Christine Schwalm Design

When does something stop being classic and start being trendy?  After all, we'd all like to invest in furniture that qualifies as classic--especially expensive furniture.  But lately, I feel like I keep seeing the same things in shelter magazines--linen, mohair, neutral colors  like grey or mushroom, weathered woods and nickel are just a few examples.  It used to be that I'd consider furniture with these features classic; Belgian linen drapes in a stormy grey, mohair sofas in a soft mushroom brown or an old farmhouse style table that's clearly been "loved."

At the other end of the spectrum, you have full on Mid Century Modern.  Magazines like Metropolitan Home and Dwell feature this look almost exclusively.  Black leather, teak wood and geometric shapes abound. 

So, what to do?  My general advice when working on your home is always to consider three questions: Where am I?  Who lives here? What is the the purpose of this room?  The pieces in a room should always fit the space, residents and lifestyle.  This means storage for toys if you have kids and deep sofas for people over 6' tall.  No one is coming to your home to photograph it (unless maybe I've worked on it, wink wink), so instead buying "a look" that you think is popular, buy what you like and what suits your needs.

As for me, I honestly have no idea what look I'll go for in my next apartment.  I'm drawn to both the rough hewn antiqued look and Mid Century Modern.  I guess I'll just have to wait until I find a new place and take some time to really think about how I live.