Tips For Relaxing a "Traditional" Home

{Our clients’ family room…  They’ve since moved across country!! 🙁   }

So today I thought I’d share some tips for trying to achieve that refined-casual balance.

1. Natural Elements:  It probably won’t surprise you that I’m saying this, but, bringing in natural element instantly relaxes a home.  Nature is extremely pure and unassuming, there so bringing it into a home lightens the mood and makes it feel fresh. 

I love bringing in natural materials like linen, warm and raw woods, natural fiber rugs (seagrass, jute and sisal are my usual favorites) natural woven shades (I love matchstick shades & bamboo shades, both lined & unlined)and grasscloth wallpaper.  I especially love to layer wool or cotton rugs on top of natural fiber rugs for a casual, layered look.

{A Maryland Living Room We Finished Last Year}

Actual things from nature work too: plants, flowers,driftwood, roots, bark, fossils, coral, seashells, stones, branches are just a few of the things you can outside (or buy if you can’t find!!!  I’m not above that 😉  My family and I do love going on walks to find things to display in our home.  

{My dad found the teak root on the wall while fishing.. it’s one of my favorite things!!}

2.  Keep windows simple:  To create a breezier, more causal-feeling in a home, I often forgo lining on curtains.  In my own home, not a single curtain panel has any lining and I love seeing my curtains blowing when the windows are open.  I stay away from swags and valences of any kind and prefer simple metal rods and rings vs. more ornate wooden rods.

{Unlined linen curtains and simple roman shades in our last home}

3.  Gallery Walls: Salon-style gallery walls feel more relaxed than formal grid arrangements.  Using a mix of different frames is even more casual-feeling.  

{The room I designed for the DC Design House a couple of years ago}

When things look a bit more effortless, less-planned and more imperfect, a home sort of exhales.  

4. Relaxed Patterns & Fabrics: When selecting fabrics & patterns for large pieces, steer away from overly traditional patterns like damasks in serious tones or fussier florals.  Don’t be afraid, however, to include them in small doses as a little nod to tradition.  

{In our clients’ family room, there is one formal pillow fabric but the large pieces- like the curtains- are in a fresh trellis pattern by Windsor Smith}

5. Juxtaposition:  Interest in rooms comes from juxtapositions, and so when the materials in a space play off of each other, it creates a sort of beautiful tension.  This applies to both formal and informal homes, but is extremely important in relaxed-feeling homes because it adds to that not-so-planned feeling I mentioned.  When things match too perfectly, a room feels less inviting, less warm

{My Old Living room}

6.  General Furniture Style Choices: To keep things relaxed, steer towards pieces with clean lines.  Even a spare Louis XVI piece can feel casual in the right setting as opposed to a curly, scrolly piece Louis XV.  Slipcovers over pieces with lots of dressmaker details hep in relaxing.

{Our clients’ family room}

6.  Chill:  Just have fun with your house. I find that most people aren’t that serious, yet they decorate seriously.  It’s like we feel we have to create these (often boring!!) grown-up houses.  I did it in my first house, for sure.  The more personality and fun you can bring into your home, the less “stuffy” it feels.  A painting by your child, for example, can be both beautiful and surprising in a formal living room, and make it feel more relaxed and livable.  

{Our clients’ dining Room}

I’m off for the day but hope you enjoyed the tips!!  Be back tomorrow for a pretty little Friday post of an INSANE flatbread you’ve got to try!!

*photos by my good friend, Helen Norman 🙂