Even Designers Have DIY Fails

Even interior designers have DIY fails—especially when pregnant and nesting like a woman on a mission.

Let me set the scene: I was six months pregnant, deep in nesting mode. The kind of nesting that makes you feel like reorganizing your entire house is more important than eating or sleeping. If you’ve been there, you know exactly what I mean. Every drawer felt urgent. Every cabinet begged for attention. And suddenly, it became very clear to me that we needed two things immediately: closet organizers and a spice rack that would make The Home Edit proud.

Let’s start with the spices.

I had ordered a beautiful set of clear jars with minimalist labels, all the same size, all

perfectly coordinated. I even got a tiered shelf insert so each little bottle would have its place, lined up like spice soldiers in formation. The installation wasn’t complicated, but halfway through I inhaled cayenne pepper. Imagine being very pregnant, trying to catch your breath while coughing up what felt like fire. Not exactly the Pinterest-worthy moment I had envisioned.

The end result, though? A total game changer. I can now find my cumin and flaky salt in 0.3 seconds flat, and it sparks joy every time I open that cabinet. But was it worth the coughing fit and the fifteen-minute cooldown session on the kitchen floor? Debatable.

Now let’s talk about the closet.

Our bedroom closet was one of those "temporary" setups from early marriage days that somehow never got upgraded. So in my nesting haze, I decided we needed a full closet organizer system—shelves, drawers, double hanging rods, the whole thing. And we needed it now. My husband, being the patient and loving man he is, agreed to install it. Even after realizing that we had to cut shelves to fit. Whoops! Needless to say it took the poor man all day rather than the couple hours he had hoped for.

So many hours later, we are coming up on midnight. We were both exhausted, but he was committed. He powered through with a drill in one hand and a rubber mallet in the other. And just as he was installing the last piece… the entire thing collapsed.

Well at least we handled it gracefully! We stared at the mess in complete shock and then busted out laughing. And then my husband promptly shut the closet door and said it’s time for bed. We decided this was going to be a project best handled not in complete exhaustion. That, my friends, is marriage.

Here’s the thing: I do this for a living. I help clients remodel and design their homes. I have a trained eye for scale and flow. I know the difference between a quality bracket and a flimsy one. But even with all that experience, I’m still a human. A pregnant, hormonal, overachieving human who wanted everything "just so" before baby arrived.

And that’s what I want you to remember: Even designers have ‘what was I thinking?’ moments.

DIY is incredible. It can be empowering, budget-friendly, and deeply satisfying. There’s a thrill that comes from building something with your own two hands or finally solving a problem that’s been bugging you for months. But it’s also messy. It rarely goes 100% to plan. And sometimes, it involves cayenne pepper and closet collapses.

So if you’re staring at your half-assembled IKEA furniture or regretting the tile pattern you were so sure about last week, you’re not alone. Here are a few takeaways from my DIY debacles to keep in mind:

1. Timing is everything

If you’re about to undertake a DIY project, ask yourself: Is now really the best time? Midnight installation while pregnant probably isn’t ideal. Neither is starting something new the week before hosting family or heading out of town. Pick a window of time when you can actually enjoy the process (and survive the potential chaos).

2. Measure twice, cry once

The old adage is true. Triple-check your measurements. Read the reviews. Watch the tutorial before you start. Sometimes, ten extra minutes of prep work can save you hours of backtracking.

3. Perfection is overrated

If you’re the type who watches renovation shows and expects your project to unfold in a tidy 30-minute arc—take a breath. Real-life DIY isn’t edited for television. It’s messy, iterative, and sometimes wildly inefficient. And that’s okay. Let it be imperfect.

4. Know when to call in help

Some things are best left to the pros. If your project involves electrical, plumbing, or load-bearing anything, call someone who does it for a living. There’s no shame in asking for help, and you’ll often save money (and sanity) in the long run.

5. Give yourself grace

So you messed up. Welcome to the club. You’re learning. You’re trying. And whether the shelf is slightly crooked or the paint color didn’t turn out quite as expected, you can fix it. Or you can live with it and call it character.

When I look back on those frantic nesting days, I laugh now. Because even in the chaos, there was love. My husband didn’t argue with me when I insisted on reorganizing our lives. He just rolled up his sleeves and tried to make it happen. And when it all fell apart? We shut the door and chose sleep. That’s real life. That’s marriage. That’s design.

Sometimes, the most functional and beautiful spaces in our homes come from a place of chaos. From needing to make things better, more useful, more livable. And while it’s always nice when it goes smoothly, it’s also okay when it doesn’t. Because those stories? The spice fiascos and the midnight DIY fails? Those become the moments we remember.

So, next time you feel overwhelmed by a home project, remember this:

• Even the professionals have their off days.

• Pinterest doesn’t show the part where someone steps on a screw or inhales cayenne pepper.

• And sometimes, the best design decision is closing the door, walking away, and dealing with it tomorrow.

  
  

  

  
  

Whether you’re an experienced DIYer or picking up a hammer for the first time, give yourself permission to learn as you go. Laugh at the chaos. Celebrate the small wins. And don’t let one mistake stop you from creating a home that feels like yours.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the perfect closet or the prettiest spice rack. It’s about building a life—one project, one lesson, and sometimes one mess at a time.

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