Lynda from Delight is another decor8 reader who wants to share her home with all of us. Since her weekend home was just featured in the LA Times last Thursday, she sent over the link for us to enjoy. Lynda thinks we'll like the bold color combinations and the strong mid-century vibe. Her space is amazing!

When I browsed Lynda's photos I instantly thought about how inferior my own space is. But it didn't dampen my spirits, it made me excited about a few projects in my home that I need to get started on. Many assume that designers' homes are these amazingly plush abodes, and for some they are.... For me, designing my own space is often the most challenging job I have. Trying to be perfect, feeling frustrated as a result, and then procrastinating the project altogether. Can you relate?

Setting goals beyond our reach is the quickest route to failure. Taking on too much at once, thinking too big, not being realistic when it comes to budget, expectations, and the time that it will take to complete the work are other reasons we feel stuck. If we aren't realistic in our planning, stress and frustration will result. The happiness that you should feel 'during' the process will turn into a ball of dizzying stress. It's more important to relax and enjoy the ride, not always struggling to reach the destination. This is where I must practice what I preach.

Most creative types, especially as we enter our thirties, start to see and then (the hard part) accept that we will never be normal. Our friends may decorate their home once and never think about it again. Ever. Creative types think about what they can improve on a daily basis. What could be more interesting. Maybe the sofa should face this direction. Perhaps the wall should be blue again. It never ends. Truth is, our home will forever be a 'work in progress'. That can be hard to face, but it's true. And that's okay because I couldn't live in a home that I couldn't play with on a constant basis. On one side, it's time-consuming, costly, frustrating and makes your husband think you've lost your mind. On the flipside, everyone has something that they're into. If it wasn't decorating, I'd be obsessed with something else. I have a design-savvy friend who seems to have contractors in her home constantly. My designer friend has painted her kitchen 5 times this summer. I am still trying to figure out how to configure my new studio space addition that we added to our house (gulp!) in, uh, well that would be last February.

I hope decor8 reader spaces help you to see life outside of the high gloss spaces in magazines. I love those spaces, so I'm careful not to complain, but just as fashion models are air-brushed to perfection, magazine homes are often primed and styled to absolute perfection. What we're seeing isn't really reality. The magazine stacks are hidden. The teacup collection is stored away. The litter box was quickly stored beneath the bed. And all those fresh flowers aren't always in every single room.

Living Etc, Home Companion, Domino, Canadian House + Home and a handful of other magazines do a nice job at presenting somewhat attainable digs. That's the appeal of Domino, don't you think? However, many others feature spaces that only represent a small percentage of the 'average' home dweller. Sure, it's fun to drool over gorgeous photos in Elle Decor, I can pull elements from the homes they feature, ideas for my own space. It can also be insanely frustrating. The exact sofa we see in a magazine can be delivered to our home tomorrow and never look as good because the room it was featured in has 12' ceilings and a view of the Eiffel Tower. Do you ever look at these places and think that somehow you've missed the mark in life because you don't live like that too? I have clients that express having felt that way from time to time. It's simply untrue.

It all boils down to how each one of us defines success.

Of course, there are those (like Lynda) who can and do live large. And beautiful. And have it seemingly all together when it comes to design (drool!). Most of us forget though that Lynda may have spent years putting that home together, collecting those clocks, locating that beautiful art. Also, she may not always have lived liked this. I'm sure she didn't shop a few catalogs and pull off that look overnight, either. This is no Trading Spaces abode.

Whatever you feel is a challenge in your own space, I hope decor8 reader spaces arms you with hope, courage and inspiration. I hope that they spark your creativity. Most of us have average spaces that are constantly evolving. And that's okay. There's joy in the process, remember that.

So, check out Lynda's space; you can read the entire article and view the photos online here.
If you have photos of your home that you'd like to share, don't be shy, shoot me an email.

Thanks Lynda for sharing this with us!

(images courtesy of annie wells/la times and lynda at delight)