The old adage for wedding day luck and marital bliss is sage wisdom for decorating your home as well.
Something Old, Something New
There’s lot’s to love about of-the-moment design trends, and incorporating them into your home is half the fun of decorating. But you don’t want to find yourself living in the decorator’s version of the “Rachel.” Following a period or style too closely can quickly become dated, leaving you wanting to overhaul the entire house every few years. A healthy balance of old and new, trendy and classic, allows a home to breathe and evolve with you.
An antique vase or a vintage chair lends integrity to a sleek, modern space. A traditional room with heirloom pieces is energized and refreshed by the unexpected pop of contemporary art. You can create artful juxtapositions, or be more subtle with your mixing, but either way, the goal is to curate rooms that are timeless.
Of Land And Sea 1, Minted Collaboration, West Elm, $249
Something Borrowed
I’m not suggesting you start smuggling knickknacks at cocktail parties, or “forget” to return your neighbor’s punch bowl. I’m talking about objects borrowed from history, especially your own. My sister and I both have paintings in our homes that once hung in our grandmother’s house. They’re lovely reminders of childhood summers in the country and big family suppers. Had we bought copies of the images, it wouldn’t be the same.
Things that connect you to the places you’ve been and the people you love truly make a house a home. Proudly display your own photography. Frame pages from a beloved childhood book and hang them in the nursery. Replace your mantel with a beautiful piece of driftwood found during your summer vacation. The point is to punctuate your rooms with a few things you didn’t go out and buy. They will give your home a soul.
Photo via In My Blessed Nest
Something Blue
The color of sky and sea, blue is the serene backdrop to our natural world, so it’s no wonder it fits seamlessly into any environment. There’s a shade of blue for every color palette. Designers often refer to it as pseudo-neutral, owing to its exceptional versatility.
If blue walls aren’t your thing (done wrong, they can feel a little too “it’s a boy!”), try threading a delicate robin’s egg through a neutral composition. Or add a shock of cobalt to an otherwise autumnal palette. Or go hog-wild and layer liquid shades of the hue a la Picasso during his you-know-what period. Like the final chord at the end of a song, a splash of blue will round out your space, making it feel complete.
Mercer Club Chair, Canvas Home
Top right photo via A Library of Design
