Next time you find yourself truly intrigued by a homes interior, be it visiting a friend or fawning over the pages of an interior design book, look closely at what it is that makes the space feel so special. There’s one particular thing that makes the difference between a space looking like a showroom and looking like a home.
It’s personalisation. Beyond the beauty of the overall scheme, true engagement with a home comes from the little details that pique your interest, are unusual, quirky, sentimental or even jarring. They are often referred to as the layering elements. They are the pieces that you have chosen because they speak to you in some way. They might reflect a moment in life or a memory or be chosen for their ability to recreate a mood. For you, they act to bring you that little sense of joy everyday. For visitors to your home, they are the pieces that say something about you. Think about when you enter someone’s space. It’s the personal and unique items that spark conversation, that act to tell a story and speak of the owner’s individual style.
Discovering those pieces can be intentional or accidental. They can be acquired on your travels or tracked down purposely to bring some fun and interest to your space.
Sometimes though, the sentimentality and story behind the piece is through its origin as a gift. When a friend gives you a gift, it immediately has a story… what was the gift for and whom was it from? Where was it bought, did it travel, is there a story behind its selection? Does it say something about you, or does it speak of your friendship and tell a story that way?
I always believe the best gift is not the most expensive, it’s the one that is bought with true consideration of the recipient in mind, whether its based on your knowledge of their personal style, their love of a particular item or brand, or perhaps based on a humorous personal trait that you joke with them about – like a friend of mine who constantly loses her keys. It’s become a running joke between us so for example, buying her a beautiful but quirky key holder that I know also suits her interior style not only becomes a unique (and useful!) piece for her home, but immediately has a story to tell as well as a sentimental and warm touch.
I recently came across kate spade new york‘s gift collection, which is perfectly in keeping with the idea of home décor that has the ability to create a personalised story. An extension of their home décor line, which is really fun, quirky and definitely full of talking-point pieces, their gifting collection is sophisticated but still holds that uniqueness that kate spade new york brings to all their products – a mix of fun and colour as well as the ability to bring a bit of exuberance to the everyday. And that’s what those special pieces in the home are all about.