Design Harmony: Are You & Your Home on Speaking Terms?
We talk all the time about how your home should reflect you, your personality, and the things you love, but rarely do we talk about what your home wants. And trust me, it wants something.
After decades in this industry, I can tell you that interior design isn’t a one-way street. Every home comes with its own character, its own era, and it’s own style.
Your home is saying something, whether anyone’s listening or not — and it’s important!
Why You Should Listen to What Your Home Has to Say
The best designs create harmony between the home itself and the people who live there. When I say “the home itself,” I mean its architecture.
Let’s say your home is in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. It has the classic arched windows, a warm-toned terracotta roof, and ornate ironwork throughout.
Now, let’s say you (or your husband) love mid-century modern decor, so you furnish the whole place in modern style. Can you imagine the result?
I’ll give you a hint: the interior would look very disjointed.
That was an extreme example, but this same lack of cohesion occurs even on a small scale.
When your eyes can see that something’s not quite right, but you can’t figure out what it is… it’s probably because the interior design and the architecture aren’t communicating.
Examples of a Home’s Architecture and Interior Design Working Together
I love this design. These gorgeous columns tell us this home is traditional, but the furnishings are the bridge between tradition, elegance, and fresh, modern-day living.
How?
- touches of gold create elegance that play up those regal columns
- the curves of the two patterns chairs echo the arched doorways
- Modern color palette and patterns keep the design in this era
- Clean edges of the tables add a feeling of freshness
Brilliance, I tell you!
Here’s a very different example. You can see that the architecture consists of clean lines and square edges. It doesn’t have a loud personality; it has a simple and understated character. I’m happy to say the decor does a perfect job of letting this character show:
- Slim metallic shelving mimics the thin window panes, which keeps the windows from disappearing
- The furniture complements the home’s lines with curves… but they’re clean-edged curves!
- A soft palette lets the whole scene shine, instead of one piece stealing the show
The result? A room that’s light, airy, and taking full advantage of the home’s beautiful windows.
Are you convinced yet? Have I made you a believer?
I would love to hear — how have you embraced your home’s architecture in it’s interior design?
