Many of our most popular house tours are ones that exude a sense of casual comfort. They looked "lived in" and inviting, not staged or sterile. If you're hoping to cultivate that feeling in your own home, there are a few helpful tips to glean from recent house tours.
Before we get started, I wanted to dismantle a myth. Time and travel are great allies when you're going for a collected, casual look, but they are not the only ones. I think it's worth mentioning, because through my work I run into people all the time who are disheartened by the fact that they haven't left the continent or lived in their homes long enough to know what they need to make it feel comfortable. You don't need to be a world traveler with five hundred dhurries or live in one house for a thousand years to break it in and make it great, but you do need to spend some time thinking about your personal style. As you realize and develop your own style, items will start jumping out at you, and sometimes they may be from places as exciting as a big box store. My favorite side tables are from Target, but they get tons of compliments because they fit into the style of my home. What surrounds them makes them feel personal. However, if you don't take the time to find your own style, everything will look like it's from a generic big box store even if it's not.
Ok, now that we cleared that up, I'll get to the point: Effortless Style. While the images here hail from stellar homes created by talented folks, all of these tips can be incorporated easily into any home to great effect. The key is thinking about how the tips fit into your home style.
• Mix rustic and refined. Balance something glittery or sleek with something natural or with something that shows a bit of age, like the chandelier and table in Adir & Marcello's Worldly Retreat.
• Layer textiles. Use fabric remnants and throws like you do scarves. Some are plush and functional, some are just pretty. An interesting table cloth or a linen towel can make a boring chair look like it has had a rich history, and they can also soften the effect of a big couch. The ones draped over the arms of the matching sofas in Paul's Artistically Scavenged Apartment give each sofa a distinct personality and also help set the casual tone for the whole apartment.
• Mix in personal artwork. I usually advise people to invest in good artwork before furniture, because it helps set the tone. However, art doesn't need to be expensive to be great. It just needs to be personal. Children's sketches like the colorful painting in Julie's Vermeer-Worthy Apartment in Paris, snapshots, a print from your favorite Master, they will all work if they mean something to you. Mixing them in among "real art" creates a collected and casual vibe.
• Display inspiration. This could mean creating a spot for a nature collection or an inspiration board made of magazine clippings, but dedicating a spot(s) to visuals that inspire you will give your home true personality that's unique to you. The board bursting with inspiration in Shiva's Eclectic, Romantic Modern Ranch informs the whole room.
• Create a spot for relaxation. Nothing will seems effortless if everything is stiff and polished. Even one cozy chair with a blanket, a spot for a coffee cup, and some books within arm's reach will bring a sense of ease to an entire room, as in Mark Maček's Modern, Warm & Woodsy Home.
• Throw in at least one piece of furniture from a different era. A mid century chair in a Victorian apartment or an antique table in a modern loft can relieve a space of its tightness and give the eye something to mull over. I love how the old vanity in Aubin & Florice's Curiosity Fueled Home is like a little surprise, letting you know that there's a lot going on in the neutral room, maybe more than you notice.
• Bring in some green. A living plant will do wonders in softening the hard edges of your home and bringing in a sense of life. The organic forms of plants, like the ones gracing the dresser in Carly & Chip's Resourceful & Refined Home, banish the generic even if they are placed amidst run of the mill furniture. I am the ultimate plant killer. If there was a Plant Protective Services, I'd be under serious investigation, but even I have had some success with a few good ones: Long-lasting, Easy Care Plants for Black Thumbs.
• Create a variety of display surfaces and styles. When art and decorative objects are arranged with variety the actual display becomes another piece of art. Having some pieces propped, others resting on shelves, some hung, diminishes the sense of preciousness. I know that when I visit homes like Adir & Marcello's Worldly Retreat where art and special things are displayed in a variety of ways, I feel like I've been invited in to explore and enjoy.
What would you add to the list?
(Images: as linked above)
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
Eileen's Beachside Oasis Kitchen
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
Please, if you mention a source - or one of your favorites - show us a photo or name the product. Thanks. (i.e. your 'favorite side table from Target')
I don't care for any of the items or styles of decor shown here...it all looks tired.
Here's a lovely concept: When people bitch about something, maybe they could also offer a solution about what they'd do instead. 8^)
Love this article. My favorite in a long time. I agree that it is absolutely essential to have a good sense of your own style when creating your space, but that doesn't mean you can't experiment. Creating my space over the past year has actually been a satisfying journey of self-exploration and discovery. Also, having a dedicated space to "display inspiration" was the ultimate starting point to that journey, so I couldn't agree more with that piece of advice. :)
One person's "tired" is another person's warm and inviting; it's not a one-size-fits-all-world. That being said, yes, comments about what would make some of these spaces more to the poster's liking might make the comment of wider interest to AT readers. I love the textures and textiles in some of these images.
These "tenets" of good decorating are spot on. By just adding a few of these suggestions, one could lift a well-decorated but mundane room to something that wows. Great post!
Great article. Lots to mull over...
Great concrete tips. Thank you! I realize that my own home has all of these qualities, and it makes me proud. But I still struggle with making it all look artfully lived-in, rather than looking like a house with 4 children who leave stuff everywhere (which is, in fact, the truth). Oh well, it is good to have something to aspire to!
Love this.....so effortless.
This may be inherent in all the above posts, but the bottom line is to trust your intuition and judgement. It's great to be inspired by magazines and this site, but I have brought in many things that I intended to be one spot, and once I got them there, they didn't look/feel right or plain just didn't work size/scale wise, etc. So, bring in new things (even very small, from 2nd hand shops, etc.) and mix it up all the time - keeps things fresh and gives you practice with going with your gut instincts.
I'd add color and sunlight to the list. Also, personal style develops over the years, so free yourself from the old when you're ready for change.
Books!
In small piles, large piles, neatly or not so neatly, on shelves, tables (or as tables) with things on top of them or bare.
I am suspicious of any home without at least a few books!
Agreed, books. Reminds me how years ago somebody else commented that she'd wonder about people whose home had no games.
Also, you don't have to travel to have a "well traveled" home. I buy textiles and folk art from many cultures at thrift shops and flea markets. No, I have not traveled to Guatemala. (Maybe someday.) But THINGS from Guatemala, Japan, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Poland, and other places I'm blanking on, now grace my home and make me smile. I now some folk think it's "cheating" to decorate with items you didn't buy in some little souk on the West Bank of the Nile, but if you love something, use it! Collections can reflect dreams and aspirations as well as history.
I have a question, not a comment. I used to have lots of funny, quirky pictures of family and friends displayed where visitors could see them, and I was told by a close friend who said she was told by a decorator that family photos are for private rooms and you should display only art in public rooms. Can that possibly be correct? I know I love to see fun photos of other people's families when I visit their homes. I put the family photos away after I was told that, but I'm feeling rebellious and am about to move them back. What say ye?! I can think of nothing better to express who I am than to show the charming, attractive and loony people who are my family.
Larrouxgirl, I say do what you want in your spaces. It's your space, not some designer's and if you want fun quirky photos, then go for it.
I know these are just suggestions for "effortless style" but the tone essentially comes across as a prescription or textbook recipe for style, and I only agree with it so far as a recipe can be tweaked or substitutions made according to the taste of the cook.
Great article and good tips!
Larrouxgirl~ I agree with Kariwk....put the photos back up! If I came to your house, that is exactly what I'd want to see. It expresses your life and personality. I'm not sure I would really care about a piece of artwork unless it really pleased me...
Larrouxgirl, I love seeing family photos and quirky silly photos on display in peoples homes. Maybe it's the snoop in me but I think it's really nice, and if it's what you want in your home then do it!
Larrouxgirl, you're friend got shanghaied and then she turned around and tried to shanghai you. who is anyone to come to your house and tell you what you can and can't show? you can paper your walls with porn if it makes you happy. no one else has to be there.
i once heard a teacher tell a classmate, when we were 12, that she should never apologize for her home. personally, i thought her home was a beautiful mess. it seemed like a small victorian house with interesting wall niches, a player piano, sloped ceilings in the bathroom and she had a daybed done up in a victorian style. there was clutter everywhere. it was one of the coziest, most interesting homes i have ever been in.
Great list! I agree with the noter who wanted to add sunlight and bright colours. I think pops of colour are so helpful in making a place look nice.
Loved this article... thanks!
@ larrouxgirl: Put those photos back up. And NEVER AGAIN allow someone else to tell YOU how be YOU. Loony people are THE BEST. (and I have that on Good Authority)
@larrouxgirl, family and friend photos and mementos, when properly presented, shows that one cares about these relationships. I have photos of friends and family on my bookshelves in my studio apt. The traditional place in many homes is the in the room where family gatherings take place -- consider the mantle of a fireplace as an example. I suspect this is where designers get the idea that intimate family portraits belong in a "private" space. They are thinking back to larger, upper-class homes which had separate rooms for visiting and family. (Yes, it's classist!)
Put your family photos and sentimental objects where you want to see them, or where you feel pride in having others see them. People have photos of their loved ones on their desks at work to remind them that there's more to life than work :) Our homes are where we should have them as reminders that they are what makes a home truly "home."
Loooooove this. Only my second ever bookmarked AT post. It's not a recipe any more than 'flour, water, salt and yeast' are a recipe for bread. It's great reminders about balanced, depth, texture and meaning. I know I tend to over focus sometimes on color, scale and fashion of the moment, but the elements you spell out here are really more fundamental.
Can anyone tell me a good source for patterned, earthy textiles such as the one in #8? I'm budget-compromised, but really need a couple of nice throws for my bland budget-comprised loveseat and lounge chair.
My feeling is, if you have to actively WORK at creating a lived-in, effortless style. . . .then it's an oxymoron.
Everyone has a different style and taste in decorating. What may look "effortless and lived-in" to one may look like a hot mess to someone else. Personally, I prefer a neat, organized look for my own home. I think comfort- for both the occupants and the visitor - is of the utmost importance. I like the idea of cozy throws, blankets, and textiles (I have a scarf draped over an ottoman) and plump throw pillows to tuck behind one's aching back. Adequate lighting for reading or the glow of candlelight to create a mood is a nice touch. And pets - who doesn't like to see a cute dog lounging on a sofa, or a sassy kitty curled up on the bed? What could give a home a more lived-in, loved look?
All the advice in this article is great, but I just don't see the 'effortless, lived-in style' coming through in any of the featured images. they all feel very staged to me.
Having lived in my house for 12 years and traveled to many continents, I wish my house looked half as nice as these pictures. Its constantly in a state of flux (hence my lurking here). Thanks for a useful and inspiring post. And count yet another "yes" for loony family photos.
@larrouxgirl: I agree with other posters that it's your home, and you should display whatever gives you the most pleasure. You're the one who lives there every day!
BUT, I would tuck the photos away when the time comes to sell your place. Anything very personal is great for making you feel at home, but may prevent potential buyers from envisioning themselves living in the space.
PROFKD: ebay is a great source for textiles, rugs etc. Look for ones that are frayed, damaged, fragments, etc, to get the best deals. IF you are throwing something over a chair or sofa it doesn't need to be whole and pristine. I have filled my home with lovely, worn rugs this way, as well as layered a few sitting areas. Pillows too - search around within your budget range. You'll find stuff if you are vigilant.
I would have to agree.
@larrouxgirl: I was once told to take out all the pictures I had of family too, and I did. But I can't get to a "homey" feel without what is important to me in my home. I like looking at my son's goofy grin or my dad (RIP) in his construction-worker pants and toolbelt, while I am sitting on my couch. I keep trying to find what "it" is that I am missing, and have collected a lot of clutter in my life trying to get "homey" again. So, the pictures are coming back into the living area of my home. Maybe I have it backwards, but it works for me!
Susan from wi, and Larrouxgirl 8 months ago: taking personal photos out applies to when you are staging a home for sale, because a key to selling is helping a potential buyer create a vision of themselves in your space, which is much harder for them to do when they see someone else's personal images all over. I also think an unspoken effect of taking out personal photes when staging for sale helps YOU move out and detach from the home, which is the opposite of what you want to do in living in a home, namely, grow roots and connect to it in a deeply personal way.