How to Blend Personal Items Into Your Interior Decor

To make a home feel like your own space, you must add a few personal touches, photos, or items with sentimental value. The trick is to do this without taking away from the beauty and simplicity of your aesthetic design. No one wants to walk into a contemporary living room and feel confused about the wall of collectible action figures that don’t fit the rest of the interior decor.

Design is all about balance. Finding a link between aesthetically pleasing interior design and personal items is one of the trickiest balancing acts. 

Here are the 4 vital rules to remember when blending personal items into your interior decor.

1. Keep it simple

The most important rule when adding sentimental items to your space is not to overwhelm it. Having a few personal things in each room helps make a space feel more like home. However, covering an entire feature wall in photos from your travels can feel suffocating. Consider choosing three or four items to add to your decor or even one large piece. For example, if you played college sports, frame your jersey and mount it rather than trying to fit every trophy and unique item on a bookshelf for all to see. Remember, your home is a home, not a museum.  

2. Pair up old and new items

Part of keeping it simple is pairing old and new items together. When we say old, we refer to things with a personal story. Newer items are generally those things that serve as design elements but may not hold the same sentimental weight. Mixing old and new items together also creates a feeling of intention within a space.

If you have numerous travel photos, consider a photo wall. However, instead of printing off 50 or more photos to clutter an entire wall, choose a few of your favourite images and some of the physical items such as train tickets or postcards. This blending of different visuals can give a wall the look of being curated and well planned. We’ve all seen one of those walls with 100+ photos of friends. Unfortunately, this kind of wall doesn’t mean much to visitors to your home and can be a bit overwhelming. It’s more powerful to pick a few of your favourite things and intersperse them amongst more neutral decor. 

3. Keep the design theme and colours in mind

Pairing an action figure collection alongside mid-century modern furniture is hard to do. If you keep it simple and choose a few figures to display, it can be easier to pull off. Blend them in with other design elements, and keep the design esthetic in mind. If you’re home decor generally features muted earthy tones, adding vibrant colour through a collection of ornaments will stand out in stark contrast. However, if you display a few select items that pull shades from the art or an area rug in the space, it’ll feel more intentional and balanced. 

4. Plan out location

Ultimately, any space needs to have its functionality as the primary goal when designing and decorating. Having an extensive collection of inherited china teacups in your living room will feel out of place and will never get any practical use. Bookshelves are a great place to merge functionality and personality in any space. Adding a few sentimental items into the decor of a bookshelf is the best way to add in some of your personality without it taking away from the practical use of the room or getting in the way of more useful items. 

It may seem impossible to blend personal style into the designs we see in home decor magazines and showrooms, but it’s possible. If you’re struggling to find a way to bring your style and sentimental items into your home without making it feel out of place and cluttered, our designers can help. Our complimentary design service allows you to ask for advice when planning out your home and looking for the furniture you need to display who you are in style. Get in touch today with someone on our team.