I don’t know about you but it’s been a while since I fell head over heels in love with a house I saw in a magazine. It’s been a while since I lost myself researching the paint colors, sources, the designer’s reasoning behind certain decorating choices etc and I miss that feeling. I miss the quickened heart rate and the enchantment, and I wonder if it’s me that’s changed, or the homes we see more and more of. That glossy perfection where everything is brand new, tailored and custom made for a space just doesn’t appeal to me. I am drawn to character, age, interesting details, quirk and things slightly off, worn and warm. Objects found and objects cherished for what they represent more than their monetary value. So, since I don’t have a cute new home to show you today that has all of these attributes, I thought we could go down memory lane and visit some old favorites here on Café Design, houses that for whatever reason have left a long-lasting impression in our heart.
Some houses are easy to love. They are warm, colorful and inviting. They have charm and ease and you just know life would be magical within their walls. But unfortunately this quality is elusive, and certainly not something you can easily quantify, because it’s deeply personal and unique to each and every one of us. And it’s never just ONE thing that makes a space appealing but rather an alchemy of sounds, colors and flavors that bring you back perhaps to happy childhood memories, or to simpler times with a prevailing sense of joy, peace and contentment. (For me it will forever be my granny’s cottage, the house I felt most at ease and carefree as a child. It smelled of apples and cinnamon and freshly brewed coffee; the rooms were small yet functional, filled with interesting objects and antiques, lots of color, lots of laughter, music, good food and good times… )
One thing I’ve noticed about myself as I get older is that I care less about trends and how other people decorate (although I still LOVE looking at everyone’s beautiful rooms on Instagram), and I try to take the time to look within for what I truly like & need as opposed to what I should like & need because chic people I admire like these things also. The nature of social media (and Instagram in particular) is connection but at times that connection to everything and everyone else can lead to a lack of connection to the person that matters most when designing your space – YOU. There is a lot we can learn from one another, and we can certainly find inspiration in other people but there’s also a great deal we have to “unlearn” about the things we should like, or should buy for our homes. Peeling away the layers of trends and things we’ve conditioned ourselves to like by repeated exposure to reveal what it is that we truly desire is, I think, the starting point of authenticity. Decorating from the heart is decorating a home you’ll love for many years to come and it’s all about being mindful of that voice inside of you that already knows what it is you want and need, but is perhaps drowned in a sea of noise…
The wonderful thing about the following houses is that they ignore trends entirely, and some even thrive on an irreverence to rules and tradition. Filled to the brim with the personality of their owners, they are, to me, hauntingly beautiful.
The Country House of Textile Designer Louise Townsend
Delta Folly – The Mississippi Delta Home of the Late Julia Reed
A Mill Valley Home by Rita Konig and Gil Schafer
The Normandy Country House of Tory Burch, decorated by Robert Time
The English Cottage of Antiques Dealer Tarquin Bilgen
A Cape Cod House Decorated by Kathryn Ireland
The 17th-century English Cottage of Countess Alexandra Tolstoy
The Welsh Country House of Textile Designer Penny Morrison
Cameron Kimber’s Country House in New South Wales
These are only a few of the many beautiful homes we’ve admired over the years – and my list could go on and on – but these are the ones that first come to mind when I’m thinking of happy, cheerful and authentic design. What are some of your favorite homes that you’ve seen published through the decades? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Thanks!
I’m with you Eva. Give me antique, vintage, worn, patinaed, secondhand, someone else’s castaways and I’m a happy girl. I don’t want my house to look like anyone else’s. I’m drawn to accounts on instagram that are layered and built up over time. That reflect the owner and not a trend. Excellent post.
I’m with you on your comments! What I see in magazines and internet viewing of homes is so lacking in warmth and charm as well as individuality. So nice to know I’m not alone in my thinkind😊
What a breath of fresh air your post is today, Eva! I found myself nodding, and agreeing, with all your sentiments. Thank you for expressing, out loud, what so many of us are thinking and feeling.
I totally agree with you and Maureen. I’m so tired of the farmhouse trend, or trends in general. I love seeing personality in a home. Color, pattern, flowers, silver, books, china and real wood. Everything that has been used and loved for long time. Your Granny is the perfect example of how living in a home should be. She created an atmosphere of love and comfort. What can be better than that? Loved this post.
I agree with you as well, Eva. I find so much in decor today to be bland, gray and mass produced. I love reading your blog because the homes you feature are so warm and real! I also LOVE that Rita Konig/Gil Schaefer home!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Eva. Every image you showed today made my heart skip a beat. There’s a heritage quality in these homes, and that’s what gives them such timeless appeal. Trends come and go. Thank you.
I agree completely with you. I often wonder if I am the only one who often prefers the “before” images, rather than the “after” renovation images.
I couldn’t agree more!
I am a person who RARELY comments on these sites, but you really nailed it with this one. When I was a youngster I was constantly trying to make my family farm home look like a magazine. Same as a young adult. But now that I am 70 and more secure in myself, I realize that my home is only for me and my family. I also love antiques/vintage and it is so much more sustainable. I don’t like a manicured decorated look. I just take joy in my modest little house full of memories!
Spot on today Eva, best thing I’ve read in ages. Thank you for making us feel at home.
I believe that I could move into any one of these (but especially that Mill Valley home), put down my toothbrush and live there quite happily for the rest of my life!!
I find that as I get older and seen so many decorating trends that I am content with my home and even if there are times when nothing looks right it is my mood not the decor.
Today I am staying,inside due to the heat so I am using the time to organize my office / craft room which is quite out of control. So far all I have done is make a display of my McCoy pottery. Oh well I am retired so there is always manana.
Love this post! Thanks for your honesty.xo
Hi Eva,
That’s exactly why I read your blog faithfully. I enjoy seeing the homes you find that spark my imagination and invite me into the rooms that have layers of history and charm.
Karen B.
Eva,
So true, the character, warmth and interest from old time worn rooms are the absolute best! Thats why I read your blog faithfully! These rooms never go out of style and feel lived in and comfortable. I wish more inspiration like this was shared.
Hi Eva,
I was prompted to write you after this post because I totally agree with you. As an international family we have all kinds of collections from travels and places we lived, things I collected and have repaired or painted, along with family heirlooms to rocks from beach holidays. Everything has a story, nothing goes together, but it does. I spent hours looking at the photos. This is why I love your blogs and look forward to them in my emails. Gives me such pleasure to see what you write and find for us to see. Thank you so much for bringing us such joy to look forward to reading and looking.
I needed this today! Thank you!