Hi there (again)!

We are PorchLight Home Staging popping on to welcome you back to our blog. The way this blog thing works is that on the first Friday of every month, we will celebrate the much needed weekend by releasing our monthly blog. In these short but sweet articles, we will mesh the world of home staging (our forte) with current events and fashion trends. This month’s blog topic is all about designing your home with a specific theme in mind. Themes are a great way to plan how you want your space to look and feel, and it provides a blueprint or “lines to color in.” The main struggle when keeping your house “on theme” is that you avoid tacky decorations that make your space too obvious. My mom always said, “you want to leave a little for the imagination.” Below, we have split our suggestions into 3 themes: beach house, ski cabin, and city apartment. And in doing so, we have provided decor boards that show our thought process when designing a space and really make you really feel the vibe rather than just see it.

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Beachy Keen

First, I want to start off with the most common, yet difficult (in my opinion), theme to decorate if you want to leave a little room for interpretation. The nautical/beach house vibe has been so commercialized over the past few decades that it’s become its own decorative style. When designing a beach house, we want to avoid the most common mistakes, seashells, star fish, and of course signage. These decorations are what I would consider too “literal.” Instead, we want to build you a timeless concept with materials that remind you of the coast. A driftwood coffee table and woven hanging fixtures act as symbolic elements of the beach you are trying to obtain. Really try and implement the colors you see at the beach. For example, adding seaglass vases with beautiful blue or some fun, patterned folding chairs that act as an upscale beach chair are a great way to do this. A key color that will pull the “beachy” feel into your house is sandy brown. It’s a very neutral and easy-to-build off of color. lastly, I am loving the abstract prints that represent the beach, but aren’t “in your face cliche.”

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All Images Courtesy of Anthropologie and Kathy Kou Home

Hit The Slopes

After a long day outside in the snow, there’s nothing better than curling up in your warm, cozy home, however nothing says cliche like a hanging deer taxidermy. Instead, try to utilize big, heavy furniture to to pull in the hunter/wood appeal that you desire. For example, I love the carved animals and the dark wood in this dresser, as it is a fitting addition to your ski lodge that subtly pulls the elements of the outdoors in a discrete way. a flannel/Western pattern is necessary to add some texture to the room. I love a fluffy white chair or sofa for this style home because it reminds me of the snow outside, but gives the comfort appeal that is desired. My favorite piece I found was this beautiful hanging candle chandelier. Open flames (if closely watched!!) warm up the space literally and figuratively. This chandelier provides the feeling of a power-out in a beautiful white snowstorm. I also loved the look of the chic play-on a leather chair. Assuming you chose to fill your space with a comfy cloud couch, I would go smaller with the chairs. Since leather is a common texture out West and in the winter, I loved the look of these.

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All images courtesy of Anthropologie and Rugs to Go

Busy City

Just bought your first apartment in the city, or even moved out to the suburbs but miss the urban character of a space? We have just the design board for you! Just like the designs above, we are pulling elements from the city and adding a little twist to them in your home. The modern art in the top right corner reminds me of various museums found downtown, and gives you a piece of sophistication. I love the idea of a moody, dark couch with a pop of color to separate your style from others! Next, I chose a cute decorative dish or plate that pull in the famous city bathroom tile. Light fixtures are a fabulous way to implement the city feel into your space. For example, I feel that this particular fixture reminds me of a historic library or downtown train station. Lastly, you want to play on certain shapes and colors found on city streets. For this example, I chose a red (ish) and yellow pillow set that reminded me of traffic lights or ketchup and mustard from your favorite hot dog stand (your pick).

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Images Courtesy of Anthropologie

Literal Is so Last Year

In conclusion, your style is your style. Be confident about putting things in your space that you like, but if you want to have your guest “feel” your decor, then stick to pieces that are not so literal. We all love the bright pastel colors of the beach, the cozy blazing fire of a ski lodge, and the chic atmosphere of a city apartment. So, in 2022, let’s have our decor radiate those elements. Timeless and symbolic designs are the way to decorate your home now. Why? Because interior design is all emotion and most importantly, because literal is so last year.