7 Tips for Choosing Classic, Timeless Furnishings

For those who love home décor and interior design, it does not necessarily mean redecorating every year to keep up with the trends.  It’s about mixing your personal style with classic furniture and updating accessories and fabrics occasionally to keep the room fresh and stylish. 

It’s not easy, but once you get the basic and classic pieces as the staples in your room, the rest will come to you.  Here’s some tips to get a jump on classic and timeless décor:

  • Avoid one date wonders – decorating a room completely in an Art Deco or Victorian theme.  Even if you have a period home, it’s not an expressive style and it’s just not practical.  If you like the look, mix in a few Deco or Victorian pieces.  Even people in old Southern mansions have a mix of old and new in most rooms.  We live in a Victorian, and we do have one Victorian period room, the parlor – mainly this room is for the historic home tours we do on occasion.
  • Avoid the opposite of above – give a modern room some personality by mixing in a few antique or vintage pieces of furniture.  New upholstery or fabrics can 'match' it in to the room and it gives the room a more classic feel.
  • Choose classic furniture that has simple lines, it won’t go out of style like those pub back couches have (although those are sure comfy!).  Picture a simple sofa with rolled arms, it’s been stylish for over 200 years, and could easily last another century or two.  Update the upholstery every so often, and you have a piece for a few centuries!
  • Don’t design your room around a bold or fussy upholstery on a couch or chair.  It really restricts the design possibilities in the room and makes it difficult to update without completing a total room makeover, which can really bust the budget when you have to do it every few years.
  • Move your furniture around on a regular basis – it helps you visualize new design possibilities and it's the perfect time to declutter.  When you’re rearranging furniture, watch out for sun fade syndrome, your gorgeous leather couch can look like a two toned nightmare if it’s in direct sunlight, make sure the leather is treated to resist fading (notice it says resist, not eliminate) and rotating pieces can avoid this problem for furniture and rugs.
  • Use more classic fabrics on the larger pieces of furniture, and save the fussy and textured fabrics for the smaller pieces – footstools or throw pillows.
  • Quality pieces of furniture and upholstery last longer – they say buy the best you can afford, I say buy what you’re comfortable spending, shop around for quality pieces at decent prices.

Classic decorating is not only the way to start your home on its way to timeless style, it’s a good way to save money by updating décor with accessories and smaller pieces within the room.