What is it to be brave?
It’s most certainly a phrase you’ve heard before, may be even used before, maybe its a motto you like to live by, or may be its something you would say to your friends but not really something you feel ‘brave’ enough to try (excuse the pun), but what does BE BRAVE actually mean?
The literal definition of ‘Brave’ is as follows:
“…having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear or difficulty: having or showing courage.”
The history of the term can be traced back to Italian bravo meaning ‘courageous, wild’ and Middle French braver, ‘to challenge, flout’.
It is this challenging and courageous nature which I think is most applicable in Interior Design - how can we challenge the norm, flout the ‘rules’ and be courageous enough to try something different?
Being courageous means that fear is present, so what is that ‘fear’ when it comes to interior design? Fear that it could all go wrong? Fear that it won’t look good? Fear that it won’t work, or that ‘some’ people won’t like it? Let’s be honest here, these are not life-threatening fears! No one is going to come to harm if the colour scheme doesn’t work. No one is going to get hurt if the wardrobe door gets in the way of the TV when its opened! But that is not to put down those who ‘fear’ getting things wrong, its just a way of putting it in perspective, and saying ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’
In my opinion, being brave in interior design also depends heavily on your starting point. If you’re someone who has been living safely amongst the magnolias of the paint world for a few decades, then being brave enough to experiment with multiple patterned wallpapers, and – wait for it – a dark painted ceiling, might just tip you over the edge! But if you have already tried that ‘feature wall’ in a deep dark blue, and scattered a few multi-coloured cushions and throws over your mid-century style sofa, then may be you could take that next step into the world of colour-blocking your walls or adding a giant mural to your dining room wall? May be?!
Let’s face it, it’s all relative.
So in essence then, the phrase ‘be brave’ is personal, and your own personal challenge awaits. Be courageous and strong enough to fight that ‘fear’ - to overcome the thoughts that not everyone will like it - enough people will! Who wants to be the same as everyone else? Who wants to follow the crowd and get lost amongst them? Stand out from the crowd, do something different, feel the fear and fight it anyway. Ultimately, being brave is not so hard… its making the decision to be brave that takes the courage.
Go on… take the first step… decide to BE BRAVE today!
Photo Credit: Old English Co, Etsy