5 Top Tips to Achieving the Nostalgic Nest

Last week, I posted about the ISCD event I attended in Adelaide. During the event, we took a quiz to find out what current trend or style we best identified with. I got Nostalgic Nest. At first, I had horrible visions of stuffy old homes with old photo frames, dusty fake plants and war memorabilia and thought: that's not me! But then, I gave it some thought, read the description below and came to a conclusion.

Nostalgic Nest 

Like a bower bird, you collect bits and pieces. You are earthy, sentimental, individual, and your home is rich with detail. You treat your home as a gallery, filled with happy memories, photo albums, unique souvenirs from travels and your own made treasures. Displaying your true self on the walls, your collection tells a story. You are not concerned with what your neighbours homes are like, you are true to your own style.

It’s true that I don’t associate with any particular style. I do love gallery walls, art and books. I believe the best homes are created with a mishmash of meaningful art and objects that the owners completely adore. Who said that no matter what you put in your home, as long as you completely adore it, it will look beautiful? Ah yes, my latest mantra: "with creative vision, the most incidental item can be the making of beauty in the home".

I'm not so mindful of matching sets or keeping in line with a certain period in history. That's not how I got taught to decorate. My grandmother had mid-century modern furniture placed next to French antiques, and art of different styles and periods. A collection ages better than a set!

With this in mind, I came up with my 5 top tips for creating the perfect Nostalgic Nest.


1. Treat your home as a gallery. The description of the nostalgic nest says it. Your house should be like a museum curated by you. Only buy and display items your truly love. Don't worry too much about it all fitting together, it should all come together naturally.

2. Display your family photos in an innovative way. Gone are the days of dusty photo frames stacked on the mantelpiece. Find new ways to display family photos, like blowing up a family shot, and then mount it under acrylic, like Lulu DeKwiatkowski did in with that beautiful shot of her son and husband taken underwater.

3. Treat your bathroom as any other room. Bathrooms tend to be so stale. Personalize your bathroom by adding artwork, rugs, antiques or anything else that works for you, and that blends the bathroom to the rest of the house. Because of the humidity factor, often second-hand items found at the local antique shop will do perfectly.

4. Consider the mood you want and the lifestyle that will take place in the room. Do you prefer lighter happier spaces or do you want a dark moody library to retreat to on rainy days? Treating your room as a gallery does not mean you want to be watching TV in the Louvres. Comfort and usability is key to good design. Natural light and proportion are essential to getting your room right.

5. If, like me a year ago, you're starting with a blank canvas, neutrals are your best friend. Walls and key furniture pieces in a neutral color will allow you to add virtually any piece of art or accessory later on, without having to worry about it clashing with your eccentric wall color or your feature sofa.

There you go people.

What do you think about the notion of a Nostalgic Nest? Is it a style you'd say you have followed in your own home? 

Photos via 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.