Creating interiors with Soul; why quality materials really do matter when it comes to your home

For the homemakers who crave beautiful homes and the designers who needed reasoning behind why they love what they do.

It is not a shallow desire to wish to make your surroundings as beautiful as possible. Life is about creating beauty. And we know that it goes beyond aesthetics, as we are now aware of the direct impact your environment has on your emotions and subsequent mood. So many women I work with and speak to, crave beauty in their homes, which is why they appear to be seeking me out, but when we delve a little deeper, the other common theme that arises is craving peace. A place that combats the busyness of their schedules, endless demands and above all, their minds.

When it comes to our homes where we spend so much of our precious time, it is imperative to consider how we can use this knowledge around the ripple effect of interior design, to bring more joy, peace and harmony into your life.

Layering quality materials like timber, vintage rugs, wool blankets & organic vessels are synonymous with one of my favourite designers; Amber Lewis' brand. Living room here by Amber Interiors. 

Which leads me to delving down into the detail and layers our homes are built upon. The quality of the things that you choose to surround yourself with daily, matters. In a ‘fast fashion’ world, where cheaply made, mass machine produced items are available at the touch of a button, resist the urge for a quick rush of pleasure, and consider instead how these purchases make you feel.

I know I don’t feel good about buying cheaply made timber veneer furniture, or the feel of an acrylic throw blanket on my skin. Sometimes we aren’t even aware of it, but in no time at all, these products are cast aside, no doubt adding to the clutter of our local salvos, or worse, ending up in landfill when they have broken within a matter of months.

Nostalgic dining room feels by New York design studio Anna Karlin. 

On the other hand, the feeling of a beautiful rustic, solid oak timber table to sit at, evokes thoughts of the craftsman who skilfully took the time to cut the timber, secure its pieces together, sand and stain it, to then make it to our homes where we admire it daily, withstanding many years of family meals together and memories made. My Dad recently suffered the loss of his beloved Mum, and as we went through the task of sorting through a lifetime of her collected things, he spoke of his one wish; to keep her dining table. A very long, classic mahogany timber table that served a lifetime of meals together with his cherished family of 9, and all the memories it held.

Or when it comes to renovating or building, considering how an artisan made tile feels compared to a cheap ceramic that you see used time and time again in other cookie cutter homes. I think sometimes people aren’t even aware of what they like anymore, and their choices are driven by what the Jones’s have or what the herd seem to be building- a lot of which is sadly replicating the same look over and over, as cheaply as possible, never intending to stand the test of time.

A beautifully considered living room designed by Alisha Taylor Interiors. Notice that the seating plan fosters connection and references to nature through stone, timber and plants, resulting in a space that really draws you in. 

My intention with this piece is to validate the craving we have for beautiful, peaceful homes, and to provoke deeper thought around how we design and curate the walls within them, considering how they feel on an innate level.

While a wool rug will always cost substantially more than a synthetic imitation, or a hand-crafted, artisan made vessel will require a bit more effort to source compared to the machine produced urn readily available at Kmart, it never ends up being a piece that you look at daily and admire. Or that lifts your spirits, inspires feelings of nostalgia and contentment at home.

Ultimately, it’s a process that takes time, high quality investments and a lot of design consideration, to make a home that is of course aesthetically beautiful, as they should be, but also feels good for the soul.

If you need some help with designing or styling your own home, I would love to hear from you; head to the project enquiries page to connect.

Until next time, Lottie x