Agi Dmochowska
Portsmouth, England
Instagram: @agi_at_59
Motto I Live By
“This is our happily ever after.” We have that on our neon sign, and I think it’s very important you live right here and right now. Yes, it’s not going to be our forever home as we are slowly outgrowing the space, but it doesn’t mean we should treat it as a “waiting room” before we buy the bigger place. I have no idea how long we will be staying in this house, but I think it’s crucial to make it as homely and comfortable for us as possible.
Hashtags For Design Inspiration
#gallerywallhashtag that I have a pleasure to co-host, #styleitdark #eclecticallymade #howivintage have to be my favorites.
Be Bold... You Can Always Paint Over It
Just go for it. People often message me and say, “Oh, I wish I was braver with the colors in my house,” etc. If you are thinking of having a dark wall or busy wallpaper, just go for it! Try it, what’s the worst that can happen? If you hate it, you can always paint it back to how it was before. Another advice I often give to people is to introduce color gradually and see how you feel about it. Start with accessories like cushions, blankets, curtains, vases, etc. If you want to change the color of your walls, start with one wall and live with it for a week or two to see it with different lighting before deciding if you want to paint the other walls, too.
Repurpose, Recycle, Reuse
Think outside the box. The fact that something is a planter doesn’t mean it won’t make a fab vase or utensils pot, pen pot, etc. One of my favorite hacks in our house has to be a vintage crate that is hiding an ugly but useful heavy printer, and we’ve used a sink chopping board with a handle and added some castor wheels, so we can easily move it close to the desk when needed. So it looks great and it’s still mega functional.
Learning to Let Go
Realize that you can’t control everything in your life. Sometimes you just gotta let go and stop worrying. Life writes its own scenarios for us, and yes, we can work hard to achieve our dreams and fulfill our plans, but there are some circumstances that are beyond our control, and there’s no point in beating yourself up about them.