How To Love The Look Of Your Home For Years To Come

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Have you ever seen the fashion magazines that show photos of women’s outfits and label them a ‘Do’ or a ‘Don’t’?

And the ones who were the ‘Don’ts’ would always have a black bar across their face so they supposedly wouldn’t be publicly humiliated by being called out by the Fashion Police for their complete lack of style? Do they still do that??

Well this post is nothing like that. Yes, I’m giving you some ideas about how to create timeless, classic style.

And there IS a list of Do’s and Don’ts.

But no worries — no one is getting called out by the Decorating Police!

But if you’re thinking of remodeling or redecorating your home and you’d like your look to transcend time and not be dated a few years down the road…

Here are some suggestions for decor that stands the test of time:

DON’T Be Too Trendy

Don’t install trendy materials or colors on anything that would take a lot of work and money to change out down the road.

That super-cute, trendy bathroom tile may look great right now but it’ll date your whole room in a few years when it’s no longer in style.

DO Choose Classic, Natural Materials and Architectural Features

This is our Guest Bathroom that we just remodeled (you can read more about it HERE and HERE). The Carrera marble wainscot, traditional style cabinet, Bianco marble countertop, subway tile shower and polished nickel fixtures are all classic and timeless materials.

Using wood, stone, brick, marble, velvet, cotton and linen for big ticket items like floors, countertops, walls and large furniture pieces will always give a classic timeless look to your home.

This is a classic board and batten wainscot we installed in our entry. We also installed wide plank oak flooring. They both look timeless and will never go out of style..

DO Use Trendy Colors, Patterns And Styles As Accents

Paint, pillows, rugs and other accessories can easily and inexpensively be changed out when you get tired of them or they’re no longer popular and on-trend.

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See this bookshelf makeover HERE

Here’s a look at a corner of our bedroom. It’s super trendy right now to display your blankets, quilts and throws in an armoire or cabinet. And I love the look! These are all basically accessories that will be super easy to change out when I get tired of the look or when it’s no longer in style. So no long-term commitment!

DON’T Skimp On Quality

DO Buy The Best Quality, Most Well-Constructed Pieces You Can Afford

In general, most medium to higher-end building materials and furnishings are more classic in style than the less expensive brands. Quality never goes out of style.

DON’T Be In A Hurry

DO Be Thoughtful And Decorate Your Home Over Time

I know how tempting it is to grab whatever we can find and bring it home just to fill up the space. Resist the urge to do that. Take the time to really think about your home and how you want it to look. Rooms that are put together over time with thought and patience are rooms that we’ll love for years to come.

DON’T Overdo It With Too Much Stuff

DO Edit Your Rooms

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Read about this vintage coat rack HERE

Over-crowed, cluttered rooms are not classic or timeless.

Take everything out of the room except for the large furniture pieces. Place those pieces in a balanced, comfortable arrangement. Keep from just putting everything against the walls. Now bring back the other pieces one at a time. If it doesn’t fit or contribute to the overall classic timeless look you’re going for, take it back out. Do the same with all your accessories.

Sometimes what we leave out of a space is as important as what we put into a space.

DON’T Ignore The Architectural Style Of Your House

DO Decorate With the Architectural Style of Your Home in Mind

Back in the ’80s, I once went to someone’s home that had a split personality. The house was a traditional classic white Colonial two-story. The interior also had really traditional architecture with Colonial style columns and moldings. But the homeowner had decorated the house in a Southwestern style that was popular at the time. She had contemporary black leather sofas, teal colored contemporary accent chairs and a geometric patterned rug in teal, burgundy and black. And miscellaneous Southwestern pottery, drums and artifacts as accessories.

A more traditional or transitional style really would have made much more sense in that house! And it would have felt way less trendy over time.

So always keep in mind the architectural style of your home. And make sure your decor at least blends with it.

Here’s the home I designed in 2002. It’s traditional with classic craftsman style influences.

The interior feels traditional and connected to the exterior.

And because I used classic materials, this bathroom still looks pretty fresh and timeless almost 20 years later!

Check out THIS POST with tips for how to determine your decorating style.

DON’T Live With Something You Don’t Love

DO Make Sure You Love Or At Least Like Everything In Your Room

If you’re shopping and you see something to buy, especially a big-ticket item, ask yourself, do you really love it and could you live with it for 5 or 10 years? If the answer if ‘no’ — put it back.

If you have to live with what you have for a while, make it the best it can be for now. Use inexpensive slipcovers to update an old sofa or chair. Paint a piece of furniture to give it a fresh new look. Add a few accessories that you do love so you can enjoy being in there while you’re waiting to make it your dream room.

Here’s how our living room looked before we did much of anything to it. It was stuck in the ‘70s and ‘80s with a rock fireplace and gray carpet. I could live with it temporarily because I had furniture and accessories in there that made me happy in the meantime.

And here it is now.

We still need new furniture, rugs and accessories but the basic, classic elements are done.

So I hope these DO’s and DON’T’s have inspired you to make your decor the best it can be.

And something that’ll never go out of style.

Because making decorating mistakes can be expensive,