I'm Forever Changing Things in My Home — How Being an 'Overthinker' Can Impact Design, According to Psychology, and When It Pays to Be Fearful of Regret
Do you find yourself constantly over-analyzing your home and design decisions? Perfectionism might be holding you back
"You're such a changer," my mum said to me as recently as last week. Every time she visits my home, she notices something (or many things, I should say) that I've changed since she last visited. This is nothing new, either — I moved furniture around my bedroom as soon as I was physically able to; my mum was always amazed I could move such large pieces by myself. I was just interested to see if a new layout would look and work better and, in my impatience, just decided to get on with it straight away as soon as the idea sprang into my head.
But this hasn't stopped in my adulthood — much to my husband's dismay, might I add. And it's undoubtedly got worse since I began working in the interiors industry, presented with an endless stream of inspiration and new trends every day (along with the many things quickly going out of style, too). I second-guess every design decision I have ever made in my home, and now often find myself in decision paralysis for any new projects we're due to take on for fear of regret; as there are, unfortunately, many design decisions I've made over the years that I truly do regret (don't get me started on my kitchen).
And it doesn't come down to just simply always wanting to redecorate, but more so that my 'overthinking' brain seems to re-analyze rooms again and again and find fresh faults with them, and what I've now begun to realize in my later years is that this, in part at least, comes down to what other people might think about my home rather than me. As color and behavioral psychology expert Karen Haller explains, "A homeowner can think they're obsessing over a design decision, when what they may actually be struggling with is what that decision says about them."
How Being an 'Overthinker' Can Impact Design
There's a fine line to considering the needs and likes of guests in your home and being swayed by potential judgement.
"For some people, perfectionism can be tied up with how they think their choices will be judged. Will other people like it? Is it tasteful? Am I making the right choice? What if I get it wrong? When they're looking for that external reassurance, it can become very easy to lose sight of what they actually want and need from the space," explains Karen Haller.
This 'reassurance-seeking' is certainly something I can resonate with — there's an element of feeling judged in your home by the choices you've made, which seem all the more poignant when you work for an interiors brand. When I move a table lamp to a different spot in my home, I like to think it's because it's the better spot for it, rather than what guests will think when they next come over — but, truthfully, I think there's a bit of both at play.
"It's not uncommon for a client to come to me with piles of paint and fabric samples, magazine tear sheets and Pinterest boards and tell me they're completely confused or overwhelmed," Karen says. "They may have started with something they really liked, but then they've seen another room, another color, or another fabric and started questioning it. Suddenly the decision they were happy with is being measured against something new. The original choice may not have been wrong at all. They've simply created another standard against which to judge it."
In a world of Instagram interiors, there's a constant source of comparison between our homes and 'picture-perfect' — and, in many cases now, AI-generated — interiors that display a level of perfection that is entirely unachievable. But, thankfully, showroom-esque, highly stylized homes are no longer what we aspire to. In 2026, we seek homes that are authentic, lived-in, and deeply personal. Therefore, in reality, who cares what anyone else thinks? Easier said than done, of course.
What it comes down to, as Karen says, is "bringing the decisions back to the person who is going to live there. When you understand who you are, how you live, and what you need from your home, you have your own point of reference for making those choices rather than continually looking outside yourself for reassurance that you've got them right," she explains.
Karen is a color psychology expert who wrote the book, quite literally, on how to use it when designing your home. She's the author of The Little Book of Colour which explains how to use color in interior design to improve you happiness, wellbeing, and confidence.
When Perfectionism Helps Design
"The difference between two options can be incredibly subtle, but those small details are often what make the finished room feel completely right," says Eris Koutsoudakis.
Much of my design regrets and overthinking boils down to three things: 1. Making decisions too quickly to begin with. 2. My taste having changed over time. 3. My fear of judgement having increased over time.
As for the former, if you dedicate enough time at the start of a project to pore over the details, you're unlikely to want to change them quickly afterwards.
As Eris Koutsoudakis, co-founder of Meraki Design, explains, "As a perfectionist and an overthinker myself, I have never regretted taking the time to find the perfect color, material or finish, even if that means going through many options. For me, that process is what prevents regret later."
And this is absolutely true. It's also why being beholden to the latest interior design trends isn't sensible for a home that should serve as visual and physical self-representation. While taste can evolve, if you pick something you truly loved in that moment, you'll never truly regret it — it's just part of the storytelling. It's even what I think about my tattoos.
"I also think there is a difference between carefully considering a decision and continually reopening it," says Eris. "Exploring options is valuable when it helps you understand what you want. It becomes unhelpful when every new image makes you question a choice you already loved. This is where having a clear overall design direction becomes essential, as it gives you something to return to and helps you recognize when the right decision has already been made.
"Ultimately, the aim is to feel completely comfortable with your choices and enjoy your home. I see real value in taking the time to reach that point," Eris says.
Eris Koutsoudakis co-founded Meraki Design, a studio that straddles two countries. Based between London and Athens, the studio has gained international recognition and is built upon thoughtful design and sensitivity to place.
How to Find the Right Balance
"Taking more time at the beginning creates confidence in the final result and can prevent expensive mistakes later," says Eris.
"There is nothing wrong with looking outward for inspiration," explains Karen. "Magazines, social media, trends, and other people's homes can introduce us to things we might never otherwise have considered. The difficulty comes when we start relying on what's outside of us to tell us what's right for us, because there will always be another opinion, another trend, or another beautiful room that makes us question whether we've got it right."
It comes down to having confidence in your decisions, and understanding that you are making them for you and your home. While hosting friends and family is undeniably a consideration for some of those design decisions, it shouldn't define them, and a space that truly reflects you will shine brighter than any copycat design.
"That's also where some of the regret can come from," Karen explains. "Someone can end up living with choices that were influenced more by what other people might think than by what was actually right for them. They may have been influenced by friends, the aunt who visits once a year, worries about future resale, something they've repeatedly seen online, or simply an idea of what a beautiful home is supposed to look like."
So while I won't stop tweaking little bits and pieces in my home, I won't allow regret to define how I feel about it — because nothing will ever look perfect, and it's absolutely not meant to.
And if you're one of those people who always likes to rearrange furniture around your home, psychology says you may also do these five things — which actually highlight the positive side of this otherwise predominantly negatively associated habit.
And for more design advice and inspiration, subscribe to the Livingetc newsletter.
