MAISON & MER

The Art of Living Well

10 Ways to Make Your Home

Feel More Beautiful

Sometimes the secret to a more beautiful home is not adding anything at all.

It is knowing what to remove.

A room begins to feel sophisticated when every piece has a purpose and nothing is competing for attention.

Here are ten simple principles that can quietly transform the way a room feels.

01

Make Space

Before bringing something new into a room, consider whether something else needs to leave.

Beautiful objects become more compelling when they have space around them.

Let the room breathe.

02

Layer Natural Materials

Wood, stone, linen, ceramic, glass and metal each bring a different quality to a room.

Together, they create depth.

A restrained palette becomes far more interesting when the textures are allowed to speak.

03

Introduce Something With Age

A room filled entirely with new pieces can feel strangely unfinished.

An aged mirror, a weathered vessel or a beautifully timeworn object can give a newer interior a sense of history.

A little age brings depth.

04

Move Away From Matching

The most elegant rooms rarely appear to have been purchased from a single collection.

A contemporary chair may sit comfortably beside an antique table. A modern lamp may rest upon an old chest.

The pieces do not need to match.

They simply need to belong together.

05

Consider the Light

Lighting changes everything.

A room illuminated entirely from above can feel stark, while several softer sources create warmth and dimension.

A small lamp glowing in the evening can transform the atmosphere of an entire room.

06

Choose One Remarkable Thing

Sometimes a room needs only one piece that commands attention.

A beautiful mirror.

A striking work of art.

A sculptural vessel.

When everything is important, nothing is.

Give the eye somewhere to rest.

07

Bring In Warmth

If a room feels cold, consider its materials before adding more furniture.

Warm wood, natural textiles and earthy tones can change the character of a space without changing everything within it.

08

Embrace Restraint

There is something inherently luxurious about leaving a little space untouched.

An empty corner.

A quiet shelf.

A table with only one beautiful object upon it.

Restraint allows beauty to be noticed.

09

Choose For Tomorrow

Before bringing something home, imagine living with it for years.

Will it continue to feel beautiful when the current fashion has changed?

The pieces worth owning are often the ones that do.

10

Make It Personal

This is perhaps the most important principle of all.

A room becomes beautiful when it begins to reveal a life.

A piece discovered while traveling.

Something inherited.

A book that has been read many times.

An object that simply reminds you of someone you love.

These are the details that cannot be replicated.

The Beauty of Intention

A beautiful home does not announce its value.

It reveals it quietly.

Through proportion.

Through materials.

Through light.

Through restraint.

Most of all, through the feeling that everything within it was chosen rather than accumulated.

Perhaps that is the real luxury.

Living with fewer things that mean more.

Collect beautifully.

Live intentionally.