#117 Let's un-beige the world, shall we?

A thought that clicked with my own today:

You make something white or beige because you are afraid to use any other color--because you don't want to offend anybody. But by definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it. So I am interested in imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability. That's what we really pay attention to anyway.  (Tibor Kalman in 1996)

I'm pleased to see that shelter magazines and catalogs are moving away from the Boutique Hotel Look that has been popular for (in my book) waaaaaay too long. The beige and grey and cream with minimalist designed dark wood furniture. It's everywhere. IN every magazine. It's the look that home stagers insist is the only look that will get your home sold. Quiet, yes. Restful, yes. Imaginative or unique? No. Enough already! 

What is making a comeback (hallelujah!) is the opposite. Farmhouse Style is the way it's described on the cover of the newest Pottery Barn catalog and on it's website. Quiet, yes. Restful, yes. But with the cozy comfort of real life thrown in. What inspired the new collection? From their website:

Find comfort. Appreciate beauty. Care for the things you love and want to last. Live thoughtfully and enjoy your home.

So...for those who need it (not me!) it seems we've been given permission to surround ourselves with things we've inherited and collected. Things that surround us with love and memories. Things that say something about who we are and where we've been. And when we need a change? Well, then we can go to the big city and check into a boutique hotel. The contrast will be amazing and we'll love it because it's different. Different is good; we need contrast in our lives. But the Boutique Hotel Look does not a home make. Instead, the "imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability" that Kalman wrote about are words that describe the look of homes I'm most drawn too. They describe my home to a "t"! 

Glad the boutique hotel look "moment" is coming to an end!