30 Before 30

In honor of my upcoming 30th birthday, I’ve researched countless “things to do before 30” lists. And while there are plenty to choose from, I kept coming back to “Thirty Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30.”

The List was originally published in Glamour by columnist Pamela Redmond Satran in 1997. Over the next 30 weeks, I’ll be tackling each item on The List and reflecting about it here… publicly (gulp). I hope you enjoy and we can grow together. After all, turning older is a privilege denied to many.

By 30, you should have…
2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.

I’m almost more reluctant to open up about my home decor history than I was about relationships #isthatweird?

In all seriousness, I’m far from a serial stylist. I’m more of the look at an item for months and months, hem and haw, and then finally decide I maybe want it enough to invest the $25–500 it requires to purchase. Really.

It’s taken me two years in my current place to buy wall art, and then struggle-bus my way through hanging it just right. There’s no limit to how indecisive I can be when it comes to decorating.

So it should come as no surprise: I haven’t quite checked this to-do off my 30 Before 30 List yet. I do have some decent furniture — yes, it’s from IKEA — but it’s in good condition and I’m proud of what I’ve done with it. Take my sofa table, for instance, which was about $250 in IKEA cubes and baskets, and serves as a perfectly planned bookcase.

I even had my eye on a $300 West Elm rug, but couldn’t commit, and then missed out on Cyber Monday like a n00b and it’s since vanished from the site. Le sigh.

Maybe it’s because my childhood home wasn’t focused on design, but rather the people in it. Or maybe I’m too OCD about everything working together that I can’t commit. Either way, my goal before I turn 30 next year is to check off this List item and not have buyer’s remorse. Double whammy!

If you have a living room I can hack together, like this one from Target — or if you have tips for indecisive interior decorators like myself — please do let me know in the comments!

A girl can dream, can’t she?