Many of my clients have nice homes, however they want to elevate their home's decor to be more elegant, sophisticated, and refined.
They don't want their home decor to look like a display at Target or like their friend's home down the street.
Their home feels generic to them and they want to bring their style to the next level to have a more high end look.
They want a home that is comfortable but looks thoughtfully decorated, however they cannot figure out what adjustments to make in order to get the results that they want.
Dining room design by Fletcher Design Consultants
The Problem
The problem I see most often with nice homes that lack sophistication is that the homeowners decorate their house with items they think are cute.
Cute is great for a kid space, but not in a sophisticated home.
If your first reaction to a decor item is that it is cute, then don't put it in a sophisticated space.
DISCLAIMER - if you love your home, then that is all that is important. If you love shopping craft fairs and decor stores for cute items to decorate your home, then keep doing that. If you want your home to look fun and whimsical for your kids, then this article is not for you. This article is for people who want to create a more sophisticated look in their home.
Here is a list of cute items that you might want to avoid in your sophisticated home.
Words as Decor
Whether it is artwork with a popular saying, oversized scrabble letters, pillows with a popular word on them (dream, sleep, relax, Mr & Mrs, XOXO, etc), or a board with changeable letters, words and catchy sayings come off as cute and sometimes juvenile.
They are not sophisticated.
Monograms
One embroidered monogram on a decorative item per room is fine, but don't try to justify the price of your embroidery or vinyl cutting machine by putting a monogram on everything. Don't overdo it!
Labeled Items
Kitchen canisters labeled with their contents using a feminine typeface and coffee mugs with wording are cute, but they do not make a home feel sophisticated.
Seasonal Flags
One national flag on the outside of your home can look nice.
Flags on the outside of your home that depict a favorite sports team or the current season are cute and make your home feel less sophisticated.
Garden Art
A quality bird bath is a wonderful addition to a garden, however try to avoid cute statues or metal sculptures of lesser quality.
Small Seasonal Decorations
Some people like to keep a few seasonal decorations in their home year round, switching them out as the season or holiday changes.
Instead of purchasing a large quantity of smaller cutesy decorations that make your home look cluttered and messy, purchase 1 or 2 quality items that make your house look more sophisticated.
Instead of a table full of little decorative items, choose 1 large seasonal item in the middle, flanked by a few other high quality items that stay no matter the season.
For example, you can have a console table with large candlesticks on either end, but you can change out the centerpiece depending on the season. You could have an extra large ornate ceramic rabbit for Easter, a collection of real pumpkins and gourds for Fall, and a live evergreen wreath with a red velvet bow for Christmas.
Excessive Family Photos
A small collection of family photos in one small area of a room is nice, however don't put family photos on every horizontal surface with mismatched cutesy frames.
One way to make family photos look more sophisticated is to print them in black and white and put them in coordinating frames that complement the room's decor.
Collections Everywhere
A small collection of high quality items can look sophisticated, however try to avoid collections of lesser quality cute items that spill into the entire room.
Try to group the collection in one area, such as inside a cabinet or on one table, to look more sophisticated and important.
Rooms with excessive collections tend to look like a museum or gift shop.
Another problem with collections is that friends and family tend to add to your collection when they purchase gifts for you, which leads to the collection getting out of control.
Fake Plants and Flowers
If you cannot keep a plant or flowers alive, then feel free to buy a high quality artificial plant or flowers and keep them dusted regularly.
Unfortunately, many people buy an abundance of lesser expensive fake plants or floral stems that look cheap on day one and more cheap the older they get.
Wall Decals
Wall decals might be a good temporary solution for a kid's room when the kid's interests change regularly, however not for a sophisticated family space or adult's room.
Items meant to be used year round, but are eventually disposable, feel cheap.
DIY Accessories
Trying to recreate a more expensive accessory that you found in a store often results in poor quality results.
Unless your DIY item looks as good, if not better, than what you see for sale in stores, then do not put it in your home.
Pinterest Home Modification
Avoid modifying your home using the latest and greatest cute Pinterest idea.
These projects rarely look professionally done and typically do not look sophisticated.
Some of these projects offer poor advice that might disguise something about your home that you do not like now, but will not wear well and create a worse looking mess in the near future.
Themes
Don't confuse styles and themes.
Styles are a cohesive group of items from a particular place or time period (mid century modern, industrial loft, French country, coastal, Scandinavian, art deco, farmhouse, etc).
Decorating a room in a certain style can look sophisticated, however decorating a room in a certain theme usually does not look sophisticated.
Themes are decor items and furniture that promote a certain lifestyle, activity, or organization.
Common interior design themes are nautical, Disney, dogs, photography, safari/jungle, football, a specific school, a specific sports team, cowboy, and hunting.
Cartoon Animals
Having a cute cartoon llama printed on a pillow or a plump elephant figurine might be appropriate for a kid space, but not a sophisticated adult space.
Outdoor Items Used Inside
Using outdoor string lights, garden art, and other outdoor items inside tends to look unsophisticated.
Polka Dots
Polka dots can look cute in a kid's room, however I cannot recall ever seeing a sophisticated polka dot home decor item.
Distressed New Items
New items with a distressed finish are trying to mimic antique or vintage items, but they often end up looking cheap. Light distressing on new items might look ok, but heavily distressed new items do not look good at all.
The Solution
When shopping for decorative items for your sophisticated home, select items that you think you will love for at least 5 years.
If you think you will get rid of it in less than 5 years, then don't buy it.
If it looks like it might not hold up to the wear and tear of your family for at least 5 years, then don't buy it.
If it seems trendy and might go out of style in less than 5 years, then don't buy it.
Steer clear of decorating with anything that looks similar to juvenile decorations in a daycare/elementary school classroom or a child's birthday party.
Avoid shopping for home decor at stores that sell large quantities of mass produced decorative items at a low cost. The quality of these items is typically low and you will most likely end up with the same decor as your neighbors. Inform yourself of what the major retailers are selling before you try to shop for something special for your home. Beware of some boutique decor stores that appear to have specialty items, however sell the same items as big box stores (at an inflated price). These boutique items might be slightly different than the items found in big box stores in scale or color, but they are basically the same quality and style.
Look at many photos of rooms that were decorated over 20 years ago and notice elements that are still in style today. Those are the items that belong in sophisticated homes.
Avoid lesser expensive trendy items, but opt for higher quality and more timeless items to make your home more sophisticated.
If you would like for Fletcher Design Consultants to help you create a more sophisticated home, or have any other interior design need, please contact us. We would love to help!
