Tears, Tiles & Trying to Decide: Why Designing Your Home Can Feel So Overwhelming (And Why That’s Totally Normal) - Interior design support in Bristol for real emotional everyday homes

By Hannah Redden, Interior Designer | Bristol

Designing your home isn’t just about picking the right shade of paint or choosing between brass or black hardware. It’s about identity. Belonging. It’s about creating the space where your life will unfold. And sometimes, if we’re being honest, it’s about quietly crying on your sofa because you can’t decide between two shades of green.

And that’s completely normal.

Hannah Redden teaching at Bristol Folk House

Texture board from Hannah's Interior design course at Bristol Folk House

Interior Design Course attendee having fun with swatches

Hannah fabrics swatches

Floor plan creation at Hannah Redden's Interior workshop

Interior Design Mood board Creation

In fact, I’ve had clients cry in my interior design workshops before. I’ve had them message me feeling overwhelmed, stuck, second-guessing every decision they’ve made. Not because something went wrong. But because they’re human, and designing your home is emotional work.

There’s a strange, unspoken pressure to get it all right. To make the perfect call on every light fixture, paint colour, cabinet handle, rug size... all while staying within budget, keeping your partner happy, and pretending you understand the difference between eggshell and satinwood. (Spoiler: most people don’t.)

But here’s what I want you to know:

You are not behind. You are not doing it wrong. You are not the only one finding it hard.

Often, when I work with clients who are settling into their first proper home, I see just how much weight these decisions carry. It’s not just about where to put the bed. It’s about:

• Building a space that reflects who you are now (and who you’re becoming)

• Learning how to blend two people’s (or a family) tastes into one shared aesthetic

• Feeling like you finally have permission to do things your way

• Worrying that every decision is permanent (it’s not!)

  
  

One client recently told me that choosing a platform bed or a standard frame felt like a symbolic decision. It wasn’t just furniture, it was about defining their style, their adulthood, their home. Another couple swung between light, Japandi calm and playful colour pops. And the truth is, both were right. They were just still figuring out what felt like them.

Design is not a straight line. It’s a dance.

Sometimes it starts one way and ends somewhere totally different. And that’s okay. That’s how good design happens. It grows as you do. It reflects your life, your mood, the season, your budget, even what you had for breakfast that day. (Yes, really. Hangry decisions are a thing.)

So if you’re currently stuck between paint swatches or obsessing over radiators, here’s my advice:

1. Take a breath. Step away from the Pinterest board. Go for a walk. Let your brain settle.

2. You don’t need to decide everything at once. Homes are built in layers, not leaps.

3. It’s okay to change your mind. A moodboard is not a marriage vow.

4. Ask for help. Whether that’s your partner, your mum, or someone like me. You don’t have to carry it all alone.

5. Remember the bigger picture. This home is the backdrop of your everyday life. You deserve to feel good in it, not stressed by it.

Creative Hands at Work: Hannah Redden Interiors Mood boarding at Bristol Folk House

So if you’re currently feeling wobbly, know this: you’re not the only one. You’re not behind. You’re just doing the real, honest work of making a home.

And if you need a bit of clarity, perspective or someone to bounce ideas off of, I’m here. Interior design support in Bristol for real emotional everyday homes.

Take a look at my Clarity Sessions or come visit me at my studio on North Street. There’s tea, there’s calm, there’s colour samples. And most importantly, there’s no judgement.

You're doing brilliantly.

Hannah x