Je ne sais quoi

What is it about the French, and the English, and the Italians that make their design aesthetic so appealing? Let's throw in more of Europe as one of my favorite current designers Anne Pulliam, recently declared her love for painted Danish antiques during her Homeworthy tour. We can turn to Brent Hull, master builder and craftsman, as he touches on this beautifully in his book, Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age.

“There seems to be an obsession [in America] to repair anything that shows the slightest crack. Often we replace something good with something cheaper. In France a mosaic with chips and holes is simply repaired, while in America it would be torn out and replaced.” - Building a Timeless House in an Instant Age.

Think of it like think of the American smile: shiny, polished, perfect. Brent's book primarily speaks to architectural woodwork like moldings and windows, but these concepts can also be true of design elements like furniture and fabrics.

There is a timeless quality that comes from excellence in craftsmanship and the use of real materials in a space, ones that age naturally. I've noticed many of the rooms that I'm drawn to use wood, stone, brick, metal and glass versus synthetics like acrylic, Formica, vinyl, laminate, etc. It creates a sense of permanence and connection to the natural world. These man-made materials are usually touted as lower-maintenance or more durable, but often these cannot be repaired once their useful life has ended. For example, luxury vinyl plank cannot be sanded and re-stained. It's low maintenance, but basically one-time use.

In using rugs as an example, there is a texture and depth to natural materials like wool, jute, sisal and seagrass versus synthetic rugs that can sometimes be as thin as paper. And let's be honest, who has actually thrown their oversized Ruggable rug in the wash? Seriously, please let me know if you have. Don't get me wrong, there is a huge appeal for some of these synthetics, but I've noticed the engineered surfaces tend to date more quickly than real materials, especially in hard finishes like counters (Corian, plastic laminate and dare I say, quartz). Time will tell.

Don't get me wrong, real materials are expensive. Just like eating real food these days is often more expensive than eating processed. We've made plenty of maintenance and budget driven decisions in our home. Heck, our dining room rug is polypropylene, but somehow between the dog and two young children we've pushed the limit on its ability to look good as new. Honestly, the dog is probably the worst offender (but totally worth it). I sometimes wonder if a wool rug would have cleaned up better in the long run. No knowing for now.

Our twelve year old Tibetan Terrier, Stash, enjoying his view from the dining room rug.