When I first moved to Vermont in 1975 with a teaching license, there were no jobs. I had to be satisfied in 'wait mode', patiently waiting for someone to get old or pregnant, opening a job opportunity. During the time in-between I took a job in a remnant upholstery store. The owner, Honey, had a shop in the basement of her husband's real estate company, a wonderful old home at the bottom of Sugarbush Access Road.
In those days I thought most things were forever... my husband, my career, my home, all it's contents, and my friends. Quite obviously that was not the case as every one of those are gone to me. In my experience, most 20+ year olds do not think they will struggle with illness, job loss, disappointment or divorce; they are invincible! Once you make your life decisions you believe you have chosen your path; the hard or bad stuff happens to someone else. Working with many millennials today, I think that is no longer how youth live their 20's.
My thinking was naive showing a glaring lack of experience. I worked for Honey for one year. I showed up for an interview in my finery, an Indian print dress, a floor length jumper, my very best hippy outfit in 1975. How crazy of me to think that was an acceptable clothing choice for work in an established store. She did give me the job, but told me never to come dressed like that again. She told me she would give me fabric for one piece of clothing at a time AND she would want to OK the pattern. Since I sewed this sounded like a great way to get a new working wardrobe. In hindsight I walked around looking like a piece of furniture dressed out in lots of floral chintz. One person even stopped my in a store and said "I love that fabric, it is the same as my couch material. Hmmmm.
Then there was the fabric I bought, a remnant bought at cost. I did it sheerly for the price and it was just a short while until I realized I had made the purchase unwisely. I had bought my first piece of furniture and felt quite grown up. Knowing I could get fabric at such a discount, I bought it and the furniture store had it upholstered. Who in the right mind would buy a bold plaid and think they would like it a year later?
Point in case: We have lived in this house for 2 years and I have finally gotten around to tiling our back splash area over the kitchen counters. When we moved in I had no clue of the 'look' I wanted. Our house is small with the center of it being living-dining-kitchen. All the pieces need to blend and not draw the eye always to some bold and crazy space. I think I have achieved that, but my first inclination was to go bold, something like the Delft tile I love so much. I sensed that no matter how much I loved it, I would tire of it being so available to the space, I decided to look for subtle..
Of course I went to both the tile art store and Home Depot. Guess where I found the tile? Sigh. I do like expensive stuff!!! The labor charge is also a choke, but alas I do believe it will be fabulous. JUST enough color change to be interesting but not enough to be distracting.