Initially printed in July 2021
Take into consideration the final time you walked into a house and felt one thing. Perhaps it was curiosity, a way of calm, or a shift in power you couldn’t fairly place or describe. A house’s character isn’t restricted to distinctive accents, charming home windows, or authentic hardwood flooring. It’s the fruits of particular person expression inside its partitions. It’s the way in which we add life to an in any other case empty shell. It’s what makes our properties private.
Restricted budgets, Instagram envy, and overwhelm can all contribute to the sensation that having “character” in your house is out of attain. I’m not proof against wishing I had another person’s ground plan, price range, or broad sense of favor. It occurs to all of us. So why not search for methods we will embrace what’s ours and let the character come from inside? It may be simpler stated than carried out, however this publish is supposed to present you a head begin.
These are seven of my favourite methods so as to add character to your private home…
1. Take into account the distinctive qualities of your area.
Having an understanding of the small print of your private home you received’t change is a good place to start out. A big facet of constructing “character” in a house is determining find out how to create a singular mixture of components that symbolize your private type. The best place to start out is to embellish your private home with items that distinction the type of the structure.
In case your area is tremendous conventional, the distinction of midcentury fashionable items may very well be an effective way to infuse extra character. Geometric-printed pillows on a standard sofa would make for a fantastically distinctive assertion.
In case your area is industrial, a crystal chandelier may shine in a completely totally different approach.
In case your area is fashionable, a daring de Gournay-inspired print on an vintage chair would create a surprising point of interest. Take the (very) fashionable condo the place Joe and I first lived collectively, pictured under, for instance. Amid all of its sharp traces and white partitions, I did what I may to infuse character. I added vintage items, just like the trunk pictured under, and substantial furnishings that contrasted in opposition to the in any other case ethereal really feel of the area, just like the adjoining outsized leather-based chair.
2. Embrace items with “imperfections.”
There’s nothing I like greater than a bit little bit of effortless-looking put on and tear on a bit of decor or furnishings. From the worn spines of books to the nicked edges of a espresso desk, imperfections = LIFE, and life breathes power into a house. A chunk like a classic rug with holes shouldn’t be instantly appeared over when purchasing. With a patch or restore, it could possibly contribute its personal distinctive high quality to the general story of your private home.
It is a notably useful factor to bear in mind when purchasing thrift shops, vintage outlets, and FB market. These imperfections could also be simply what your private home wants, which brings me to my subsequent level.
A house’s character isn’t restricted to distinctive accents, charming home windows, or authentic hardwood flooring. It’s the fruits of particular person expression inside its partitions. . . . It’s what makes our properties private.
3. Store secondhand!
Nothing makes a house really feel extra distinctive than one-of-a-kind items. I like purchasing at locations like Goal as nicely, however I discover myself extra connected to the items I’ve discovered amid the issues nobody needed, understanding that sourcing the identical merchandise elsewhere is unlikely.
The hunt can really feel overwhelming at occasions, and in case your first few journeys to the vintage store should not fruitful, chances are you’ll need to surrender earlier than realizing the magic of discovering that excellent merchandise hidden behind a bunch of junk. However I guarantee you, in the event you keep the course, the search will virtually all the time be nicely price it.
For my purchasing suggestions, learn this text: “7 Thift and Vintage Purchasing Tricks to Assist You Discover Gadgets You Love.”
4. Show your collections.
A lot of my decor is centered round issues I like to gather—vases, brass collectible figurines, colourful candles, and lace tablecloths, to call just a few. Small decor components look nice in odd numbers (three, 5, seven) and may add visible curiosity to bookshelves, espresso tables, and facet tables, particularly when styled in various heights and sizes. Absolutely anything can change into a set!
5. Make area for hobbies.
Along with exhibiting off your collections, dedicating area to the fruits of your favourite hobbies can add some life to your private home. Love puzzles? Add a bit cafe desk in entrance of a window, drape it with a tablecloth, and stack a few of your favourite puzzle containers on prime. Immediately you’ve added a brand new seating space, a bit of material for texture, and a fairly little vignette that additionally works as a refuge after a protracted day’s work.
6. Add colour and sample.
Whether or not it’s via recent flowers, contrasting throw pillows, or an explosion of patterned blankets, cushions, and prints in your wall, each area advantages from the life that colour brings. That doesn’t imply portray an in any other case “boring” room with a heat coral colour is correct for everybody, however typically we neglect that even in probably the most minimal of areas, we will discover a goal for one thing dynamic. It may very well be a big rug in royal blue or a small-scale patterned print on curtains.
Some properties scream colour, whereas others use it in ways in which make you really feel it earlier than you discover it.
For extra on the ability of colourful house decor, learn this text: “5 Colourful Houses and Precisely What I Love About Every One.”
7. Gown your home windows with texture.
One in every of my favourite methods to make blah home windows look “full” is so as to add blinds AND curtains in differing textures. A bamboo shade with striped linen curtains? So so beautiful and layered, with zero development required. Valances have a foul rep for feeling stuffy, however if you’re adorning a bed room that lacks architectural curiosity or just wants some “oomph,” this may be an effective way to make it really feel polished.
Inform me, what’s your favourite approach so as to add character to your private home?
Kate is presently studying to play the Ukulele, a lot to the despair of her husband, children, and canine. Comply with her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.
