I, like the rest of Australia, am home obsessed and especially interior design obsessed. I even confess that I buy more interiors magazines than fashion magazines.
The New Creative Home, London Style by Talib Choudhry, Photos by Ingrid Rasmussen
Mad about the House by Kate Watson-Smyth
But after reading these two books I’m wondering- are we decorating our homes wrong? I think that in our quest to get #homegoals and a beautiful, functional (and instagramable) and finished home we are missing out on something. I recently went to a big box shop that does a lot of homewares and found myself listlessly wandering round the aisles. Everything was pretty but I didn’t feel a connection to anything.
The new creative home has to be one of the most inspiring home books I’ve ever looked at. The homes features are so rich and layered. Some are minimal and some are over the top but I realized all the homes tell a real story about the people who live there. And it made me think that by trying to have a home that’s ‘done’ we at missing out. Getting things that fill a void or look great in a pic aren’t the same as a lifetime of objects that tell stories.
I love Mad about the House by Kate Watson-Smyth because I’m a big advocate of buying vintage things for the home- and Kate is too. She also has lots of practical decorating tips for people who want to create a cool but homely home. Buying vintage things is great from a green perspective because using something that already exists, rather than buying new, is a lot more sustainable and environmentally friendly, but it also adds character and depth to the home. This book has already inspired me to make an e-bay purchase, which I might have to show you in another post!
So my advice, don’t be finished decorating your home, shop outside of big box shops (either vintage or from independent designers for homewares) and find things that you’ll fall in love with.