We’ve all seen those rooms, styled to perfection, filling up our Pinterest and IG feeds. But c’mon, that’s not real life. Or it’s not a real fun life… yet I’m still guilty of lusting after them, aspiring to have my house look like that. But it’s just never gonna be how I live real life. And, honestly, I am totally okay with that. I’d rather actually live in my home, than exist in a Pinterest perfect house.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with having a Pinterest-worthy house! If that’s you, that’s great! I’m kinda jealous. But a lot of life is lived in our homes, and life comes with stuff. Stuff we use and stuff we don’t always put away immediately. I’m never going to be a minimalist, but I still want my home to look pretty (and fairy neat as often as is feasible). If you’re the same, I have a proposition for you: to style your home for real life, from real life.
Tip 1: What is the point?
Okay, first thing’s first: with any space you’re looking to style, always ask yourself what is the primary purpose of the room? Or are there multiple uses and therefore multiple zones?
If your home is small and space is at a premium/everything is mutli-purpose, I still wouldn’t suggest squeezing in too many zones into a given space. Three tops if needed. And even if space allows, I’d stick with three max.
So step (and tip) number one: answer the question, what are all the things happening in this space?
Tip 2: Choose durable materials
This tip, and the next one, answer how to style your space FOR real life.
Are you going to be eating or drinking in this space? Doing arts and craft projects? Do you have pets or children or other unpredictable housemates?
If you answered no to any or all of the above, maybe this tip isn’t for you.
If you answered yes to any of the above, you will be cleaning something outside of normal dust and dirt from time to time (or very frequently). Life will life and spills will spill, so why not make it less of a chore when it does? And just because it’s durable doesn’t mean it has to be ugly or lack personality. There are plenty of sources for pretty materials that have built in protection. And when in doubt, see if you can scotch guard it to give your upholstered items a little more longevity. Some non-spon links below…
Performance Fabric Furniture
Performance Fabric for Upholstery
Tip 3: Layer your lighting
Lighting is magical, and an easy way to give a room some utilitarian luster. All rooms need different types of lighting, but this tip is especially useful if the room is used in multiple ways.
You may have overhead lighting already: can lights or a track fixture, a chandelier or a ceiling fan with a light kit. This lighting can be harsh and shouldn’t be the only illumination in a space. Designer hack: try to install a dimmer switch whenever possible to soften the severity of overhead lights.
You also want accent lighting. Accent lights are things like table lamps or wall sconces, twinkle lights even. They aid in adding a warming glow to your space, like I discussed in my post about creating seasonal spaces HERE. But accent lighting still isn’t great for doing focused tasks that need more illumination.
That’s when task lighting comes in as the final layer, especially if the room has a desk or another space where you’re doing… tasks. There are simple task lights you can buy, or ones with a little more style. Polished nickel or brushed gold lamps can add lighting while bringing some flare to your workspace at the same time.
I explored lighting (boho style) way back in this post HERE, if you’re needing some inspiration.
Tip 4: Style with items you use
Now here’s where the fun comes in! Using your real life items as decor! Styling your space FROM real life!
I’m all for a showy decor piece here and there, but the way to design a room for real life is to style it with the items you actually use in the space. Books and board games, blankets, pillows, a bowl of post it notes (me lol), a stack of notebooks. If you group like items together it can act as a collection and look curated and cute.
Collect all the items you use in your room. Take stock of your storage spaces and solutions. Do you have open shelving or flat spaces that need a little pizazz? Do you have pretty, yet useful items that can spark some interest while not adding unnecessary clutter? Do you have closed storage to stash away the less pretty but still frequently used items?
Once you have your inventory, curate vignettes of real life items to create some moments of style throughout your space. It doesn’t have to be every surface, but a little bit sprinkled throughout will add personality and charm.
Tip 5: Pick the Pretty One
Some items just aren’t cute. Maybe you have a collection of note pads that come free in the mail, or pens from the bank (talking to you, Mom). Or maybe you don’t have a lot of things that could act as decor or that you want on display. That’s totally okay. We all have items that we need for daily life, and maybe you don’t have a place to stash them away so they sit on the counter instead, or it’s just not practical to hide the ugly stuff somewhere out of reach (and out of mind).
So when you need to shop for replacements for these everyday items, and if price is the same or close– why not pick the pretty one? The one that goes with your color scheme or has a pretty pattern that you like. So if it’s out, it doesn’t look boring. It looks intentional and fun. It might even make you happier to do the dishes if your soap dispenser and sponge are pretty… I said maybe, lol!
Bonus Tip: Allow for change
If you’re anything like me, you never want the decorating to end! Part of the fun is leaving room to grow, to continue the adventure. Maybe a room’s purpose changes over time and you’re swapping things out for what makes sense now, or maybe you pick up a new pasttime that you want to incorporate into a space. Move things around when the motivation strikes. Be open to change. Spaces should be organic and flexible, like plans and goals and life.
And even though the intent of this post is to promote styling your home using things from your real life, sometimes you stumble upon a decor item at Home Goods that you must have, or find something special at your local thrift store that would be perfect for a particular spot in your house. That’s okay! You can have both. Keep about 20% of your space undone for these moments. And enjoy it! It’s not a competition. It’s just real life.
Pinterest-worthy homes are the things dreams are made of, but in this day and age when real estate and space is at a premium, why not live in your home for real? Use your spaces. Style your shelves with items you reach for everyday. Curate your blankets in a cute basket. Keep your notebooks handy in a neat pile. The options are endless for how to use real life objects as decor.
Do you style your space with real life stuff?
Photo by Kailun Zhang on Unsplash
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