How To (Not) Add The Finishing Touch


(A postcard from my new favorite store)

Whose home out there is done, decorated, "finis"? Anyone? If you raised your hand, put it down and I'll pretend I didn't see. In my opinion, rooms should continue to evolve, just like their owners. Whether you add a bibelot to a mantelpiece or move the furniture around or merely tuck a favorite postcard onto a mirror, these small changes will keep your personal spaces feeling vibrant and soulful. 

I know of a beautiful home that was decorated to the hilt about five years ago and since then, not an objet has been moved and not a personal touch has been added. I was there recently and while still decidedly elegant, it felt airless and oppressive, as if all the life had drained out of it. 

Don't fret if your style keeps shifting or if a room in your house is still "finding itself"...umm hello, aren't we all on that journey ourselves? Ceaseless change is pretty much the modus operandi of life. Are you restless by nature? Good. Do your enthusiasms metamorphose by the day? Even better. Interesting people never lose the itch to discover. They fully embrace the shifting nature of their passions and revel in new experiences, whether they be via books, friends or adventures. A room that reflects your particular fervor du jour will always feel alive.

(My fervor du jour is an amp in the living room for impromptu concerts)

So when you flip through all those resplendent homes in all those wonderful magazines, perfect tablescapes on every surface, each designer pillow plumped within an inch of its well-bred life, take a deep breath and don't freak out that your rooms aren't "done" yet. 

If you're lucky, they never will be.