Interior design clients often feel the only way to achieve a fresh, new look in their home is by taking a room down to the bare bones and starting all over again from scratch. While there is something to be said for beginning with a clean slate, such an approach usually results in an interior that, while crisp, current and polished, doesn’t really reflect the people that live there. A thoughtfully executed interior should combine elements of the past with items from the present. The best interiors happen when old, beloved pieces or techniques are combined with new, current items to create an interior that is both fresh and familiar.
When a room is created from scratch, the flavor, joy and life experiences of the clients are totally absent. For example, maybe the owners like to travel. However, when using such an inspiration as the point of departure for a room design, the resulting space typically falls flat. What the clients wind-up with is not a room that reflects their personality and passion, but rather a beautiful movie set.
Everyone has a past, some history – and it is this experience that a talented interior designer can harness to help create a space that speaks to the occupants and honors and acknowledges their essence. By using things from the past, a connective thread to the present is created.
Everyone has family and friends. Everyone has done some traveling, even if only locally. Photographs are an especially easy way to weave your past into the present. Given the ease of modern digital photography, one can readily change photos from color to black and white, or use techniques to mimic the look of old Polaroid photography. When personal photos are framed in spare, contemporary frames and grouped together, they make an extremely personal and intimate display, and share the experiences of the owners. There is no better art for one’s home than a wall of memories and emotions.
Another way to bring the past into the present is to simply update one characteristic of an existing piece. Mid-century furniture is very current at the moment, especially when upholstered in today’s bold fabric choices. Do you already own an iconic chair? Then take that old Barcelona chair and have it upholstered in a large scale print rather than the standard issue black or white leather. Do you have an old lamp? Toss out that original equipment shade and buy a new shade, something trendy and colorful, to make that existing lamp more special and unique. If you have an old wooden end table – say something your parents “handed down” to you when you got your first apartment – pair it with a slick, metal and glass partner. Who says end tables have to match like an old, boring pair of bookends?
