to naturally,” says Baskerville, who, as a redhead, both wears and surrounds herself with earth tones punctuated by blasts of red. It’s what she feels comfortable with — and “most people have an eye for things they are comfortable with,” she says.
AUTHENTICITY IS WHAT MATTERS Indeed, in recent years design has shifted away from picture-perfect perfection toward a more individualistic bent. “This idea of authenticity is really evident in all the magazines and websites and design influencers I follow,” says Nicole Scott, owner of Nicole Scott Designs. “This is how people are decorating right now … Clients are becoming more accepting of doing things this way rather than following rules or deferring decisions to someone else.” After years of styling clients’ products in a don’t-breathe-or-you’ll-knock-it-over manner, Henson was of the same mind. She decided to start a blog about real homes: the ones you and I and our best friends live in. Inspiring and stylish, yes, but also lived-in and organic, constantly shifting, like our worlds. This is also the style ethic of Ines Hanl, principal of Victoria’s The Sky is the Limit Interior Design Concepts. “Reality for everybody is cat and dog hair everywhere, scratches on furniture, children’s toys strewn around, yesterday’s dishes on the table, crumbs of snacks in the creases of the pillows and moisture rings from wineglasses on the table,” she says. Sounds like home. HOME IS FOR YOUR HEART Your home should serve as a refuge and a safe haven, not as yet another high expectation you’re never quite able to fulfil. Your living space should allow you to express yourself in a three-dimensional environment, advises Hanl, who adopts a rather bohemian vibe at home, combining Mexican and Moroccan style influences with art deco and kitsch in her Fernwood house. “Are you, as a person, perfect?” she asks. Right. So why would you expect your environment to represent something that isn’t honest to who you really are? All-white sofas and chairs might represent your fantasy home, but if you garden, paint, cook, raise children, stroke cats or occasionally eat things made with yellow dye #6, then maybe this look isn’t for you. Adapt your environment to allow you to enjoy yourself and your family members without being upset at people for having their summer-dirty heels up on the ottoman. “Embrace yourself,” says Hanl, who aims for joy rather than precision. “Keeping up appearances with the Joneses won’t do anything positive for your psyche — and in the end the Joneses will still bitch about you, if that is what they are all about.” Our advice? Dump the Joneses. And paint your side of the fence sunshine yellow. 60
YAM MAGAZINE JUL/AUG 2017