2 minutes readA hallmark of thoughtful home design is making a room feel stylish in any decade, not just this year. Recently, House beautiful Editorial director Joanna Saltz spoke to five design experts—Anna Bond, Amber Lewis, Julia Marcum, Jean Stoffer, and Leanne Ford—about which pieces are worth the investment and which design decisions will inevitably lead to the dreaded trend regret.
During the Create the moment At the panel discussion, hosted by Loloi Rugs at High Point Market in North Carolina, Saltz asked designers to share their best advice for creating spaces that will stand the test of time without becoming boring. Your consensus? High-quality, timeless bones paired with fresh details.
In other words, if it's a demo, you should probably think about it. “Anything that doesn't require construction to update, you can play there,” says Ford. “Keep the foundation timeless and classic, and then do the weird things: new furniture, your books, your art.”
Stoffer takes it a step further and identifies a staple to which you can apply this principle. “I'm really about furniture. If you keep that classic – something you might have seen 50, 80 or even 20 years ago, it's not one of those trend breakouts.”
Don't get caught up in trend cycles and design in a future-oriented way, the designers recommend. A litmus test for whether a piece or style will endure in the long term is its orientation to the past. “If it's something I loved five years ago, I'll love it in the future. If it's neutral and timeless, that's always a win,” says Lewis.
Ford agrees. “If I love something that’s been around for 40 or 100 years, I’ll still love it in five or ten years.”
All professionals recommend paying attention to quality and versatility when curating, and incorporating timeless references to the past. But what is the best use of your budget when designing your home? Marcum sums it up: Invest in what you interact with every day.
“There are so many ways to add character to a home when the bones are good,” says Marcum. “The things you want to keep for a long time – the ones you open, close or sit on every day – are worth the effort. Then save where you can.”
Most importantly, everyone agrees that a strong sense of personal style can outlast any trend prediction. Bond says she's optimistic about the trend of adding personality to your spaces and “making things your own.” Choosing pieces that align with a clear, individual vision of your brand, regardless of fashion, is key to creating spaces you'll love for decades.
Check out more takeaways from Create the moment panel on House beautifulFind out where to spend or save money on a home renovation on Instagram.