HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Before you keep reading, pause, close your eyes, and picture something in your home that brings you immense joy. A vase with a funny little pattern. A wall color you were nervous about but did anyway. A bowl you always pull out for your nighttime ice cream treat after a long day. The throw pillow you do a double-take for every time you walk by it.
Did you come up with anything? If your answer was yes, you’re doing this “home decoration” thing right. If you struggled to conjure something, then today’s post is here to help.
Here’s the thing. In good times and bad (and, let’s all be real, this is BAD TIMES), the spaces we live in are supposed to be adding value to our lives—function, comfort, and joy. But so often, I find that that last part—the joy—is being sacrificed in the name of “chic” or frankly, just being paralyzed by a decision that makes you nervous.
For example, you’re in a store, staring at a selection of drinking glasses. You see the knobby, blue-tinted glass goblets that make your heart pitter-patter right next to the sensible clear glasses. You hem and haw, worrying that maybe the blue isn’t just the right tone to match whatever you’ve got displayed on your open shelves. Or possibly, you worry that in a few months or years, you’ll tire of the blue. Or, even foolishly, you wonder if those cups might say something about you to guests that you’re not trying to convey: You’re not chic and elegant. So you grab the safe choice. And then, you do that over and over again in your home, until you’re left with a place that could be literally anyone’s. That you exist in without feeling anything.
So today, I’m here to release you. From the grip of “good taste” so that you can lean into “your” taste. Prior to starting to write this piece, I took to my Instagram and asked the folks over there what they were too nervous to do in their own homes; something they wished for but scared them. Many of the answers were the same across the board and involved taking risks with paint and wallpaper. They all wanted some whimsy, but whimsy felt like too big a risk.
Listen. This is your home. When we take care of our souls and spirits via the home around us, we’re better for it. We should all have the privilege of coming home and smiling when you see that painted ceiling or that funky wallpaper. It may seem superficial, but that kind of joy is so much more important than we realise. Try not to feel a blip of merriment when flipping the honey bee-engraved light switch to your bathroom in the morning. Or when setting out cheeky little cocktail on a pasta-shaped napkin. Grab the green splattered enamel mug instead of the boring white ceramic one. Be bold. You owe it to yourself to be entertained by where you live.
Case in point, the UNBELIEVABLE mosaic floor below. I saw this a few weeks back and stopped dead in my (thumb) tracks. To my memory, the caption where I originally came across it read something like “Imagine picking a plain square tile when *this* exists.” Of course, many of us have to choose the plain square tile due to budget constraints. Every bit of whimsical inspiration I have below is a custom (read: expensive) choice, likely. I totally get that. But when you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. I MEAN, when you get the chance to pick the boring safe option or the fun, awe-inspiring thing, I hope you pick the fun, awe-inspiring thing. (#IYKYK)
Before continuing on to more beautiful, fun and jazzy things, here is a very scientific list of warning signs you’ve found something that sparks joy in your life:
- You gasp
- Your breath catches in your throat
- You worry someone else will beat you to it, and you’re in a blind panic until it’s officially yours
- Your heart beat escalates
- You giggle, smile or get dreamy-eyed
- You feel light and happy, like a kid again
- You forget that the country feels like a nuclear power plant on the verge of meltdown, even if just for a moment
Okay, now that you’ve got the list, let me show you some of the things that check *my* boxes, because yes, every person is going to have a different reaction to things. Joy comes in many forms, and what makes me happy may not do the same for you, and vice versa.
I have long admired these absolutely amazing hand-embroidered place setting tablecloths by Sarah Espuete. How can you look at these and not smile? They are, however, WILDLY expensive (I’m talking upwards of $3,500 for some of her one-of-a-kind creations), and I’m sure at that price, I’d be a ball of stress during any meal time that it would be ruined by oil, wine, smashed mac and cheese to ever want to put it out. Honestly, I’d probably just hang it on the wall as art and call it a day. She does sell napkins in this style for about $200 per set, which may be what I settle for at some point in my life when I feel like spending $200 on dinner napkins.
So many of my friends or followers commented on wishing they had the nerve to paint their trim or doors (or ceilings) a dramatic, contrasting color like Vestige Home’s bedroom at left. While I’m not downplaying the fact that paint and time have no expense, what’s the worst that can happen? You regret it and…paint it back? Well worth the risk, I think.
And as for the embroidered art at right by Indonesia-based embroidery artist Nengiren, just another example of the kind of piece I’d have in my home that I’d just love to look at and giggle at.
Why pick a standard spindle staircase (or even more character-devoid black metal “modern farmhouse” staircase) when you could do THIS! There were so many unbelievable staircase railings I pinned that I couldn’t share because they weren’t available to pull from Instagram, but my goodness, the (custom/costly) options will absolutely blow your mind. Dare to do something different. Like Maison C. Studio’s beloved Coven wallpaper at right.
Both of these rooms are images I go back to again and again, never getting old to my eye, always causing the flame in the center of my chest to flicker like fire dancing in a cool breeze. Find things for your home that make you feel like that.
The stained glass border window trim…ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Just a true delight.
As I said, I recognize that everything above is $$$$$. I’m no fool. There are plenty of things we can add to our homes that can bring joy without bringing bankruptcy. Are some things worth saving for? Yes! But sometimes, you need a lil’ something for less than the price of a Chipotle dinner for four to get excited about. That said, keep reading, friend.
1. Snail Orb Decorative Object | 2. Splatter Enamel Mug in Olive/Ecru | 3. Twisted Taper Candles – Blue | 4. Dear Bestie Ceramic Vase | 5. Bee Door Knocker | 6. Bolga Woven Fan | 7. Marble Decorative Box | 8. Stud Muffin | 9. Catania Glass Olive Oil Cruet | 10. Isabella Bee Switch Plate | 11. Lemon Squeezer, Fish | 12. Pasta Cocktail Napkins, Set of 4
A brass snail orb?!? A fish-shaped citrus squeezer sized for a single slice of lemon? A cobalt blue muffin tin? GIVE ME ALL OF IT. These are all the tiny little luxuries or curiosities that make simple tasks sweeter, happier, funnier. Why get standard tapers when you can get powdery blue, twisted tapers? Go ahead and pick the bumblebee door knocker (something I’ve wanted for the better part of a decade and will be the first thing I buy when I buy a home one day). For the low, low price of a gallon of gas in Southern California, you can make yourself smile.
1. Caraway Tea Kettle | 2. Elm Wood Stool | 3. Coloured Knob in Celadon & Bird Backplate in Polished Brass | 4. Bistrot Solid, Burgundy | 5. Cisco And The Sun Stoneware Butter Box | 6. Merritt Green Scalloped Oval Petite Gallery Wall Mirror | 7. Zani Wall Sconce | 8. Modern Wool Lumbar Pillow Cover | 9. Ceramic Glyndon – Garlic | 10. Small Stash Jar in Saffron | 11. Ice Cream Bowl Set in La Sirène | 12. Bird Quilted Blanket
Got a little bit more to spend? Have a birthday or holiday coming up? Just tired of a boring utensil holder you’ve never really liked and ready to show the world your undying love of garlic and ladles? Say it with me: GIVE YOURSELF SOME JOY. I bought myself those East Fork ice cream bowls in a darker midnight blue last year, and I’m still madly in love with them every time I see them and use them. Put your salt in a punchy yellow stash jar and electrify the dulldrums of daily meal prepping.
1. Pink Petal Murano Wall Sconces | 2. Danish Floral Flat-Weave Wool Rug | 3. Jack Chair in Windowpane Raisin | 4. Jane Round Upholstered Storage Nightstand | 5. Cotton and Linen Patchwork Bedspread x Collagerie | 6. Hill Valley Toile Wallpaper | 7. Gambit 8 Mosaic Zellige in Plum + Purple Iris + Portuguese Blue | 8. Geo Urn Vase Amber & Lilac | 9. French Retro Style Chandelier with Three-Color Dimming | 10. Hand Woven Cotton Cord Chandelier | 11. Marcus Samuelsson Colorblock Cabinet (36″) | 12. Woven Linen Curtain Cottage Collection Sweet Pea Burgundy
Hey there, big spender. Skip the standard white linen curtains and get THESE BURGUNDY SWEET PEA curtains. Oh, and go see the surprising interior of this blue cabinet designed by renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson for West Elm. I currently have that Hill Valley toile from Hygge & West sitting in a closet awaiting install when I can spare the time, and I just know how happy it’s going to make me when I use the powder room it’s slated for. And I’m on the email list for that gorgeous quilt from Zara Home when it drops. It may just go on my Christmas list.
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Have you been inspired to inject joy into your home yet? Are you ready to be true to your heart’s decorating desires? If not now, then when? Go ahead. Be brave.
Until next time, friends.
Opening Image Credits: Left courtesy Gotain | Right courtesy Claude Home