Tip: The best room designs are the ones that are classic and timeless. The style you select whether traditional, contemporary or eclectic (a mixture) should be one you can live with comfortably and happily for a long time.
If you are madly in love with Art Deco, South Western, or minimalist contemporary, ask yourself if you are a rugged individualist or just feeding into a temporary romance. In the first case, you may truly enjoy this style for your home for as long as you live there. In the second, you may find it a “what was I thinking” moment, and as painful and perhaps more expensive than the removal of a tattoo of an old flame.
If you are madly in love with Art Deco, South Western, or minimalist contemporary, ask yourself if you are a rugged individualist or just feeding into a temporary romance. In the first case, you may truly enjoy this style for your home for as long as you live there. In the second, you may find it a “what was I thinking” moment, and as painful and perhaps more expensive than the removal of a tattoo of an old flame.
So what’s the difference between fad and fashion in furniture design? How do you choose to be timeless for the long haul and not to be stodgy or stuffy? I always tell my clients and club members that selecting a furniture style is really a history lesson. In good design, there is nothing new under the sun, just interesting variations on old themes. Making a choice should be a learning adventure to discover the options and the possibilities.
What’s right for you? If you have teenagers, toddlers, a large dog and two cats perhaps delicate Louis XVI or Sheraton English may not be the ticket, even though you admire it. So, it’s not only about what style you like, but what style you can live with and enjoy. Maybe the classical styles turn you on, but you don’t know how to marry them with today’s architecture. Identify what you like on the internet or in furniture stores that offer diverse styles or specialize in one. Do a little homework. See what appeals to you in magazines as well as room settings. Check out what goes with these styles before you make the final determination and, above all, sit on the furniture before you make a purchase. If it gets high marks for style and is not comfortable (remember how high heels shoes look when you get ready to go out and how you feel in them by the end of the evening), think twice before you buy.
So, what about fads, i.e.: the style and color flavor of the month, according to the furniture industry? You know they’re in business to sell you something—something you don’t already have, whatever it is. It’s up to you to decide how often and how much you want to do to your home in terms of scope and cost. Practically speaking, you know upholstered pieces can’t last forever, so you may choose to give your old furniture a face lift by recovering instead of replacing, or find it is more cost effective to start anew.
So what's the bottom line?
What’s right for you? If you have teenagers, toddlers, a large dog and two cats perhaps delicate Louis XVI or Sheraton English may not be the ticket, even though you admire it. So, it’s not only about what style you like, but what style you can live with and enjoy. Maybe the classical styles turn you on, but you don’t know how to marry them with today’s architecture. Identify what you like on the internet or in furniture stores that offer diverse styles or specialize in one. Do a little homework. See what appeals to you in magazines as well as room settings. Check out what goes with these styles before you make the final determination and, above all, sit on the furniture before you make a purchase. If it gets high marks for style and is not comfortable (remember how high heels shoes look when you get ready to go out and how you feel in them by the end of the evening), think twice before you buy.
So, what about fads, i.e.: the style and color flavor of the month, according to the furniture industry? You know they’re in business to sell you something—something you don’t already have, whatever it is. It’s up to you to decide how often and how much you want to do to your home in terms of scope and cost. Practically speaking, you know upholstered pieces can’t last forever, so you may choose to give your old furniture a face lift by recovering instead of replacing, or find it is more cost effective to start anew.
So what's the bottom line?
- Choose what you like with an eye toward your ever-changing lifestyle
- Invest in quality for the long haul
- Don't get caught in the "flavor of the month"
- Go for accessories that personalize, not homogenize
- Make the learning journey to create your beautiful home part of the experience and share it with those who live there
- Think shopping consignment for great buys on “oldies, but goodies” with true quality and value. Uniquely Natalie Quality Consignment can be an unexpected answer to your desire for an eclectic look)