Book Love: Heritage Style by Selina Lake
Today I'm sharing a new book called "Heritage Style" by Selina Lake and we'll talk about how to flawlessly mix the old with the new in a period home.
Let’s talk about old homes and how to enhance their beauty through good design.
A little background. I live in a floor-through 1901 apartment in northern Germany facing other turn-of-the-century Jugendstil buildings, along with the übahn (not so attractive), a very busy street and a bike path. Lucky for me, I’m high enough to not see the street. My rooms overlook trees, beautiful buildings, and the sky. I picked this place for its architecture and abundance of natural light. I enjoy relaxing each evening watching the sun disappear over clay-tiled rooftops as warm sunlight streams into my dining room. It also bounces off the disco ball atop of my cabinet showering the space with hundreds of polka dots. I love that. An instant disco.
The back of my apartment faces an old villa and behind us there’s a grand historical building from the 1800’s with a biergarten and the city forest (larger than Central Park), where we walk, play, skate and ride bikes year round.
Built in 1899 but not finished until 1901, the architect of my dwelling is the grandfather of our landlord, and all of the period details he put into his multiple home across this disctrict are enviable. Here I have herringbone wooden floors original to the house in the front rooms, while the back has new sustainable wooden floors that were installed before the birth of my son, harvested in Austria.
Some of the ceilings are also lovely with grand carvings and details. The pendants in each room are mostly new and a blend of Danish, Dutch, Swedish and French design. My furniture mixes many styles and periods as well, and I have many vintage treasures sourced from flea markets and antiques stores mixed in with clean-lined Scandinavian furniture. I have chairs from Knoll and Eames mixed in to honor my American roots, too.
My home is a mix of old and new - from the views outside of my windows to the interiors. My bathrooms are from the 80s along with the kitchen floor. It’s a little bit of everything from the past 120 years rolled into one.
Old and new, combined, can be a beautiful way to live if you know how to mix it all up. Which leads me to tell you all about one of my new favorite books shown here on my table this morning…
“Heritage Style” is the latest title by British Stylist Selina Lake (published by Ryland, Peters and Small) and it takes her best ideas around period decor and rolls them into one gorgeously styled and photographed book. It celebrates what she calls the, “new nostalgic mood” in interiors, where she displays a bevy of homes (which she styled) decorated with vintage and inherited furniture and other accessories alongside of modern, new pieces and teaches you how to acheive the look. The results can be a very personal and stylish home that you’ll love for years to come.
Since I live in a historical property, I enjoyed reading this book very much and even picked up a few tips I’d not thought of before (just when you think you know it all, you realize there is so much left to discover!). Selina allowed me to pick the photos from the book that I’d like to share here which were styled by her, which photography by Rachel Whiting.
About the book Selina says, “Our homes are more important to us than ever before, and heritage style harks back to the reassuring comfort of traditional interiors. Paneling, wallpaper, floral fabrics and heritage paint colors provide a backdrop for house plants, artworks and contemporary crafts, while upholstered and wicker furniture, pretty decorative detailing and plump cushions feel warm, welcoming and familiar.”
I couldn’t agree more. That’s how we feel as we step into our childhood home or where our grandparents live, isn’t it? Cozy, familiar, reassuring comfort, at home…
That’s the magic in my opinion, the secret sauce, of some of the most beautiful yet comfortable interior spaces of today - to harnass that lived-in comfort and merge it with your own flair to create a stylish and inspiring home which honors the past yet embraces the new. Making this secret sauce work in your decor recipe is another story though, and some find it challenging. Selina’s book can help. It’s largely about how to develop a good eye, learning how to easily mix old and new and combine color, pattern and texture, along with editing as much as possible, keeping only what you absolutely must have or special items that provide a positive emotional response.
“It's not only a comforting style, but also a sustainable one, built around pre-owned and vintage pieces sourced at online auctions or on Instagram and given a new lease of life in modern homes.”
Heritage Style shows exactly how to create a home that feels both modern and nostalgic. To create an inviting home filled with “just enough” intriguing and personal touches to enhance the space while bringing comfort and pleasure to yourself and others.
Would you like 7 solid tips on how to obtain a little Heritage Style in your home today?
Add character by mixing patterns which adds personality and allows in a dose of the unexpected. When you mix patterns from different eras you can deepen the story of the space which avoids that familiar flat, catalog-style home that we sometimes see on Instagram where everyone’s home begins to look the same. Creatively mixing patterns sets your home apart from the rest, especially when some of the patterns are vintage or heirloom pieces.
Lay out your mood first. Whether it’s a digital mood board, a pinboard on Pinterest, or made by hand on a table or against the wall, lay out the vibe you’re trying to create. For Heritage Style you can mix in some of signature patterns such as gingham, dainty florals, leaves, traditional prints from companies like Farrow & Ball or William Morris, and plenty of natural materials like jute and ceramic, along with handmade elements that are woven, embroidered, carved, quilted or block-printed. Be sure to add paint swatches and natural elements like herbs or flowers, too.
As you begin to dive into this exercise, it’s a good point to also research Heritage colors that fit your old house which means first identifying the architectural style and era of your home. Many paint companies offer Heritage paint colors, which can help immensely. You can even hire a Heritage consultant, but I’m thinking that if you’re like me, you’d rather do the research yourself. That’s part of the fun in owning (or renting) an old home! If you have a basic understanding of the history of your home then it’s easier to choose the most flattering colors.
Of course, mixing in nontraditional Heritage colors and patterns is absolutely necessary too - so go ahead, punch it up with tomato red accents, a leopard print lampshade, or a little vibrant pink.
Mix modern and new in the kitchen, too. It’s easy to mix things up in most other rooms but it takes a lot more patience to create this style in the kitchen. It’s much more tempting to buy everything new and often, we need to since sourcing old kitchen cupboards, sinks, or faucets can be next to impossible or very costly. In these cases, find “vintage-inspired” pieces - Restoration Hardware made an entire business out of this very idea. Same with lighting, shop vintage stores for old lights that fit the home style, or buy new ones that are based on vintage styles.
In the photo above, the cupboards and long table came from a Belgian antiques dealer. It originated in a monastery! Farrow & Ball’s Slipper Satin paint perfectly highlights the decorative plaster on the ceiling, and the modern marble worktop creates a modern element to the kitchen.
Mismatch furniture is the right match. In this Heritage home located by the sea in Kent, England, mismatched chairs combined with a gingham tablecloth, paper pendant (found in nearly any home store), and a natural hemp rug add just enough visually to not compete with the architectural details of the space such as the patterned wooden floors, built-ins, and the large plaster-work adorned shuttered doors.
Accent with bold patterns or colors for a modern edge. This modern quilt was made by the homeowner, and combined with striped bedding and solid velvet orange pillows, it’s very warm and inviting but also a real show stopper! I love the accents of black and the plaster walls with the pink backdrop behind the wall. Homes that feel the most inviting always seem to be those that have a good mix of tactile elements and interesting objects to look at, don’t you think?
Use soothing colors in the bathroom that best fit the room. After seeing this bathroom, I immediately had to google this Cuisse de Nymphe Emue wall paint by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. It’s the perfect grown up dusty pink with just enough umber to be taken seriously in adult rooms.
The soothing palette of this bathroom is only enhanced by the natural greenery, a hemp rug, woven lounge chair, and the vintage apothecary glass jars. Together, these elements add warmth to a bathroom that can otherwise feel cold.
Add Heritage style pillows to modern furniture to soften the lines and visually marry the two. This modern outdoor lounge area is softened and given Heritage touches throughout with a good mix of cushions in velvet, gingham, and even a ruffled border thrown in.
By confidently combining old and new, using only your objects of desire, and working within your favorite colors, textures, scents (candles, flowers), and materials (and some lovely plants!), you can easily put together a Heritage Style home that feels connected to its past, present and the wonderful life that you plan to make there in the years ahead.
This wonderfully inspiring book is definitely one for the home library or coffee table. It’s not only beautiful as a decorative object but it’s the sourcebook for decorating an old home with a modern touch.