Gotta Love No. 61 - Kitschens. What are they?

 

Pink Gooseberry. Butterly Gold. Spring Blossom. Aqua Snowflake Garland. These are words that have made a lover of kitsch spin around faster than one can imagine. They are patterns of vintage Pyrex which has become a sought-after list-topper. And has helped to launch the term "kitschen", one of the trends for 2024. 

Kitsch is defined as "art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way". Who decides what excessive garishness is? I believe that if we design our homes telling our biography, true to ourselves, all of us will have a bit of kitsch that will be appreciated in an ironic or knowing way. Presented the way we define excessive garishness - in other words selecting "less is more" or "more is just right". 

I have always been a kitchen gadget girl and one who loves to mix and match dishes. My first home, built in the 1960's was a cute two-bedroom cottage-like home with a tiny kitchen. I painted the existing brown cabinets the perfect shade of lipstick red and papered the walls with a large-scale floral wallpaper and it fit right in with my mixmatch style. I needed it to be fun. Cooking and baking should be fun. Not only the surroundings but every measuring spoon, bowl, pot, pan, appliance. Whatever that means to you, whether you tuck these fun things in a drawer or cabinet or display them. Fun like using a mixing bowl that belonged to your granny no matter the color, fun means using an artsy spoon you found in that tucked away shop aboard, fun means enjoying the memories these items create or bring to mind.

Illustrated ceramics, mismatched glassware, bistro dinnerware, linens with vintage designs, appliances in bold hues, granny's blue willow mixed with altered art plates, glass doored cabinets displaying vintage Pyrex. This defines the elements of kitschens. And it all can happen with the backdrop of a neutral palette on the walls, floors, and cabinetry or against whatever garish color palette you choose. 

Call it nostalgic and retro - but it will never lose its real place as the heart of the home. Celebrate in your way this trend of the kitschen, however it warms your heart and home. Even if it's just those brightly colored dish towels.

Bon Appetit! Be inspired.

Sources: Anthropologie, BHG, Etsy, Studio Soph, Domino Magazine, Pinterest

Interior Design Reference No. 3 - A Lesson in Design

"There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion." -  Francis Bacon (also attributed to Edgar Allen Poe). This quote gives a nod to my personal interior design aesthetic. It doesn't need to conform to rules or norms, but rather stand tall in its uniqueness as defined by the designer. In simple terms means thinking outside the box, but it is so much more. We need to get out of the box entirely.

I've always loved the clash of modern with traditional, formal with bold, stodgy with a jolt of wild fun, fitting with dangerous sacrilege. The kind of unharmful mischief one gets into with the hint of a smirk. If interior design gives you this thrill, you are my people! 

This approach to design that I have is not chaotic, there is thoughtfulness and process to it. The respect for the fundamental rules of design: emphasis, balance, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement and white space is always present. What I like to emphasize is the individuality of it all. Expression is key. With freedom of expression is the welcome we give ourselves to our home. It's a vulnerability of sorts to expose our realness, exaggerate it in some way. And what better way to do so than in our personal sanctuary we call home. It is pure joy.

It's every detail finding its place in a room with the understanding that it may not be permanent. Just like our musical playlists evolve to our mood or our present moments so does an accessory, a piece of furniture, a painting, the wall color. Moments are fleeting - live in a space that allows you to pause, recognize them and immerse yourself. It's Michael Jackson now that sets the tone, collecting the memories - being enjoyed for many years and then it's Frank Sinatra reminding us of what he brings to the dinner party. So are the design details in our home. Whether a design element is moved to another room in our home or replaced with that piece that, for reasons sometimes unknown, stops us in our tracks - it remains on our design playlist. 

We capture moments by committing every part of those moments to memory. This includes our surroundings, the sounds, the people. Was it raining or sunny? What music was playing? What city were we in? What were we eating/drinking? Who were we sharing it with, maybe no one? What other things did our five senses pick up? It is all these things that have made us who we are. Jim Rohn said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". At first read it would seem that we are defined by those five people without any control over it. Dig deeper - we do have control - who we are capturing our moments with is 100% in our control. And the design of the home we create to live is also in our control. Give both the importance they deserve - the people you spend the most time with and the thought you put into the home you create. 

Be inspired.