When you build refresh or execute a full-blown remodel, you must say to yourself, “I want to choose finishes and layouts that will have staying power.” No one wants to complete a home project and in two years, do it all over again because your choices were on their way out when you selected them.
Here are a few tips that will keep your homes functional and have staying power all at the same time.
Give your spaces plenty of light. In a year when most were indoors, let the windows bring the outside in. Never in the history of homebuilding has anyone said “Gosh, I wish my house was dark all the time because I dislike the sunlight.” I mean come on, we love natural light. We love to feel as if we are outdoors (even if we are only able to sit and stare out at the trees while in our offices). It just makes for better moods and makes everything look bigger and brighter as witnessed by the light-bathed room in the Diamond home pictured above.
Let your spaces hold dual power. Give a space it’s main job but also let it because something else to make the home and your family function. Most of us were sent home during the pandemic, so who of us turned a corner of our main space into a makeshift office or a homeschool area?
With that very much a reality, plan for that again and give your home power to do many different things and keep it functional for your family. What is better than to have a place that feels friendly and welcoming, stable, and arranged for everyone. That warm feeling is here to stay because home should be our safe space.
The Honest Abe client whose traditional log home is pictured to the left created a formal dining space that doubles as a quilting room.
Mix materials. In a typical log home, most of it consists of wood. Mix in metals and with both wood and metal or any other sustainable finish, let them carry your home through the generations. They are finishes that will for sure have staying power, good for the environment and good for us!
Keep the bones of the home neutral. Use jute rugs or bring in a hide or two, choose more natural wall colors and toned-down fixtures. Let the décor change for the seasons but the bones of the home, keep it simple. The neutral look is very much a trend that will go away but having the bones neutral you can pop any color your heart desires. It is much easier to change a lamp or pillow than repainting or ripping up tile floors.
Let your home inspire you, select trends that stay and allow it to refresh you every time you walk in the door.
Article by interior designer Molly Cooper of Cooper & Co. Contact Molly here.
