Diderot Be Damned
Deep red walls and dark walnut hardwood with matching wood blinds set the mood in our family room when we moved in. It was one of the first rooms I painted. I covered the red with Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb gray and removed the dark blinds replacing them with light filtering top down bottom up shades. The mood went from brooding to calm. I think I heard the walls let out a sigh of relief when my roller covered the last trace of red. Almost 5 years later, I still love the color and the way the afternoon sun filters in like a warm welcome no matter what the thermostat outside reads. Still, there's that dark walnut hardwood. It's a nice contrast to the walls, but every other room on the first floor has red oak hardwood. When I asked Ken what our winter project should be this year he just sighed and shook his head. He knew I had made up my mind before the question escaped my lips. He agreed that red oak would look amazing in the family room. Once the flooring is in, a fresh coat of paint will be nice to complete the look. All the talk about flooring and paint led to a conversation about rearranging the furniture, getting rid of some of it or even changing the look of the room completely. I began to imagine a new couch and maybe a game table and bookcases. As the project took shape, it grew. Then I came across an article about the Diderot effect. It is a concept we are all familiar with, but I never knew it had a name. The Diderot effect states:
Obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things. As a result, we end up buying things our previous selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled. - James Clear
This project is still in the planning phase but it is already spiraling. Is it intentional or is it a spiral of consumption for the sake of consumption? Until I figure out the answer to those questions the original scope of the project will remain and we’ll be setting a budget to keep extraneous spending in check. Damn Diderot for coming into my life right before an exciting spiral of consumption and making me ask practical questions about need versus want.
Image: Sketchplanations