Decorating our homes should be highly personal, and we all want to live in a home that is both functional and attractive. Today, I’m going to provide my top ten design recommendations for a classic style home.
How do we create a unique home that is classic and polished without succumbing to pricey design trends? It can be a difficult route to navigate along the way, and it’s taken me years to arrange my home in a way that feels “ours” while also appearing ageless and classic. It’s taken me a lifetime to figure out my personal style, and I’m constantly learning.
Since starting this blog, I’ve gone a long way. When I think back over the last ten years, I don’t think my decorating style was quite as classic. I’ve improved my ability to see past trends and focus on what will be long-lasting and timeless. That’s the look I’m always aiming for. However, it’s fine to follow some trends along the way; just keep track of your spending and don’t overspend on products that won’t last.
Here, https://guides4homeowners.co.uk/, are my top ten suggestions for a classic-styled home. These are my thoughts and observations based on my decorating experience. Of course, architecture is key to creating a timeless home, and the more millwork and beautiful molding, the better in my opinion.
I’ve included affiliate links for some of the goods I wanted to share.
1. White painted trim with white walls (or light neutral paint).
Magnolia Home Gatherings, a light greige, is our main paint color throughout the house. It’s fantastic! It’s a common question for me to be asked what color it is.
Painting walls white has been one of the most popular decorating fads in the previous ten years or so. I really like this aesthetic, although we went with a very light neutral for our main wall color (see above). Walls that are neutral allow your furniture and accessories to stand out. For a few years now, neutral décor has been popular, and a neutral backdrop is part of that.
In all of my décor, I use a lot of color and don’t simply keep to neutrals, but do what makes you happy. A neutral and lightish wall color, on the other hand, is one of my favorites since it creates the perfect backdrop for furnishings. Colored walls are reserved for minor places, while light and neutral colors are used throughout the main areas.
We intend to add more millwork to both the interior and exterior of our stairwell wall. Millwork and molding are a terrific way to give your home a more classic and timeless appeal while also adding value.
This traditional staircase, for example, showcases stunning architecture that stands on its own.
2. Classic wood patina furniture and wood floors
We adore our wood floors, and they are unrivaled in terms of bringing a classic aesthetic to your home. My first option in flooring will always be wood. It’s been around for generations, and even when wood floors were covered up in the 1960s when carpet became trendy, the same wood floors are always discovered and uncovered again in today’s restorations.
That French buffet I bought 20 years ago is an excellent example of vintage patina furniture and how it can give a home a timeless vibe.
A medium brown stain on wood flooring will always be a classic. Wood flooring has gone from being really dark (as I did in my previous house and liked) to being much lighter (remember honey blond floors?).
Even though I loved the darker wood floors in my last home, I would not select them again. Darker floors also drain a lot of light from the room.
The current trend appears to be gray tones, with worn oak flooring being a popular choice, as shown in this newish home from Plank and Pillow. If I were building a house now, I’m not sure what I’d choose for new flooring, but these are extremely lovely and I’d definitely go with something similar. With a medium brown tone, you can’t go wrong.
3. Candles and lanterns
Lantern design For a traditional aesthetic, lighting is usually at the top of my agenda. Lighting trends come and go, but I believe that a well-designed lantern will always be a smart choice. When we moved into our house, we decided to replace the existing fixture with this huge lantern chandelier from Lamps Plus. This was a risky option; it stands roughly 4 feet tall, but the open cage gives it a striking, airy aspect in our entrance.
4. Art that has been collected
Art is extremely subjective, and it takes a long time to acquire and refine. We have a mix of old and abstract modern art in our home because I’ve always appreciated both. They’re both fantastic! Homegoods had this enormous piece of original abstract painting. I adore original art, but the majority of the art galleries I visit are out of my financial range. I enjoy discovering reasonably priced art that also looks beautiful.
- Prints that add a lot to your house may be found online at places like Minted. I have one in my laundry room and one in my office.
- Etsy also has some great prints at reasonable costs. The ones in my living room came from there.
- A well-curated gallery wall is also enjoyable. All of these old prints were gathered from yardsales, estate sales, antique stores, and thrift stores. Finding these is so much joy!
Mark is a major fan of original watercolors and has quite a collection. We displayed these in our living room, and he has a large collection in his man cave. The majority of these were purchased for a very low price on Ebay and Etsy.
5. Textured carpets with patterns or neutral patterned rugs (these are fun to mix up)
I chose a neutral textured rug outside our front door to complement the pattern on our stair runner. It blends in a little too well, but I enjoy the feel.
I still have the brown bordered seagrass rug in our dining room that I’ve owned for numerous years. I’m thinking of replacing this rug at some point, and for a change, I might go with a patterned blue and white rug.
In our family room, I have a lovely patterned Shaw rug (that is no longer available) that I’ve enjoyed for numerous years. Rugs are great to switch out over time to keep a space feeling new. I don’t spend a lot of money on rugs these days (in the thousands!) because I know I won’t have them forever.
- For the master, I used a patterned rug as a starting point for the color scheme. It’s incredibly relaxing and tranquil.
6. Objects made of glass and pottery
Accessories are a terrific way to personalize your space while also adding traditional touches. I have a lot of glassware and table settings, and they’re all fun to use. I adore a mix of old and modern in my décor; they both have their place, but adding vintage items to a home gives it a sense of history and history.
7. Flowers and plants
Plants and flowers in the home provide charm and texture to the room. The majority of my plants are real, and I prefer them, but a good faux here and there is also lovely. The artificial plants available today are far more realistic than ever before! So, if you don’t have a green thumb, don’t let it stop you. Make a good fake!
8. A blend of modern and vintage styles
There’s a mix of modern and vintage in our living room. The ancient lamp in the corner belongs to Mark, and the chairs are not new but have a classic design style. The vintage yardsale discovery on the glass and iron table is a brass armillary that I still like. This is unquestionably a classic.
The easiest method to personalize and truly make your home special for your family is to mix modern and vintage elements. Living in a cookie-cutter house that looks like a furniture store is not something I would encourage. When it comes to adorning our homes, that’s where the fun begins. Find and work with things that speak to you. Find a home for it if you adore it.
My dining room is an eclectic combination of old and new. With this newish Empire style dining table and new cushioned white linen chairs, the old buffet from the 1950s is a good match. I enjoy a decent mix, which is far more intriguing than the furniture store’s matchy-matchy collections. There is a time and place for furniture collections, but most of the time it is better to break them up and use them independently.
9. Pillows in a Variety of Styles
I love Etsy for pillow covers since they are one of the easiest things to change up. That’s where I got a lot of my pillows. All you have to do with down inserts is get several pillow coverings and change them out seasonally if desired. Pillows are a great way to personalize your room, so use them to your advantage! Homegoods provided the majority of the items in the family room.
Lamps from the past
Lamps have evolved over time, but in my home presently, I enjoy a mix of modern shaped lamps. I had all classic shapes in lamps ten years ago, but I’ve since modified them all to a more modern style. I really like how it looks with my traditional furniture. To me, beautiful home has a decent balance of Modern, Vintage, and Traditional furnishings and accessories.
This gourd-shaped light adds a contemporary element to our traditional setting. That’s my grandmother’s side table, which I can’t seem to part with. It dates from the 1940s or 1950s.
In the family room, I have two different lamps: one is all glass with a burlap shade, and the other is Art Deco influenced with a neutral shade.
I found this vintage pair of lights (Hollywood Regency) at Homegoods a few years ago and adore how they look in our dining area. They’re the perfect finishing touch, and the gold color adds a bit of shine.
I also have a set of gorgeous blue and white lamps in our guest room that I found years ago. I haven’t felt the urge to replace them yet and continue to adore them.
This tall and slender brass and glass traditional yet modern light on the entrance table is ideal for this table.
More trendy shaped lamps might help to give your home a new appeal. I used to have largely Traditional Tuscan type lamps, but I’ve switched to a more modern shape and it’s made a significant impact. These contemporary shapes are also quite classic.