Does your home look like a showplace? I have seen some very beautiful homes and they don’t exactly lend themselves to whimsical touches. Or, do they? I have been surprised on many occasions to observe something fun or whimsical in the middle of a stately design plan.
No matter how lovely your home is, don’t be afraid to add some whimsical touches. As long as they work, they won’t take away from your design. It’s especially important to add some lightness and some fun if you have children. That’s what one woman did who owns a great home in Chicago.
My mom owns a professional cleaning service, which I helped manage for a while when I still lived up there. When I walked into the home I mentioned, I was impressed. It was very large, had a great floor plan and it was decorated very nicely.
The living room was like a parlor, and it was obvious that this was not a space where the family spent much time. However, the family room had a cozy feel, even though it too was a designed space. The interesting thing was the child’s painting hanging amongst the expensive artwork. What a great touch! It made the space feel so much warmer, and I’m certain it made the child feel appreciated and more comfortable in the otherwise upscale surroundings. I’m sure the designer would have had an absolute fit, but I thought it was great.
When I went upstairs, the children’s rooms were absolutely gorgeous. The perfect little boy’s room and the perfect little princess room. They looked like they came right off the pages of a magazine. Then, I entered the bathroom between the two rooms.
It looked like an aquarium. This was no half-baked ocean theme; it was a fantastic and enchanting underwater vision. It was filled with colorful and fun items and was absolutely inspired. The walls were the perfect shade of blue and the sheer blue shower curtain looked like water. It was just darling. I asked the mom about it and she said that she had done that room herself.
I remember thinking how great it was that even in the midst of beautiful and expensive furnishings, this mom had made sure she kept things fun, interesting, and comfortable for her children. These whimsical touches were surprising against the richly appointed backdrop seen throughout the rest of the home, but they were simply delightful.
The moral of the story is even if you have a picture perfect home it doesn’t hurt to have a few whimsical elements. Let go and have some fun!