Modern Fall color + a tiny little rant

I love how this trad Fall palette by Todd Romano is distracted a little by bits of charcoal, silver and fuschia. The addition of the rustic/modern faux bois is also a nice touch. And that artwork!

I know faux bois and Ikat have seemed trendy for some time now in the design world — even used to the point of overkill. But I still love them both and feel they are classics that should never fully retire. Unfortunately, I can't send a single item out the doors of Finderskeepers that features either motif.

Why do some trends have to be six or seven years old, then appear mass produced in the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog, before people want to purchase them? I often wish people were a little more confident in their own taste and didn't desire an over-designed aesthetic full of details they feel are acceptable or sought after by others. Just listen to people on all of these current real estate shows (another pet peeve of mine). Every episode features the same boring checklist of "needs" the house buying couple cannot live without. Where is the character? The personality? Why should anyone ever have so much trouble trying to decide between 8 shades of beige for their walls?

Yes, I do get a little worked up over such things. I have seen so many homes with such great potential give into the wiles of Pottery Barn. You walk in and an artifice of perfection permeates your clothing like cigarette smoke. Trust me, I am not anti-Pottery Barn. I am only anti-let-me-buy-the-whole-damn-page-and-get-this-all-over-with.

Have fun with the things that surround you. Make your spaces beautiful to you. Don't take design too seriously. Conjure up a creative lifestyle in your home that says something about the people that live there. It is a process and it comes in layers that take time. It takes more effort than one quick swoop of your credit card.