When I walk into an Airbnb, I don’t want it to feel as though I’m stumbling into someone else’s home. I want it to be nicely appointed, certainly, but not personalized to the property owner. It helps me forget I’m in someone else’s home and treat it as our own for the duration of our stay. On the contrary, when we arrive at our family’s upland home for a weekend? Or a vacation? I want it to feel, look, and smell like our home, without a hint of the calculated sterility of a rental property.
One of the ways our family personalizes our space is by displaying collections of items that hold meaning to us and tell the stories of our lives and the lives of those we love. My first collection as a child was of porcelain Beatrix Potter figurines, my favorite series of stories. I absolutely cherished it. Later came a collection of painted papier-mâché boxes that was incredibly colorful, charming, and, of course, held my most treasured pre-teen possessions: Kissing Potions in every flavor, petrified shark’s teeth found over Spring Breaks, and carefully folded secret notes from besties or classroom crushes.
As adults, we have collections from our own treasure hunts, gifts, and inheritances. Each tells a story, and while the individual pieces themselves may not be unique to us? The collections as a whole are. I also love the interest guests take in exploring them, which allows us to connect in new ways. “Tell me about this piece?” Or, “Explain where these came from.” It’s always fun to share the stories. And I love equally exploring my friends’ collections when we’re at their homes for parties. They range from comical to profound, beautiful to curious, and each tells a story unique of its curator.
I believe collections shouldn’t clutter a space any more than artwork should simply cover a wall. Think intentionally about where and how you display them. And no need to be so serious! One of our favorite collections is a series of photos and quotes by Winston Churchill, inherited from a relative who was an unabashed Anglophile and would likely shudder to learn they’re now prominently displayed above the toilet on our powder room walls (on the flip side, I think Churchill himself would love it).
To avoid a cluttered look, be certain the collection relates well to your space from a design perspective. In many cases? People design around their collections themselves, as you would a beautiful painting. It’s also important to ensure they’re appropriately lighted and easy to clean around. Finally? I think it’s fun to know as much as you can about each piece. I love it when former owners have taken the time to include a note about the provenance of an item, scrawled on the back of a frame or tucked away inside a drawer. So much more meaningful and ultimately more valuable should someone ever decide to part with the object.
But I say these are the things we hang onto! The items that tell our stories. That bring heart and soul to a space. That make a house—even a weekend retreat—feel like a home.
No great antique galleries nearby? No problem. Here are a few greats that host virtual shops online!
If you don’t know 1st Dibs and Cherish? They’re probably the two most talked about spaces to visit online. But there are countless others and I’ll add to this post as I find them. For now? Start here:
