Cookies Policy

By using the BRIDGE FOR DESIGN website you agree to our use of cookies as described in our cookie policy. Click here to view cookie policy

Date published: November 11 2016

Make your surroundings reflect you and not Home Go

Click here to visit Home Works NY Website >>


Your surroundings should be a reflection of your life and not your recent trip to Home Goods

Interior designers have a love/hate relationship with trends. We are children of the 70’s and 80’s respectively so this is probably why we tend to shy away from anything ‘trendy’- too many visual scars! Although it is interesting to see gold lame coming down the runways again, we don’t generally prescribe to the practice of following trends in the home. In fact as
a rule, we try not to follow trends. Yes, we have loved seeing Mongolian lamb on every conceivable surface and yes, we’d be happy to lacquer your ceiling but, by and large, we see our job as your interior designers to steer you away from ideas that are too much a part of popular culture and more towards the timeless. That’s not to say that we object altogether.

The biggest problem we see with trends is that they can be exhausting and expensive to follow. While trends in fashion change at least three times a year, in interior design, change comes about more slowly. It’s simple to change a tee shirt or a hem line; a sofa or cocktail table is more diffi cult. Unlike your daily wardrobe, for the most part, the home is not for public viewing - or commentary. While the home should reflect the homeowner and all of their interests, it does not necessarily have to reflect their public persona.

One thing that’s great about trends is that a little goes a long way. If it’s something that is easily changeable we’re all for it. It’s important to remember that virtually everything we’ve seen in design was at one time considered trendy. Minimalism, Maximalism and everything in between has been considered the look of the moment. Egyptian Revival, Baroque, Rococo, Beaux Arts – all at one time were ‘nouveau’ both on your body and in your home. The trick to finding a way through the trends is to identify what works for you in your home and in your life.

It’s easy to pick up a magazine and try to emulate the designs you see in print and in the editorial features. It’s another thing to live with the design that you actually love for what it represents to you as opposed to where it is currently featured.

A particular trend that has real staying power is that more and more people want to be comfortable in every room of their homes. Disappearing are the days of the formal living room. Dining rooms have to be ready for both champagne and chocolate milk!

The builders and architects we work with are creating totally open floorplans for more family and guest interaction. We think this is fantastic. To that end, when we are working with our clients and the time comes to accessorise the room and add artwork to the walls, we find that using family heirlooms, found objects and pieces that tell a story are more important than ever. If you’re going to live in every room in your house, your surroundings should be a reflection of your life and not your most recent trip to Home Goods!

For reasons emotional or financial, almost everyone has to make one or more existing pieces work into a newly designed space. We generally welcome this challenge. A balance has to be struck between what works in the space and what makes you happy to be in it.

One rule has always proved true for us in interior design: if you love it, it will work. In conversation it might make you sound nuts to describe a room with Chinoiserie fabric and mid-century furniture. In person it may just blow your mind. Good design does not have to make sense, it has to give you a feeling. Whether that feeling is being at home or simply being inspired, the evocation is the essence of a well done room.

Like most things in life: good cheese, good wine, and sequins – trends are better in small doses. We applaud incorporating them into your home if you truly love the look. Just be sure it’s for your pleasure. That way, it will always be a sound investment. Some things never get old. Some things improve over time. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the feeling we get when we come to that place we call ‘home’. When you cross that threshold, it should be all about you. The clothes are tossed, the public persona put away and your
home and all it evokes truly envelops you.


Designer: Sarah Dolce Kennedy

Author: Sarah Dolce Kennedy

Company: Home Works NY

Subscribe to BRIDGE FOR DESIGN
and get ten issues for the price of eight