Wednesday
September 18, 2024 
Are you the practical type, or is “whimsy” your watchword?
Whether you’re furnishing a home, apartment or vacation place from scratch, replacing worn out — or outdated — pieces, or looking to update your home’s current look, investing in high-quality furniture should be a thoughtful process.
“Change is good,” said Nancy Gracia, an interior designer and owner of Bare Root Design Studio Inc. in Newtown.
“As we progress in our lives, sometimes there is a need for change, and we don’t exactly know what that is until it’s presented to us. Sometimes it is something you would not even have considered,” she added.
From mid-century modern to minimalist, classic, contemporary, English or European antiques, with the right approach, you can mix, match or mash-up different styles to create curated authentic spaces.
“You may have an 1800s home that is dying for a mid-century piece. We don’t have to go all traditional or all new — we can mix it up,” Gracia said.
Soft curves and round shapes continue to populate home décor and furniture offerings, according to Pam Lazor, an interior designer and owner of Casa Double L Interior Design in Riegelsville.
“Curves soften things up in the home” creating a cozy, relaxed environment without becoming too casual, she explained, “and it’s referential to the Art Deco era,” she said.
Art Deco exemplified new and modern style and design in the 1920s and ‘30s.
While attention to detail, clean lines and shapes are standards of high-quality Scandinavian design, so is a minimalist approach.
“Scandinavian furniture is intentionally made for the human body,” Lazor explained, which may be why classic Scandinavian pieces are not only comfortable but timeless.
Vintage, storied and historic pieces are increasingly sought after by home owners as a way to create an eclectic, personalized home environment.
“I think the move to mix styles or art makes [homes] more interesting,” Lazor said.
Repetition, color, fabric and raw materials like hardwoods can tie different design styles and elements together to create a cohesive look.
Decorilla.com recommends having a strong main theme or style from which to work — whether that’s modern, vintage, traditional or something else. Spacing and balancing pieces in a room is another important element to tie different styles or pieces together.
“With interiors, if you are even going through the process of looking at changing something about your interior, you’re asking yourself, ‘how far do I want to go,’” she said.
Accessories can also tie different styles or pieces — from chairs, ottomans, sofas or end tables — together.
Smaller pieces like side chairs, consoles, occasional tables or even ottomans may not end up where you initially intended them.
If you fall in love with a piece — excluding a large sofa, sectional or dining room table for 12 — be flexible about its placement.
If your new treasure arrives and something is off once you settle it into place, reconsider where it might be a perfect fit.
“It’s almost the adventure. The home will let you know what it wants,” Gracia said.
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