A home should look like the people who live in it. Trends are useful for about a season; personality lasts as long as you do. Here are five ways to put more of yourself into a room, none of which require a renovation.
Start with what you already own
The objects you have carried from home to home are the most honest things in the room. Group them, light them, and let them set the tone before you buy anything new.
Commit to one strong colour
A single confident tone on one wall, one sofa or one rug does more than a dozen cautious accents. Pick it from something you love and repeat it twice, no more.
Mix eras, not just materials
A mid-century chair beside a new oak table, a brass lamp on a lime-plastered wall. Contrast in age gives a room the feeling of having been assembled over time, because it has.
Hang art at eye level, and lower
Most art hangs too high. Bring the centre of the piece to around 150 cm, and let a few frames lean on shelves or the floor. The room relaxes immediately.
Leave one surface empty
Personality needs breathing room. Choose one console, shelf or tabletop and keep it clear. The emptiness makes everything around it read as a choice.
