This is the second part of a discussion of what lies at the intersection of timeless design and authenticity which began HERE. When you aim to create a space that reflects your values and capture a mood you love, where do you begin? In other words, how do you interpret a classic, timeless approach that feels uniquely yours and how you want to feel? Are there rules and elements to guide the design journey?
Authenticity, Timeless Design & Capturing the Mood You’re After
WHAT GUIDES MY OWN DESIGN APPROACH?
Don’t Take Yourself Overly Serious…It’s Only Curtains
How do we keep perspective? There are matters far more important than decorating. Your health, for example.
At the height of the pandemic, our son nearly died at home from a rare blood infection no specialist at the hospital had ever seen. Remember back then when ambulance service was limited?
A real problem is getting your 200 pound baby boy into your SUV with motherstrength to speed to the hospital during an ambulance shortage during Covid.
So DIY hiccups like a radiant floor heating system that won’t work? Is it really a real problem?
It’s a privilege to live a creative life.
We do things in a spirit of unknowing and pour our hearts into them without becoming overly attached to outcomes. It’s a way to be radically resilient.
WHY IS TIMELESS DESIGN TRENDING AT THE MOMENT?
Plenty of folks are exhausted, anxious, filled with uncertainty, and craving sanctuary in the turbulent 2020s.
Timeless looks comfort us as they are enduring, adaptable, classic, high quality, well-crafted, and a blend of eras.
They offer sophisticated simplicity, natural materials, quality lighting, thoughtful architecture, earthy colors, and clean lines. Trendy looks eventually look dated and feel fleeting. Maybe what timeless design offers is a sort of anchor or bridge from the past to somewhere ahead.
Buying vintage furniture and handmade online is easy now. It’s not that we want to move into one home and stay forever, but we want to choose foundational pieces that last and layer with art and objects that reflect our values as we grow and change.
Social media exposes us to a wealth of possibilities. So when hashtags like #cozyopulence or #oldmoney trend, there’s an uptick in searches and interest in getting a look that captures a vibe consumers are after.
WHAT GUIDES MY OWN DESIGN PRACTICES?
I’m interested in creating a home that reflects how I want my life to feel…not how I want my life to appear to others.
This is so important to untangle and explore. When you know yourself, you’ll better understand your desires and needs. Therapy helps. Podcasts help. Spiritual journeys help.
Since I value authenticity and vulnerability, I don’t want to stage my house according to what may impress you or to copy a look from someone I admire. Inspiration from sources like Hello Lovely provides a good starting point, but it isn’t where you’ll discover formulas for instant gratification.
So many fantasy projects on the blog had a bottomless budget, and the designer may have been handed a blank check. I love creatively capturing a mood and playing with light and color without over-spending.
That said, I’ll splurge on something I know will deliver joy to the everyday. I’m vast and complex and full of contradictions and compassion.
Just because you can afford a particular antique with an amazing backstory or original painting deemed a good investment does not mean those objects are right for you.
It’s more important to design from your heart and intuition. If you can’t hear their whispers, get still, unplug, or seek the grace to help you hear and see the beauty you desire.
I’m chronically ill so I have built-in opportunities for slow living and stillness.
Shop my home RIGHT HERE.
IS TIMELESS DECOR SAFE AND LACKING CHARACTER?
Reducing everything to dualities is just so uninteresting. As if there are only safe and adventurous approaches to anything in life.
What about the third way? And the twenty seventh? Are certain colors safer? Sure there are bestselling neutral paint colors experts say are safest to stage your home for sale.
But I challenge the notion neutral color stories are strictly for dull personalities.
Timeless finishes such as unlacquered brass or other metals with a living finish change over time. I love that they change over time!
Watching patina develop on objects as they age and get used is a great metaphor for aging and gratifying for timeless design freaks.
It’s interesting to note timeless design is trending at a time attention spans are shrinking online and uncertainties mount. With supply chain problems and economy woes, maybe sentiment is growing for “buy once, cry once” since we have no idea what’s coming and boring doesn’t sound so bad.
If you’re looking for a sensible foundation to build on over time, timeless works. Looking for an escape to sanctuary, to calm the senses?
There is a whole rainbow of whites and pale neutrals to mix. There’s thoughtful attention to lighting and natural materials to set the stage. There’s a myriad of textures and finishes to explore. You can be minimal or maximal with a timeless context.
WHAT DO I LOVE ABOUT TIMELESSNESS?
It can feel transcendent and like an escape from the changing landscape beyond home. It’s a mix of eras.
There’s juxtaposition where pleasing tension is created with patterns, geometry, or rusticity with the refined. Juxtaposition is sexy. When the balance is right, it doesn’t feel stuck or old fashioned or pretentious but rather storied, non-contrived, effortless, and undone.
Undone in the sense that there is room for more evolution, not need for repair.
WHAT MISTAKES DO PEOPLE MAKE?
Hiring a professional designer is smart and could save you money and headaches. If you lack self-awareness, you may be vulnerable to common mistakes. For example, you could become attached to a look that expresses how you want to appear rather than how you want your life to feel.
I was obsessed with Ralph Lauren interiors in the 90s and went for this handsome masculine library look for our living room that didn’t suit us at all. I went for this dark limewash on the walls and hoped the brown leather sofas would become charmingly distressed over time from my wild sons and that I would somehow admire this look. Nope. I had more growing to do.
Wise designers help you to identify your unique style. They have access to contractors and subs they trust. They will pose the right questions. For example, do you actually entertain groups of people often? Then, it makes sense to think about comfortable gathering spaces and seating with little side tables for placing a drink.
But if home is mainly where you retreat to your bedroom because of long work hours, maybe devote the budget to creating a 5-star hotel bedroom with remote window blinds and let the other rooms be lower priority. Get a chic bar cart, put the lights on dimmers, and light a mass of candles when you do entertain.
Lighting is Often Overlooked!
Don’t skimp on lighting! Especially if you’re building and there are opportunities to place sconces and dimmers and well-placed outlets for lamps.
If you want to live with neutral colors, educate yourself about white paints. Whites have undertones and vary as far as light reflectance. Sample at least three neutral paint colors before choosing the one you like. Even if it takes ten tries, it’s totally worth it.
Visit Hello Lovely for paint colors to sample. Where do you spend time at home? Focus on those areas first. If you are super artsy or eccentric, don’t feel limited by messages out there declaring function comes first. There are countless exceptions.
Hold design rules loosely. For example, the statement “you don’t want your home to feel like a museum” may be true for most people, yet if your jam is museums, maybe a gallery-like space can happen.
A dim hall becomes a bright white corridor lined with framed vinyl album covers or oil paintings by your grandma or collected African masks.
What lies at the intersection of timeless design and authenticity? The wonder and joy you bring to the creative process of gathering harmonious design elements that soothe you. Thanks for considering these ideas (Part One is HERE) from a real life renovator and homebody!
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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