Interior Design, much like anything, is always changing, evolving. My personal understanding and even aesthetic has an evolving identity. I wanted to share my recent “Ah hah” moment to possibly shed light on expectations and what we may consider beauty within our homes.

My home, as most of you know is a one hundred year old Tudor Revival. Although we have renovated three bathrooms, moved, changed, and added new plumbing, there are many pipes that are still original we haven’t nor intend to rip everything down to the studs. This reality has made us extremely cautious of our water quality. Although we’ve invested into purifiers and filters etc. we were still convinced that our water was “bad”. This was confirmed by, what I assumed, was my faucets deteriorating. This beautiful, high quality brass faucet was slowly becoming dull and ‘corroding’. This was further from the truth than the sunshine is from Illinois.

The fact was, my Kingston Brass, high quality faucet was doing EXACTLY what it was supposed to do. 

If you’ve ever admired an antique you have seen what happens when nature grabs hold. After years exposed to the natural elements of our lives; the air, water even the best quality, oils from our hands, the list could go on and on. There is a certain classification of materials that basically could never avoid the patina that most of us, “old lovers” yearn for, Living Finish. This term could apply to anything whose material is expected, and sometimes encouraged to grow and change over time. Maintaining perfection is not only impractical but not the desired effect. I’m not sure why I assumed that these materials were a thing of the past, but the reality is that even our ‘modern’ fixtures, counters, and flooring may have a finish that in the year 2095 will be much like the ‘antiques’ of 1908.

Honoring these materials in design reminds me of what it means to honor beauty wherever you may find it. Whether it is our bodies, our hair, our clothing, our interiors. There is something so unapologetically pure in celebrating the beauty of growth. Instead of looking for perfection and expecting beauty to be frozen in time, we must celebrate our homes, as we do our bodies, in every stage. The scratch on the wooden floor can easily be viewed as an imperfection you are already making plans to correct. But instead, appreciate the scratch as the unique imperfection that make your floors uniquely yours. The friendly reminder of a child playing with a toy, or a silly mistake made when you first moved in. Let these living finishes be a living testament to the stories that make your home beautiful and perfectly yours.

If perfection isn’t your aim consider these materials

Marble

Depending on the color, the aging may be different but embracing the way it reflects the flaws of a life well lived cannot be duplicated

Concrete

A natural, porous surface that will stain and etch over time

Unlacquered Brass (or any unsealed metal)

Usually these may begin with a high gloss finish but the real beauty comes as time leaves it’s story.

Hardwoods

Opting for real hardwoods will ensure that the natural wear will look natural instead of simply ‘damaged’, sorry laminate just won’t cut it.