Our world is loud. We now have a constant influx of messaging from the 24 hour news cycle, the temptation to tap away on social media and an insatiable desire for instant gratification. What we need more than ever is quiet. I’ve been posting recently about this on Instagram. What does this have to do with your home you ask? Everything. In a loud world your home should be your quiet. What’s the designer’s secret weapon? It’s simple and free and something anyone can do. The quickest way to elevate a space is to remove everything from the room minus the furniture. If you’re in the kitchen, take everything off the counters. Everything. Give them a good scrub. If you’re in your living room, take art off the walls and strip the end tables and coffee table of all the things.
Here’s where the designer’s secret weapon comes in handy. Only put back the things that have meaning to you, that you love, or as our simplification diva Marie Kondo says- “SPARKS JOY”. There is so much beauty in restraint. Restraint gives your eye a chance to rest and magnifies the pieces you’ve selected. Restraint is actually one of the most difficult things to harmonize. We tend to think if we keep adding to a space it somehow will feel cozier and more lived in and a proper reflection of who we are. It’s why we browse the aisles at Homegoods with empty carts ready to fill with things that we’ll bring home and try to fill the holes. Trust me, I do it All. The. Time. But so often that’s the stuff that ends up in the pile of ‘why did I feel like I needed that?’.
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.”
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Because there’s less to look at, it all has meaning. Now, how do we achieve this and does this mean our homes need to look at tad museum-esque/don’t touch anything!? Nope. While I love a good inspiration photo, I know real life probably looks a bit different than photoshoot day does (find a photoshoot day here). These images are good to observe when you’re ready to hit the reset and start the process over again, something I do often. It’s a form of therapy, I swear. I strip the room and add something to the space and then stand back and cock my head to the right and cross my arms and just take it in. It’s equivalent to the ‘mirror face’. You know you have one! And then I add another thing back. Maybe it’s a coffee table book. When you add one thing back, like a book, that one thing needs some harmony. It’s like add a friend to the book. Maybe it’s another book or maybe it’s a vase. Add back only what you love knowing that you have plenty of time to collect treasures. It’s not a race. Homegoods tries to sell us the race. Don’t get sucked in!
When the things you display in your home have meaning, your home will always be in style. Style isn’t defined by the cover of a magazine, style is defined by YOU. Trends are fun (lots on trends here) but they’re best in small doses and always ONLY if you love what it is that’s trending.