Filling In Holes
I have been in the position many times where you've renovated a space, you're starting to get your furniture in, and you realize there are still a bunch of holes to fill in.
These "holes" might be things like window treatments, or rugs, or art on the walls, or items on a shelf or coffee table.
The house is kind of naked looking and it needs a hat or some jewelry and shoes. A sofa and a coffee table in a barren room is not enough.
The problem with most spaces is that these choices feel very generic.
I walked through thousands of homes as a real estate agent and you notice patterns. You look at what's on the wall for art and say "of course they did that." Same with the pillows. Same with the things put on the built in around the TV, or the items in woven basket on the dining table.
There's sort of a standard practice when it comes to filling in holes that is usually very underwhelming and safe.
My wife and I were just invited to the 80th birthday party of a woman named Teena. Teena worked in fashion, music, and the intersection of both for decades. She dresses really fun. She loves music. She loves to dance. She's lived a remarkable life.
She lives in an old craftsman home on Music Row in Nashville. When you walk inside and look at what's on the walls, what's on the desks, what's on the shelves, you notice two things:
There is consistent aesthetic. There is a color scheme. Blacks, reds, greens. Eclectic as it might be in each room, there's a through line. Does 80's Memphis Modern, Chinoiserie, and Craftsmen mesh together? Turns out yes.
It looks like Teena. Her house is like her outfits. This is not a quick trip to one store to load up a trunk full of global coastal baskets, cheap ceramics and black framed neutral art prints to cram into every cranny of a story-less space. No. This is personality driven - a highly curated tale that unfolds as you walk through.
So how do you fill in holes AND do it with authenticity?
If it's any consolation, I certainly still find this challenging. But here's what I came up with that might help you.
create vignettes
Rather than get overwhelmed about the whole room, you could focus on a corner or a wall and build an excellent little scene. If you build up something pretty composed on one side, it takes the pressure off the other side of the room. Create the scene you want to see and then compliment it in the rest of the space.
There is an antique shop in Culver City called Obsolete Inc that is extremely good at this. Their whole instagram is vignettes. Check them out!
there are a lot of things that can function as art on a wall
There's this weird thing that's happened recently in design where the two permissible items allowed on walls, if you want "upscale," are a) a gallery wall and b) abstract art.
I have no beef with either of these but baby it's a wide world, there's so much cool stuff out there, and it's hard to get by with only these two options.
My wife (who is a massive part of my business and doesn't get nearly enough credit) is a big wall clock advocate. She used to be an art teacher, so it aligns. These have been forgotten in the digital age but they are sharp, practical, and make an impact anywhere they go.
The Mr. Clarke wall clock from Rejuvenation is a beauty
If you have been following for any amount of time, you known I am a sconce evangelist. They are definitely art in and of themselves and provide beautiful light.
Dimensional art. Theres a wide range of options here, but let's showcase a few.
First, there's a lot of really cool vintage brass Florentine stuff that's still floating around out there that could be really sharp.
This is on FB marketplace right now. I think I'm going to pounce.
Nobody does anything like this anymore. It's so lively, elevated, and handmade. It protrudes, it can take candles, and if you are really a MacGyver, you could wire it up for bulbs. The total package.
Wall medallions
You have to poke around for these. There are plenty of them that look dated or won't be appropriate for your space. But again, they're handmade, protrude, and catch light. Something different. Over a door, in a bathroom, on either side of a painting or fireplace.
Plates. This is something I'm seeing more of. There are so many interesting plates. This is from a booklet Design Within Reach sent me. Small and very powerful.
Design Within Reach
Get creative. If you look at design books from the early 90's and prior, you'll see how much more variety we used to have on walls.
objects with matched shapes
I love large sculptural objects used in homes. I used to dream of becoming a sculpture artist. I love 3D and we need more of it.
Something that great designers do is repeat shapes and materials in objects.
This is a rough example, but look at the two vases below. They are very different, yet the same general lines and shape. Having these together in a room will subconsciously make things feel more harmonious.
does this help tell a story?
If I dig deep, the thing I dislike the most about generic design is that it tells no story. It's in a million other homes and devoid of personality.
When you are choosing objects, can you relate to them in some way? Do they reflect a historic background, or artist, or material that you strongly relate to?
When you are choosing colors, what colors did you love as a child or what colors remind you of somewhere you traveled years ago? You can integrate your past with your present to be less "of the moment." For example, paint a table the color of your grandparents' cabin.
When I walk through Teena's house, I might not love everything, but I know who she is. That house immediately evokes a feeling and tells a story as soon as you walk in the door.
It's not a neutral place. And it's not on trend. It reveals strong personal choices, preferences, and values.
For all that's said about trends and keeping things updated, there's something very timeless and refreshing about just being who you are.
