Style Changes as Your Home Ages: Transitioning From ‘White & Bright’ to ‘Understated Warmth’

By Elyse Garlock

Define the aesthetic:

We built our current home almost a decade ago in 2017. At the time, I had dreams of a white and airy home with clean lines and no clutter. I based all of my design decisions, color choices, and furniture selections on the design aesthetic of “white and bright”—something that I thought would stand the test of time and give me the simple, clean look I wanted. 

As I’ve gotten older and progressed in my design experience, I’ve learned that in reality, very few things stand the true test of time in the design world, and that includes my design aesthetic.

Pictured: Liz Linen Drape Pleated in Grey Beige 1908-6

Over the last ten years, my style has matured to one of more depth, warmth, texture, and layers. Think less straight lines, more mixing patterns, and a more authentic lived-in feel. I’ve been slowly transitioning my home to reflect that—as much as budget allows—and I’ve found that there are a few simple, affordable changes you can make to almost any room to help bring it into the current decade and in line with the cottage chic aesthetic.

Update those paint colors:

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to completely transform a room is through paint, especially if you’re stubborn (maybe crazy?) like me and do it yourself. When we designed our home, I asked them to use the literal whitest paint they had, just straight white. I did the same color on the walls and baseboards. What felt clean and bright to me then has started to feel sterile and harsh. 

As I’ve been in the process of updating, choosing paint colors that have more warmth has made a huge difference. In our basement, I painted the baseboards a contrasting taupe (add paint color) with a creamier white color (add paint color) on the walls, and the subtle change has had a huge impact. In our primary bedroom, I started with a dark contrasting shiplap wall and painted the entire room an almond toned cream color (add paint color).

When you’re updating paint colors, look for warm neutrals—colors with yellow or pink undertones, versus the green or blue undertones of cooler colors. Colors in the greige family work really well, due to their warmer undertones, without leaning too brown.

Bring in texture and layers:

Bringing in texture and layers around our home has had a dramatic impact on our entire living space. The living, dining, and kitchen areas in our home are all connected by large windows and an oversized sliding glass door to the backyard. 

We installed floor-to-ceiling curtains not long after moving in, using some simple white IKEA curtains. At the time, I thought I was brilliant—they matched my clean design style and cost basically nothing. Little did I know what a dramatic change swapping those plain IKEA curtains could make. 

I finally invested in custom TWOPAGES curtains in a beautifully textured taupe linen fabric. The drapes have a beautiful weight to them, they fall perfectly, and they are now a focal point in the main living area of our home, creating a cohesive space that looks more refined, intentional, and inviting. It’s a small change that completely transformed the style and vibe of our home.

Use found objects:

The proverbial “icing on the cake” finishing off the warm, cottage chic aesthetic comes from the smallest details—swapping a basic picture frame for one with more curves and character, placing a sentimental trinket on top of that stack of design books, or simply replacing a basic piece of art with a vintage map of your family’s favorite place to visit. 

Showing that life has been lived through these objects, some of them even tying the space to you personally, will change your house into a home and make the entire space more comfortable and inviting.

Thrift stores are a great place to start the hunt for these little details, lending a one-of-a-kind feel to the decor in your home.

ABOUT WRITER