Finding inspiration- how to start embracing the collected home trend

Welcome to 2024! With a fresh new year and the shocking realization this is the Blog’s 10-year anniversary I wanted to start with a post that I hope to turn into more of a series. More and more I have been inspired by rooms that look lived in and not perfect, that don’t appear to be curated by an art collector or staged as a pristine modern masterpiece of glass and steel. Rooms that aren’t trying to be edgy or proper or appear as a statement of what “good” design is.

I’m ready to see a change in design. I’m ready for what’s next. After all, the once promising warm and inviting farmhouse trend became so modern that it forgot the color and heart that real families who grew up in farmhouses were never without.

I’ve also noticed the barrage of flawless “after” reveals have given us the impression that there are only two stages of design. Before and after, done and not done, perfect and…??? Life is lived in the middle of these projects, the “during” is when we should be having all the fun.

I recently wrote about a Wayfair catalog (a Wayfair catalog!) and I received a slew of comments asking how they can get one and giving me their address, (which is how I can say the reach of that post was from the Midwest to the southern coast!) But I wrote that because I was so starved for color and comfort. And it appears I am not the only one.

Now I know choosing colors is difficult. I read an article recently that spoke of how people are paralyzed by these decisions. I get it. It’s one of the reasons I finally acknowledged my value as a sales person in the design field- when you are afraid of making the wrong decision you ultimately don’t make any decision, you do nothing and everything stays the same. Figuring out what decision will make the client the most happy and helping them realize it- is everything. It’s how you succeed in sales but it is also how you empower a client to feel good about their home. And coming home everyday to a space that makes you feel good, that makes you feel even a tiny bit better about the stresses and anxieties of work and kids and society is worth pushing past that paralysis.

So let’s keep it simple. Let’s ease in. What is a room you have been wanting to change? What’s a color you love? Have you seen a rug or a piece of art or a pillow that you keep going back to as inspiration?

The first thing I would do is buy that piece. Buy that piece of art you love enough to want to look at it every day. Most people don’t have a sentimental attachment to their art. They buy it to match their room. Pick something that gives you a feeling every time you look at it. This might be an image of a place you’ve visited.

It might be a popular print of a cabin at dusk with a glow coming from the windows.

It might be a one of a kind oil painting from a local artist that just feels like a sunrise, or heaven or a breath of fresh air.

Whatever it is, if it evokes something- a smile, a sense of calm, a desire to be in the scene- then you are on the right track.

So what if you don’t have a great wall for a focal piece of art? Maybe you would rather do a collection of smaller pieces or you prefer black and white photography. Is the thing you want to build your room design around a rug or a trinket? You just need a starting point. A rug with color or a specific style is great inspiration.

I love a warm colored oriental rug. If I found one I couldn’t live without I would pull a secondary hue out of the pattern to paint the walls. I know it’s hard to resist the urge to make everything the same color but that is also a part of stretching the design to feel more collected.

For example: if this were my dining room (below) and I wanted a bold wall color to compliment the rug I would choose the navy or the gold in the pattern instead of the reds and burgundy.

Of course a rug doesn’t have to have a busy pattern to generate an interesting color scheme.

Just keep this in mind- I love the room below but using a rug like this isn’t a real ambitious buy. Have you ever heard the phrase- “that’s not fashion-that’s just clothes”? If not, that’s okay-it’s a thing the judges say all the time on Project Runway. That’s how I feel about the rug in this bedroom.

There is nothing wrong with it. Solid choice. Actually looks really soft and comfy. But it’s just a rug, it’s not design. So just make sure it’s not the only interesting thing in the room (I actually think the moody wall color is what makes this room).

So what if you aren’t ready to commit to either of these big purchases? Do you have a favorite accessory or a small collection of items you plan to keep in the room?

Maybe you have been holding onto a handful of antique clocks or are looking for an excuse to include a punchy vintage typewriter in your room.

Maybe it’s a favorite lamp base or a jar you picked up at Homegoods that you just had to have.

The question is-is it interesting? Do you love it? Then that’s where you start.

That’s it. That’s the post. Find some inspiration. Just one thing to start with. If that room has just one thing that makes you smile when you see it you are already winning.

Stay tuned for more on this topic- exploring the Collected Home. I didn’t coin the phrase and it’s been written about before but it means something different to everyone. I hope to share my perspective and why I think my home fits into this category in the posts to come. Hope your first few days of 2024 are off to a good start! Thanks for visiting Katie Jane Interiors!