The magical wonders of the eclectic, lived-in home
making a house a home through conscious clutter, thoughtful DIYs, and insignificant significant memories
If there is one thing I know, it is that there is certainly no shortage of quotes, poems, songs, and artistic sentiments about “home.”
Whether it be a feeling, a literal accommodation, or a peaceful construct in the imagination, home is a significant liberty to possess in the dystopian structure of the modern world.
(I’ll let that sentiment sit in the air and breathe for a moment.)
With constant social media bombardment, we’ve become overly exposed to an inordinate amount of perfectly curated home tours and inside looks into the richest, famous-est, most decadent of lives— leaving us to question if most of our literal dwellings are aesthetic enough to pass the test of popularity, picky algorithms and viral media. (I recognize the irony in using inspiration from old rich white women while complaining about this - but there’s something about a kooky old lady socialite that just hits different?)
I’m fatigued by constant clickbait articles filled with lists of “do’s and don’ts” and “the very best of” that make us little *add to cart* gremlins, seeking validation in the purchase of what’s new, hip, and likely sponsored. I cannot remember where I was or who said it, but I have a distinct memory of watching a home design show, likely back in the mid-90s with my grandmother, where the host was talking about how gauche it was to have copious amounts of personal family photographs in shared living spaces. Come again? Is that not the purpose of having a home?
My little kid brain, already riddled with a Goldilocks amount of childhood trauma, was bewildered. How little Glenn would have loved to have had a home where candid photos from the small, lucid moments of our life were displayed in a shared space for all to see that we were happy, smiling people in the in between moments of complexity and dysfunction.
To hell with the so-called rules, the trends, the in’s, the out’s of trends, and superficial ideas of what you’re supposed to be doing in your space! Developing personal style (both in your home and on your body) comes from throwing out the rule book and doing what feels good.
I reached an age, at some point, where “collecting” seemed embarrassing. I probably read something in a magazine where someone said it was “out” and minimalism was “in” and I began to feel shame the next time I went on a trip and mulled over whether I really “needed” a souvenir magnet. But souvenir magnets bring. me. joy! So collect them, I shall! A house becomes a home because of the life you choose to breathe into it. It should feel as personal, intimate and unique as the individuals who dwell inside of it. I encourage you to avoid falling into one specific design aesthetic just because you see it bottled up and sold on your Instagram feed. For centuries, humans have lived a fairly homogenous existence when it comes to trends, fashions, and fads; we are lucky to exist in a time where don’t have to conform to one specific idea or style!
Enter: my design approach when using the Baby Yoda Debacle™️.
As an alumni of 90s PBS Masterpiece Theater and all things period piece, I have an unconditional love for the traditional English cottage, peppered in blues and greens and ticking stripes, perfectly thrown together and lovingly cluttered. There’s also the side of me that loves the new revival of mid century— wood paneling, bright, primary colors and chrome accents. There’s also a part of me that loves moody, renaissance, spooky adjacent vibes — velvety, dark textures, aged goldy brass tones and heavy pattern mixing. Knowing a space with all of these elements would feel chaotic and overwhelming, I try to make a venn diagram sort of moodboard and figure out where these ideas and themes overlap and find harmony. This can be in a color palette, textures like velvet or leather, and in materials, like wood or metal.
Even in just quickly pulling these reference images from my Pinterest, I can see the small space where they all overlap: oranges and browns, blues and greens, velvet and pattern. From there, it’s easier to organize my thoughts and motivations when I venture out into the thrift world to find the perfect treasures for my space without feeling tied to just one theme or idea — We are complex beings! Mix multiple ideas into your decor!
I have a hidden Pinterest board for every room in my house that's constantly updated, edited, and referenced. I pin colors, patterns, furniture, lighting, art, DIY ideas, etc and refer back to it when I’m shopping, thrifting, and treasure hunting. I find cool secondhand shit all the time! I have let out many a *gasp!* while digging through shelves at Goodwill or rummaging through piles at an estate sale — but if it doesn’t fit my shopping list, or knowingly go with the vibe I’m going with, it stays.
Finding the “big” pieces for a home can and should take time. We’ve lived in our place for over two years now and we still don’t have chairs for our breakfast nook table — and that’s okay! I’d rather wait to find the perfect ones, worthy of being stared at every day for the next decade than buy cheap ones I hate that will end up in a landfill. I recently saw a content creator share their “backyard makeover” in a reel. In the 45 second clip, she power washes her terrace, paints it, and furnishes it from tip to toe. Some quick mental math of the pots, the plants, the rug, the furniture, the pillows, the dining set, the chairs, the tables and suddenly I felt this green hulky gross jealousy that my backyard didn’t look like this even though I knew it was $8-10k worth of product. I know her job is to literally influence, but there’s this guilt that we aren’t enough if our space isn’t instantly finished, dripping in designer and photo ready.
BUT then I remind myself that it’s not about the big stuff anyways!! Styled shelves, curated tiny tables, stacks of books, and art on the walls are the things that really, to me, make a house a home.
You don’t have to have lots of money and a big budget and fame and fortune and time and energy and the perfectly picturesque home to make your space come alive with things that bring you joy. Here are some little projects I’ve been working on to make our four walls feel more personal that fit within my home moodboards and don’t break the bank.
With the motivation to have more photos in our home, I went on a hunt to find some old pictures to have blown up. I love this picture of my mom smoking a cigarette in her car back in the 80s and these two pictures of Mike’s parents back in the Netherlands in the 60s that his mom gave us. I found a local camera shop that does high quality scans and had them blown up. I’m saving up to have them properly framed (because of the size) but can’t wait to see them hanging up wherever we end up next. Scanning and printing the pictures cost me around $50 because I chose the nicest paper option and larger sizing.
Fabric is your friend! Even if you can’t sew, there are so many uses for cool fabric in decorating your space. I had this vintage 1930s blue feedsack fabric that was perfect for using as a matte for the letterpressed postcard we received after seeing Astroid City at the movies. I also thrifted this tiny red lamp that had the ugliest lampshade and I covered it in fabric using hot glue and ribbon — good as new and cost me $8 and an hour of my time!
With the remaining checkered fabric, I recovered the seat of this funky little chair I thrifted and sanded down recently— ain’t she the cutest?! For Christmas, I gifted Mike an original 1930s matchbook from our favorite bar in San Francisco. Craft stores that have framing services will usually cut a matte for you and put it in one of their standard frames that they sell on the sales floor for little cost. This bad boy cost me $30 all in and it made for the perfect gift.
You can make anything art. Photos, receipts, old recipes, tickets, postcards, menus, coasters, matchbooks — the options are endless. Instead of running out and grabbing the newest home decorations from Target, I strongly encourage a trip to your local thrift or browsing Facebook marketplace for pieces that have upcycling potential. Paint, fabric, and wielding the power of a hot glue gun can make you invincible when you’re on a budget! Huzzah!
I’m nearing the email length so I’ll leave you with a few pricier finds if you’d rather digitally *add to cart* and skip the rummaging through messy shelves and other people’s crap. A reminder that Etsy can be overpriced (for a lot of reasons, some outside of the control of the seller) compared to eBay. If you see something you like, search for it elsewhere on the internet to find the best deal — this is just a jumping off point!!
1// Decanter Tags 2 // Oil Painting 3 // Celluloid Frame 4 // Butterfly Frames
5// Celluloid Jewelry Box 6// French Match Striker 7// Aspirin Paperweight
8// Lampshade 9// Wedgwood Trinket Dish 10// Staffordshire Dogs
I know this is going out a day late, but I wanted it to be helpful, full of inspiration, and have some good finds at the end! This means I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with a new dispatch of 10 Things.
Thank you, as always, for reading, commenting, and sharing! If you know someone who would like Trash Panic, please consider sharing it with them! Reply to this email or comment and let me know your thoughts, feelings, etc etc.
Until next time,
xo,
G