Giving it Your Signature

 No matter where you make your nest, it's how you feather it that makes it a home. ~ Anonymous

The first essential of creating a home is that it be personal--a strong feeling of the person and family should be apparent.  What we want our home to convey is as individual as each of us.  Our signature style.  In your home you have the freedom to be self-conscious, to flex your personality, to focus on your uniqueness and spirit.  Surround yourself with what appeals to you--what you love--whether it's photos of family and friends, pets, music, fresh flowers, plants, objects from nature, original art, kids' artwork, treasures from travels, heirlooms, collections, hobbies, books, anything and everything you find interesting.

The character we instill is what makes our home distinct, and can be what makes one home stand out from others.  A home's character comes from integrating Artifacts from our lives with the Art, Antiques, Collections and furnishings we choose to live with.  The first part generally happens unintentionally--as we live in our home and experience life--the rest is curated.  

Birds' nests (one with the original eggs) pinecones and deer antlers--simple and sentimental from places I want to remember.

Artifacts

The keepsakes and mementos that fill your home are the artifacts and relics--the evidence--of your life.  The layers, saved and accumulated over time, give a house its soul.  Filling your home with things that make you happy, bring you comfort and conjure memories or emote sentiment, expresses what's meaningful and beautiful to you.  As our lives are ever evolving, over time your home will evolve into an environment unique to you.

Nothing makes a room feel bespoke more than original art on the walls. ~ Katie Rosenfeld

Etchings by Luigi Kasimir (Austrian 1881-1962) crown my mantle in this house and my last.  The center picture was the first original piece of art I ever purchased--with a financial boost from my parents.  They are discerning collectors who encouraged my appreciation of art.

Art

Art is probably the most prominent display of individuality in a home.  It's a more distinct show of taste than almost anything else in the home.  An art collection doesn't have to be large or valuable to reveal personality and style.  

Don't buy art to match your color scheme--buy art because you love it.  And I'm a firm believer, if you love it, you'll find a place for it.

An antique French pine armoire which is great for storage and to display some of my antique Japanese baskets.

Antiques 

Antiques are appreciated for their beauty and craftsmanship and their sense of time and place (and often the mere fact that they survived centuries of use and handling).  They will often outshine their modern counterpart in quality and character.  Storied pieces give a sense of past and permanence to a home--whether collected or inherited.

Antiques are often unique, not readily available, and have a history.  Having a decorating style that includes previously owned items--whether antique or vintage--tends to give a home a timelessness that isn't conducive to the temptation of changing trends.

AGE TERMINOLOGY

Antique - more than 100 years old

Vintage - old, but not old enough to be called an antique

Collectible - prized by fanciers

Memorabilia - objects valued for their connection to culture, entertainment, or historical events.

Victorian (1850-1900) Majolica pottery--brightly colored, relief-molded, typically in a naturalistic style--was introduced in London in 1851, and later widely copied in many countries.

Collections

Collecting and collections add interest to a home.  You can have a couple or a few of something, but anything over that is on its way to becoming a collection.  The subject matter is endless and varied in its value.  I inherited the "collecting" gene from my parents.  If something intrigues me, I want to find more variations of the same.  

Display your collections where you can see and enjoy them daily.  You can display a collection throughout your home, creating a theme that unifies the spaces.  Or items can be grouped together for impact, to make an impression as a collection.  It's often interesting to see items in a collection in close proximity, to compare similarities and differences.  And if your collection is of utilitarian objects, make them part of everyday.  Your children will remember and value them as a part of their family life.