Home Decorating Tip: If You Want It to Last, Don't Go Too Fast

I was struck by the similarities in these two articles, the first from Realtor magazine and the second from the latest issue of Charleston Home. As important as the house itself is, having it feel like home usually has more to do with making it yours figuratively by filling it with things you love, than literally by simple purchase!


"Buyers are often in a hurry to decorate their new home. But advocates of a fledgling decorating philosophy known as 'slow design' say that's not the best decision. Instead, they urge home owners to feel comfortable letting their décor grow organically, adding one unique item at a time.'It's a big investment, and you're going to live in the space for a long time. Decisions shouldn't be made over a glass of wine on a weekend,' says Wynne Yelland, principal with Locus Architecture in Minneapolis.


Here are some suggestions for giving a home personality 'slowly' — and without spending a fortune:
Think heirloom. Seek out well-made pieces by local artisans.
Start small. Anchor each room with one piece that will have real character, depth and meaning that will last.
Be patient. Don't buy a roomful of furniture all at once. Let the décor evolve over time.
Don’t automatically throw away things that are old. Sometimes a coat of paint or a small repair can result in furniture that is better than new."

Now read Muffie Faith of Elizabeth Stuart Design as quoted in Charleston Home:

“'The rooms looked great, but it was void, hollow, it meant nothing to me,' she says. 'Here I had these little kids (Bobby, Stuart, and Beau, now 13, 12, and 10, were all under age four at the time) and I was worried about Disney stickers on the furniture. I thought, ‘this is crazy. Who are you? What really means something to you?’ It was a painful process for me to figure that out.'


Muffie began to take inventory of her own life, then to radically edit and rethink the rooms. Though still picture perfect, they’re now enlivened with kids’ drawings and art with personal stories behind it; heirlooms from her grandmother’s house are mixed with treasures found on family travels; French antiques meld with Oriental accents—a beloved and well-balanced jumble. 'No bird puts his nest together with one kind of stick,' she notes.

This revelation that style and soul are intimately connected was perhaps the biggest and most satisfying surprise that this house project held. 'Sure, I can make something photo-shoot ready in a minute,' says Muffie, who was a 2005 winner of HGTV’s Designer Challenge. 'But the real effort comes in putting emotion and meaning into it.' For Muffie, satisfying design doesn’t simply entail pairing the right fabric with the right painting in the right place, though that’s certainly part of it. In the end, it’s personal, it’s surprising. It’s an act of faith."


For the Realtor magazine article: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2008051304?OpenDocument


For the Charleston Home magazine article: http://www.charlestonhomemag.com/feature1.html