Put some soul into your surroundings

You can complete your sentimental journey at home, writes Kya deLongchamps, by mixing some personal stuff.

THERE’S one style that politely re-introduces itself at least every five years. It may be described as country casual, light romantic, nostalgic, vintage. This year according to the Trend Book, a design industry standard for what’s happening in interiors, it’s simply termed ‘sentimental style’. Whatever it’s dubbed this look is reassuringly familiar, every time it comes to call.

You can buy an entire room from a showroom floor, and many contemporary packages have a flat screen television thrown in to sweeten the add-water-and-stir experience. What these rooms do not include is any soul whatsoever. There’s no feeling of accumulation, of having collected and placed things that are truly personal. Older things, things that look like they were handmade or even homemade, appeal to our deeper senses, the part of us that longs for the uncomplicated comfort and memories of home.