Makely

Today is Day 27 of a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home.  For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October.  This may end up killing me.  Or you.  But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.

A few years ago, I began noticing that many of the home decor stores were selling found and one-of-a-kind objects.  Part of that intrigued me, but the rest of it made me a little sad that the treasure hunt was being taken out of creating an eclectic home.

Pottery Barn Found Dough Bowls

It then occurred to me that there are parts of the country where people don’t have access to excellent vintage and thrift stores like I do.  Being able to buy found objects via a decor store suddenly make that style much more accessible.  The same rings true for Etsy being an accessible place for consumers to purchase handmade and vintage goods.

Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article touching on these themes.  In “All that Authenticity May Be Getting Old,” Emily Weinstein discusses found and reproduction items being sold via stores such as West Elm and Pottery Barn.  She also explores the opinion that authentic, handmade and one-of-a-kind decor may simply be a trend that will go by the wayside in a decade.

I disagree with the premise that authenticity is a trend.  Actually, the thought that authenticity could be a trend scares me.  What does that say about us as a society?  And, instead of bemoaning that vintage objects are easily accessible these days, I’m happy that other home enthusiasts have that opportunity if they choose to take it.  I personally enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but not everyone shares in that thrill.

If you have the chance, read the NYT article and let me know your thoughts.  Do you think authenticity is a trend?  And is it really authentic if you buy it from the pages of a glossy catalog?

Today is Day 26 of a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home.  For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October.  This may end up killing me.  Or you.  But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.

After my last post on mixing wood tones, I received quite a few emails and comments asking me to go deeper into the topic.  There are many opinions from different designers and other sources on the topic, but remember that those are just opinions.  Always trust your own instincts, because only you know what works best in your home.

In my home, I generally follow three different guidelines when mixing wood tones.  The first, and easiest, is to keep your major furniture pieces the same color wood and bring in other wood tones through accessories.  Wood frames are an obvious choice.  If you have dark wood in one room and a lighter tone in an adjoining room, mixed tone accessories help to tie the two rooms together.  The room shown below illustrates this point nicely.

The second guideline I use to mix wood tones in a room is to have the different tones balanced in the room.  You want to spread the different wood tones out a bit so that the darker woods don’t make one side of the room look too heavy.  I like how the room shown below uses darker wood on the bookcase and it flows through the picture frames to the desk and chair.

Lastly, you can fool the eye by using upholstery or paint to mimic a particular wood tone.  This is a really great trick when you only have one piece in a room that is a different tone that the other wood pieces.  Notice how the upholstered coffee table below ties the light colored credenza into the room.  I love that look.

There you have it – my contribution to the internet’s opinion about mixing wood tones.  Go forth into the world and mix it up!

All photos via House Beautiful.