When first setting out to decorate a home, it can be tempting to use themes. They’re easy. They’re accessible. Nautical stripes for a beach cottage. Roosters for a farmhouse kitchen. Signs and slogans (everywhere) to make sure the “farmhouse” message is clear. But too often, what begins as inspiration ends up as a collection of clichés. Impersonal and cookie-cutter.
“A home is not a stage set. It is a story of the life lived inside it.”
True style goes beyond repeating a theme. It is about creating your home, a place where you live your life. A place where you want to create wonderful familiarity and a sense of belonging. A home like this does not need the crutch of constant reminders via a theme. Instead, the approach is more subtle and much more personal.
Beyond the Gimmicks
Gil Schafer, American classical architect says it well: “I’m allergic to gimmicks.” I find his work immensely inspiring and have pored over all three of his interior design books:
- The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now
- A Place to Call Home: Tradition, Style, and Memory in the New American House
- Home at Last: Enduring Design for the New American House
A gimmick may catch the eye, but it rarely holds attention. A wall full of obvious props might tell visitors what you want them to think, yet it leaves little room for imagination, or gradual discovery. Think of the expression of a home as a richly dimensional painting versus a flat print. Subtle design allows the experience to unfold naturally.
A farmhouse kitchen, for example, does not require numerous Mason jars, or chicken motifs to prove its point. Instead, it might be felt through the worn wood of a table, the hand-turned feeling from a stoneware bowl, and the texture of natural woven cotton tea towels. Buttery, homemade, from-scratch biscuits hot out of the oven would convince me!
“The strongest styles are not the loudest ones, but the most consistent.”
Consistency Instead of Copying
Decorating a home with common clichés often results in a space that feels borrowed. It looks like many other homes, and the individual personalities of the people living in the home are lost. Consistency in using and displaying the things that speak to you and represent your unique family, makes a space feel personal. The thread running through your choices should reflect what you love, not what Pinterest, Instagram, or mass-produced big box stores are advertising.
Using a consistent palette throughout your home, repeating a favorite texture (my beloved bamboo blinds), or leaning into materials that hold memory, will create a truer sense of home than any collection of themed decorations.
“Clichés fade. Authentic beauty grows richer with time.”
A Style That Lasts
Themes tend to fade quickly, while subtle, personal choices age gracefully. When a home avoids gimmicks, it leaves space for the homeowner’s own story to grow. Over time, the pieces you choose will gather meaning, layering the home with real memories. Until next time,
Take care,
Rachel
