’ve got a full time job and a family with 2 kids) I’ll never be able to invest that much time or money on such projects. Also we built a new home. So massive facelift kinda projects do not make sense for us. Actually this was one of the reasons that drove me to start a blog in the first place. Another peeve is to see a lot of my fav bloggers (have been an ardent reader of many blogs for over 4 yrs) do projects just for the sake of promoting products. Yes, I totally get that we bloggers need to work with corporates to build our brand but too many of these posts and that too posted one after the other is a huge put off.