If there's one thing that's hard to discuss in the design world, it's imperfections. We often have clients who come to us with very high expectations and spend a lot of money. So if anything has an imperfection once it's all said and done, they can get upset. Understandably, they are looking for perfection and can be disappointed if it's not achieved.

This is hard for a designer, though. We strive to make a home beautiful and of course want it to be perfect, but perfection is rarely attainable. Why? Because we are only human and our installers are only human and furniture is made by humans. Bottom line is --nobody involved in the process is perfect and neither is the structure of your home. Very few homes have perfectly plum walls and perfectly level floors. So even if what we brought you was perfect, it wouldn't always look perfect once it was installed because it's going in an imperfect house.

I once heard it said that everything has a birth mark. And, honestly, truer words were never spoken. As designers, we understand this and try to make it work even WITH the imperfections. We try to bring everything together in a beautifully harmonious flow that makes the imperfections unnoticeable and puts the focus on what is great about the space.

We've also learned to embrace imperfections as character. If every piece were perfect then everything piece made by a manufacturer would look exactly the same. However, each item has it's own minor flaws unique to that piece making it one-of-a-kind. So we've learned to see beauty in this character rather than fight it and force it.

Houzz recently posted an article about Chasing perfection and quoted a number of designers on the imperfections in their own homes. They said everything from, my ceiling is cracked and bumpy because and I've never had the energy to repair and repaint, to the tile is laid in the wrong direction in this room and we've never re-done it. While some of the issues they have with their own homes are repairable, the designers have let it be because they realize they can love their house anyway.

And that's the important thing. If you can love your home even with a few flaws and imperfections, then it's actually perfect because it's a place where you're comfortable and happy!

If you want to read the full article, check it out here. And next time you have an issue with something in your home. Take a deep breath and try to see the beauty in it. Ultimately it might HAVE to get repaired, but at least you can be calm about it in the meantime.

Get a Grip | The truth about design and any home.