Why You’re Not Going To Mess It Up
Sometimes the choices we make when designing a show can seem so important that we can feel paralyzed. So relax: I’m going to tell you why you’re not going to mess it up.
When Steve and I were starting to make critical design decisions for our bed & breakfast, Phantom History House, we had a lot of ideas but found ourselves paralyzed by the fear of messing it all up. The stakes just seemed too high. We were going to spend a lot of money and energy setting up spaces where we wanted our guests to have a certain experience. We wanted a paranormal theme that had the correct elements of the Victorian period, and yet it needed to also be comfortable and include some modern elements.
It just felt like too much! We are not interior designers and we desperately wanted to get this right.
We had a number of people that gave us some great advice, and none more important than Michael Raiford. Renowned for his design work for the stage and for the marching arts, Michael was kind enough to talk with me for an hour one day. We showed him our ideas, and then he steered us with important and careful advice. At the end of the conversation we knew we could do it!
During the conversation, we showed him our ideas, what we wanted the rooms to be like, and some items we had researched. He then explained what was Victorian and what was not, showed us what “Modern Victorian” looked like, and then gave us the advice that changed everything!
At one point in the conversation I said to him, “We are trying so hard, doing our research, and we feel like so much is at stake that we are a bit paralyzed. We don’t want to mess it up.” And Michael said: “That’s why you won’t.”
There it was, the best design advice I’ve ever received. Because I cared so much and was working so hard to get it right, I was not going to mess it up. My diligence and hard work were going to save me from any lack of design skills I might have. And he proved to be absolutely correct.
When choosing colors or furniture or themes, we took the basic Victorian principles that he taught us and then did the research and work to make the right choices. Michael explained to us that we were actually “building an attraction, a destination” and not actually trying to create a museum piece that was historically accurate in every detail. Suddenly all my years of studying theme parks and their themed environments kicked in and I realized exactly how to make this work.
With the big concept of “modern Victorian” in our pocket, we found we could put a bright yellow fainting couch next to a dark green wall, modern art, and handmade stained glass lamp and create something wonderful. We followed this advice all through the house, and everyone has loved what we’ve created.
So if you find yourself paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong choices, realize that because you care SO much and will work SO hard to do the research and ask the right questions, you’re not going to mess it up! Now be bold and do the work and have fun!
Tim Hinton
October 1, 2023
