Designing for Nostalgia

Designing for Nostalgia

Shot by Roman Kraft

Amongst all the frequently changing interior trends today, designing a home that creates comfort and inspires nostalgia is counterculture. For designers, the challenge is to find pieces that will allow for new memories but which also appreciate the older elements of the space.

Our love of Australian mid-century modern design hasn’t wavered. Trends don’t lie - this style remerges every year. Memories of concrete breeze block walls, an olive velvet love seat and a mahogany bar cart full of fine liquor comes to mind.

The styles and elements of design that we were surrounded with in our youth have become touchstones of comfort in our homes today. As a homeowner, you’ll find yourself drawn to pieces that you had in your own home as a child. This presents an opportunity for exceptional interior design. There is an art in marrying the old with new. In my career as a designer, I feel I’ve mastered this concept out of necessity. By prioritising how my clients experience their home, I always find myself selecting pieces that comfort them and inspire memories of their youth.

Australia allocates incredible resources to encourage designing homes and landscapes within the Australian style whilst protecting and heritage features. Interior design schools in Sydney are now teaching courses about maintaining and respecting the heritage of a home. I’m sure you’re well aware that there are endless council regulations for older suburbs and buildings put in place. Even the well-loved Dulux Paint has a “Traditional Range” with heritage-specific paints designed for Australian weather and homes.

As a designer, I encourage to explore memories of your childhood home. Draw on features that you loved, and build from there. Consider the Australian native plants you had in your garden. Reminisce on the patterns of the textiles that your mother had in her living room, the pastel colours of your bathroom or the lace table cloth in the dining room. Hold onto pieces that your family loved and find ways to make them a part of your home today. Spaces that include pieces of your past tell a story, have character and are always beautiful to be within. The most important reason though, is these pieces from your past that you treasure will make feel like you’re home no matter what stage of life you’re in.

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