True enough: being an interior designer is more than just finding cute pieces of furniture and accessories for your client’s home. It involves considering many more details, such as functional use, floor plan layouts, materials, and color analysis - what I call the art of interior design. There’s also a science to interior design - we ensure the scale of your home furnishings fits the size and dimensions of your home.
But the most meaningful yet invisible value of interior design is translating emotional considerations into home design and aesthetics. With my signature Envisioned Home Service, I spend the first 4 phases getting to know more about my clients and their pain points, habits, and wellbeing, with the end goal of designing homes that positively contribute to their lives. In my experience, one significant way emotional considerations play a role in new home design is determining what clients keep as they’re moving from one home to another. It’s almost inevitable that I meet clients who want a designer to help them incorporate and retain “old” (familiar) pieces while caring for the new home aesthetic.
In this blog post - the first of a two-part series - I’m talking about when you should (and should not) mix new and old pieces.
I must admit: my heart sings when I meet a client who has no preconceived design ideas and can operate from a blank slate (i.e. no existing furnishings to consider in the design). It makes me so excited to design from scratch because I can maximize my signature process to create a fully bespoke home design without many constraints. Realistically, though, that’s about 10% of all projects - a rare occurrence. There is typically something that I need to incorporate from the client’s previous home (or storage) into their new design. This makes my heart sing for a different reason: I love a good challenge. It’s especially fun when a client has, let’s say, an uber-modern style and needs to incorporate the most traditional, ornate piece I have ever seen. Challenge accepted!
Let’s talk about the valid reasons you’ll want to incorporate old pieces into your new home.
This one should be obvious. As an interior designer, I encourage my clients to incorporate their great aunt’s china cabinet (as an example), even if it may stick out like a sore thumb in their sleek and modern high-rise condo. Your home design should tell a story, and heirloom pieces are the perfect statement pieces. If you’ve inherited a treasured piece of furniture and artifact from a cherished family member and it doesn’t match your style, this is the perfect opportunity to engage with an interior designer who can help you ensure this piece fits your place and style as cohesively as possible.
You eyed that beautiful bed from Restoration Hardware for years, and finally took the leap and purchased it. This is a perfect piece to keep in your new home for two reasons: 1) Investment pieces typically represent more than just their price tag. They can also represent the journey, discipline, and hard work it took to finally afford something you’ve longed for. It is often a physical manifestation of achievement and pride, which is always a positive feeling to have about your home. 2) If you’ve spent $5K+ on a bed and labored over the decision for months (or years), it’s very likely that it represents your true design style. In most cases, it’s going to be very easy for an interior design studio to design a space that incorporates this item seamlessly without sacrificing any aesthetic integrity.
When I purchased my first house, I bought a 9’x12’ rug on Amazon for $100. It was not particularly the fanciest, high-quality rug I’ve had, but I just loved it. Up until recently, I had this rug in prominent places in my home and just recently replaced it with a higher-quality rug. I just LOVED that rug. And that was a good enough reason to keep it. Loved pieces bring a good aura and vibe into a home.
So, when shouldn’t you incorporate an existing piece of furniture or decor into your new home? I counsel my clients to answer the following questions objectively.
An interior designer can help you sift through your emotions and serve as your objective partner to help you get to the home that is optimally designed just for you. We are skilled at coming up with creative solutions that help you incorporate your heirloom, investment, and loved pieces into your new space.
At Sims + Co Design, we help people going through major life changes start fresh with a holistic interior design package that covers everything from 3D design development and floor plans to furniture selection and project management.
Ready to live in a beautifully functional home that creates a sense of calm in your busy life? Covering all of North Carolina and beyond, our interior designers are ready to help you optimize your space with the perfect design to meet your unique needs.
DIYing your design? Check out our second blog post in this series for practical tips to incorporate familiar pieces into your new home design.
To get started, book your free 30-minute discovery call today!
