Every home tells a story, but is it telling your story? The one that feels authentic to you and your family; the one celebrating your memories and experiences. Today, crafting a home that feels completely yours can get a little challenging with so many trends and ideas floating around. Here are some ways in which one can make sure your home feels like an extension of you and not a home from a magazine.
Trust your instincts
No space is more personal than a home and one should always go with what feels right instinctively over what the trend is. Proportions and measurements should be considered for spaces to function and flow well but when it comes to textures, colours, prints or furniture, something that resonates is always the best choice.
Get weird
Something unconventional should not stop you from being you. Gallery walls are a great way to showcase personality. Whether it’s mixing up art and photographs or receipts from your first date, movie tickets, your first offer letter or the first painting your child made — everything making space in your house or your walls have meaning and goes back to a deeper memory. One glance and there’s always a smile, guaranteed.
Vintage for the win
With fast décor making it loud and bold in the markets today, vintage has become an afterthought and that needs to change. Vintage pieces, their patina, craftsmanship and unique details add character to spaces while making them the focal point and conversation starters along the way. Heirloom pieces of furniture, textiles, or a generational piece of décor help celebrate your story and history like no other. Vintage is the secret weapon in most spaces.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint
This is probably something nobody wants to hear but it is an important one. Spaces should grow with you, from one phase to the other and for that there has to be breathing room in your homes to add more pieces or complete corners over time. If all surfaces are already maxed out, there won’t be any room to add newer memories, souvenirs or storage. Put it together at your pace, it shouldn’t be a space that photographs well but doesn’t resonate.
Identify your signature style
Signature style includes a mix of colours, textures, patterns, and prints that you prefer over the others. The simplest way to determine your signature style is to look in your wardrobe. Whether you are a minimalist or someone who enjoys loud colours and bold prints, your wardrobe will have signs. Then gather pictures that you really like and notice what the common language is.
Collections to view
Personal style is rooted in things you collect; the ones that prompt a deep memory from time to time. Embracing and highlighting a collection of pieces — be it as simple as ceramic mugs to enjoy your morning coffee or stamps or shells from your travels. Creating a niche or framing them weaves you into the space effortlessly.
Homes that are aesthetic might not always feel right but spaces with character always hit home. Don’t shy away from sprinkling parts of yourself through everything your home holds, it’s yours and should speak your language of love.