- Oct 10, 2023
- 12 min read

Design 101 - How to Create a Timeless Interior (That's NOT Boring)

Updated: Oct 11, 2023

Sooooooo. You've heard the phrase "timeless interiors" and you're doing a little research. Smart move babes! Timeless is where it's at and I'll tell you why in a minute. But you've been Googling the heck out of that phrase aaand...

...le sigh.

You find a mind numbing parade of similar, bland, contemporary rooms.

The advice out there is all...neutral palette, clean lines, white linens, subtle patterns, less is more, less is more, beige, greige, White, WHIte, WHIIIITTTEEEE! And all you can think is that sounds like your own personal brand of boring, vanilla hell?! Whew! Me too darlin'. Me. Too.

Not that I have a problem with any of those things individually, but taken all together and without some serious design guidance you can end up with, well, the results above. The most maddening part is you can get some design guidance and still end up with the results above (looking at YOU big-box e-design websites). Not to worry though. I'm here to help you discover true timelessness which is the opposite of blah!

First things first. If timeless isn't those things, what is it, and why should I want it?

Truly timeless interiors can't be dated because they don't cling to a single era or trend or look. It's not about wiping out everything that stands out in a space and hoping that makes it last. Actual timeless interiors are complex, unique and look as good when they are designed as they do decades later, because if they were never "in" they can never go "out". That's why all those contemporary living rooms above will never be timeless. In spite of all the neutral colors and "clean" lines, they represent a very particular look that has become popular in the last decade but will eventually fade with time. Let's see some examples, then, of how to do it right. Take a look at the room below which is one of my favorite examples of timelessness.

Large living room in a traditional style, divided into three separate seating areas. The overall feel is of a large manor or plantation home. One is flanked by antique painted screens with Sunburst clock on the wall between them and includes upholstered chairs and sofa along with a scroll leg bench. Antique wall mirror anchors another seating group which includes an upholstered sofa and side chairs. The final seating group includes chairs and sofa and another scroll leg bench, with a zebra print throw over the back of the sofa. Walls are all off-white with dentil crown molding and decorative half pillars throughout the room. The floor is a high shine dark brown with no floor coverings. The most striking design element is the large-scale black, white and grey chintz fabric that covers a number of the larger chairs and sofas. Several vases with large white floral arrangements are scattered around the room.

This room could easily have graced the pages of Traditional Home or Southern Living magazines a week ago, so would you be surprised to know that this was designed by Albert Hadley (an iconic Interior Designer) in 1962? Hadley designed this space for tastemaker Nancy Pyne who wanted something vastly different from what everyone else was doing at the time.

Curious what most living rooms looked like in 1962? Here's a page from Better Homes and Gardens magazine that year.

Suburban living room circa 1962 with orange and off white color palette with dark wood accents. Two midcentury modern chairs in an orange upholstery sit across from a midcentury sofa with off-white cushions. Window coverings are simple orange blinds with window wall accented by an orange geometric print wallpaper. Low midcentury table between the chairs holds a couple of decor items and a lamp. On the righthand wall is a modular bookcase desk combo with simple side chair. Bookcase is filled with books and some simple ceramic pieces. An orange rug and tall potted plant in the corner complete the space.

Saturated colors, Scandinavian furniture and geometric prints were the height of fashion. But it didn't take long before interiors started to veer towards the softer colors, plusher furnishings, and frilly fabrics of the 80's, leaving the look above feeling old and dated. And while everyone else was stripping their homes of one trend and switching it up for the next, Nancy Pyne was sitting pretty in a home she still loved and that still felt relevant. In fact Pyne had those same sofas and chairs, upholstered in the same fabric, until the 2000's. Girl must have been an absolute queen at upholstery cleaning!

So WHY timeless design? That's a no-brainer! Because YOU want to be sitting pretty in a home that YOU still love and that still feels relevant decades down the road! Let all the other copycats make themselves crazy chasing the trends. You're smarter than that! Consider the impact to your wallet, the landfill, and frankly your sanity if you purchase a few really great pieces that last 50 years, versus a bunch that need to be replaced every time a trend dies. The time, money and resource savings have been known to save a marriage or two. It's also a really stellar option for vampires that are sick of the redecorating and just wanna exist in peace. I feel that.

Now here's my favorite part of the Hadley/Pyne story. They used a floral chintz fabric they both fell in love with even though chintz was out of fashion at the time. Pyne's family and friends told her not to use it but she ignored them. Skip ahead to 2008 when she was downsizing to a retirement home and Schumacher Fabrics approached her to re-release the now iconic print. She provided them with some cuttings from the original fabric and the pattern was made available in 2010 as "Pyne Hollyhock" and became sought after all over again. Here it is as it appears on Schumacher's website today.

Corner of a living space with floor to ceiling drapes in Pyne Hollyhock pattern. Adjacent chair is a traditional style with grey upholstery and leopard print pillow. In the left foreground is the arm of a sofa and side table with a lamp, potted plant and some decorative beads. The walls are a white shiplap and the overall style is modern farmhouse. Design credit in lower right corner to Sherry Hart Design.

Doesn't look old, right? Even if it's not your particular taste you can see how the pattern can still be relevant today and appeal in a way that doesn't speak to trends. THAT'S timeless.

Below are pictures of Nancy Pyne in the originally designed room in 1962....

Nancy Pyne sits in foreground on scroll leg stool sitting on a zebra skinned rug. Sofa and chair upholstered in original hollyhock chintz, along with two side chairs create a seating group around a fireplace. In the left back corner of the room is an upholstered wingback chair and on the right is a potted tree and a low table with a lantern on it. Over the fireplace is a portrait of a boy. The fireplace wall is accented with dentil crown molding and four decorative columns.

...and Pyne in her retirement cottage with freshly upholstered pieces in 2010. Still stunning.

Nancy Pyne, appearing much older than in the previous photo, sits in the foreground on the same scrolled stool on top of the zebra hid rug. Same layout as the original room with hollyhock chintz on a sofa and chair, and the two same side chairs creating a seating group in front of the fireplace. The room is much smaller with a lower ceiling, white, painted, wide-plank wooden floors and windows on either side of the fireplace. The overall feeling is of a country cottage. A simple gilded mirror over the fireplace is flanked by two period sconces depicting eagles.

Pyne also hated curtains, rugs, and what she called "clutter", so as you can see in all of these photographs the floors are mostly bare, the curtains are very plain, and there are only very minimal decor items. This was one woman that knew what she loved, was not afraid to forge her own path, and kicked all the doubters to the curb.

Here's another favorite timeless design of mine. Below is an image of Yves Saint Laurent's Paris salon photographed in 1976...

Large living room with high ceilings completely paneled in a low grain wood. A modern sofa and four wood wrapped club chairs surround a glass coffee table with a metal sculpture. Sofa is flanked by pedestals holding two large vases painted in geometric designs. Sofa is covered in pillows, some solid, some in tiger and leopard print. A carved wood stool of Asian origin sits in front of this grouping. In the forefront is a leather upholstered chair on the left sitting in front of a bar cart. There are several side table around the room, all holding sculptures and art pieces. There is part of a large area rug in the foreground with a crane pattern on it. A large painting hangs on the back wall depicting a leopard drinking at a watering hole. The overall feeling is somewhere between a chic martini lounge and a paneled library. — Pascal Hinous/Conde Nast/Getty Images. Artworks: © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

...and the same salon photographed in 2009 after it was redecorated to house his art collection.

Living room as in the picture above with the same sofa, chairs, carved stool, pedestals with vases and chair in foreground that has been reupholstered in a dark leather. Bar cart has been traded out for art easel with painting of a boy. Coffee table has been changed to low wood one and holds a greater assortment of sculptures and art objects. The back wall now has four paintings, all done in various styles, and there are three more hung on the wall to the left. The rug has been removed as have all but two of the solid pillows on the sofa. — Castel. Artwork: © 2019 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

As you can see the majority of the furnishings and decor items remained the same including the sofa, chairs, stools and some of the side tables. The flooring, wood paneling and lighting remained as well. The patterned rug and pillows were removed so as not to compete with the art, but very little needed to be done to this incredibly chic room. Anyone else craving a martini now? It's 5 o'clock somewhere...probably in Paris.

And one more just for the heck of it. Below is a photograph of Ralph Lauren's Round Hill Cottage in Jamaica as photographed for House and Garden magazine in 1984.

Large living room with high hipped ceiling. At the far end are a fireplace with a stone surround and an ornate 18th century French mirror above it, bookcases to the left with a low modern custom Donghia chaise below, and a bent cane chair with white upholstery snugged up to the fireplace. Closer to the foreground is a large sectional upholstered in white and two of the same bent cane chairs. The chandelier is a candelabra style with shades. Walls are white plaster with original trim, doors and floors. There is a large palm tree in the room as well. Overall feeling is a relaxed British colonial plantation style.

And here is the same room in 2007 as photographed for Architectural Digest.

Same living room as above with few changes but the addition of some colored pillows and throws, a much healthier palm underplanted with some pink tropical flowers, a couple of other pots with pink tropical flowers around the room and the addition of some seashells collected on the top of the mantle..

Well THAT aged well. Not a lot changed aside from adding a little more color. I don't know about you but I would be living on that custom Donghia chaise below the bookcase.

Close up photo of custom Donghia chaise sitting under bookcase in above room. One pink and one turquoise pillow and one turquoise pillow add some color along with a red throw draped across the foot. A small brass reading lamp off to the side and a bamboo side table with some decor items complete this cozy little corner.

Yeah. That one.

Now what other qualities does a timeless design have and what should you keep in mind?

MOST IMPORTANTLY...seriously, tattoo this on your brain...timeless design fits where and for whom it is designed. The needs of each home and it's inhabitants are a unique combination. If you design for place and people every design will be inherently unique. The closer a design is matched to the place and people, the longer that design will last. When you satisfy your wants and needs with personalized design, the desire to follow trends and seek constant change is eliminated. You don't have to keep looking for the next best thing, because you already have the best thing FOR YOU.

So how do you do it? How do you make sure your design fulfills your wants and needs?

Firstly, don't try to copy what you see somewhere else. I know this can be hard, I get it. We're constantly manipulated with marketing messages because companies and influencers WANT us to copy what we see. Why? Because it lines their pockets honey, but it empties yours! It's ok to use images of other rooms for inspiration....I do it all the time! But try to break down what it is that you really like about the design. Is it the overall mood? A great layout? Is it a particular piece? Is it the use of color or pattern or lighting? Make a list and use those things as guidelines for your design. Adapt them to YOU, not the other way around!

Next, focus on function and comfort. A room that's not functional or comfortable isn't going to last very long. You'll be changing things up in a year or two, tops. Consider how YOU need to use each room. What items do you need for those uses? Don't feel constrained by what the room is supposed to be, only by what you need it to be. Figure out your layout first and plan for plenty of storage. Then add things that make it comfortable and special for YOU like directed lighting, tactile upholstery, useful items at hand, sentimental pieces, that vase shaped like a monkey holding a lotus that you got in a little boutique shop back in your 30's that still makes you smile every time you see it...........

.....ahem.

A great example of this is the dining room below designed by Sasha Adler for a family in Chicago.

Dining room with white walls and pale wood floors. Windows at the far end have floor to ceiling drapes. A long, grey, channel tufted banquette spans the right wall, accompanied by a black marble dining table and some white upholstered dining chairs with metal hairpin legs. Above the banquette is a large framed art photograph of a children's dance class that appears to be taking place on a blue colored basketball court rather than in a studio. On the lefthand wall, an long antique cabinet has been topped in white stone and built in as a wet bar complete with bar sink and brass faucet. An arched alcove above it houses an old turntable, some vinyl records, glassware and decor items. Beside the wetbar are two orange upholstered Platner chairs with a small side table between, seated on a checkered area rug. The ceiling fixture is a large brass and glass orb one with a modern feel. The back wall has a large framed black and white are piece between the windows and on either side of the wetbar are what appear to be faux tortoise shell table lamps in a brass color. The overall feeling is one of relaxed luxury, and pieces seem to have been chosen for their statement making factor.

What is the "typical" layout in a dining room? Centering the table on the room and adding a couple of storage or serving pieces around the perimeter, right? That's what's expected, but that wouldn't have served the needs of this particular family. They also wanted a place to have a drink and to listen to music at the end of the day. So Adler chose to place the dining table against one wall with a long banquette, and add a wet bar, complete with lounge seating and a record player, on the opposite wall. Adler planned for function, and thought about the little comforts the family needed to make this space perfect for them. She was even able to repurpose the wife's favorite Platner chairs with the original orange mohair upholstery from her 1970's childhood home.

Which brings me to my next bit of advice which is have your room tell a story about YOU using things you love. If you don't know where to start, write a short bio about yourself! What bio would I write for the owners of the dining room above? I picture them as a down to earth and preferring informal entertaining. They appreciate music and the arts, and value pieces that are solid and comfortable as well as items with sentimental value. They don't like fussiness but need a little drama thrown in here and there to keep things interesting. What do you think? Sound likely based on the room's design? Once you identify your basic preferences and personality in your bio it can help guide you as you make choices for your space. So be honest, get personal and for sure mention your penchant for ceramic monkey vases.

Great, so now you know how to approach timeless, enduring design, but how do you make it not boring?

Contrast and novelty are everything! If you want to fall down a bit of the same rabbit hole I did, here is a link to an article from the New York Times' The Cut about the human brain's need for variety and complexity in our built environments. For the rest of you who can stay on task (unlike me obviously), here's a synopsis. There are negative physical and psychological effects to environments we find "bland, monotonous and passionless" (think cubicles in an office or the long blank facade of a warehouse type building). The negative effects manifest in the form of low levels of brain activity (psychological boredom), and higher heart rate and cortisol levels (physical stress). It's kind of alarming actually, that boring environments aren't simply neutral but are actively causing us stress! That's the LAST thing you want your home to do.

Consider the following images:

A living room with white walls, furniture two different colors, a dark brown and a white and all in a contemporary style. Furnishings include a low sectional and two chairs, a waterfall coffee table and two low ottomans. There is a very small rug under the coffee table in dark brown. An floor lamp with a matte silver finish arcs over the chairs. Curtains are dark brown. There are four square framed prints on the longest wall, each with a different flower on them which is the only color in the room. The feeling of the room is sterile with no personal touches. — Plain contemporary living room

Large living room with white walls, floor to ceiling windows with orange silk drapes, and a traditional crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Furnishings are all textural, some feeling rustic, some more refined like a marble topped, stepped coffee table with brass legs. Ethnic textiles along with carved wood and cane furnishings add a world traveller vibe and keep the space feeling casual. A collection of paintings, all different styles and subject matter and hung in a variety of frames grace one wall. Overall the room has a warm, eclectic, collected feel to it. — Living Room by Janie Molster Designs

Which room has more visual complexity and variety? Obviously the second. So which is better for your psychological and physical health? Yep, you guessed it! I know I made that incredibly obvious for you, but seriously...this ain't brain surgery darlin'. But it will still affect your brain.

Okay, variety and complexity. Sure, sounds reasonable but what does that mean practically speaking? Here's a list of elements you can manipulate when executing your design.

1. Use contrast.

High and low, modern and traditional, old and new. The more varied your space, the less likely your room can be pinned to any one era, and the less boring and more timeless it becomes. Designer Angie Hranowsky excels at this as evidenced in the room she designed below. Here she used furnishings and decor from a range of time periods, styles and price points. That along with her on-point use of color banishes the boring and makes this room impossible to date.

Informal sitting room with a variety of furnishings including midcentury modern dining chairs and game table, traditional style settee with graphic black and white upholstery, slope arm side chairs , a vintage bamboo chippendale chair a parsons console table and a freeform coffee table. Walls are paneled and painted in two shades of butter yellow with accents in dark plum, lavender and orchid. Floors are pale wood and a contemporary white metal candelabra sconce hangs above. A gilt mirror and some large scale original art complete the room. The overall feeling is sunny and carefree.

2. Add or capitalize on architectural details.

If your room has architecture, great, highlight it! If not, consider adding some in the form of moldings and trims, built-ins or wall and ceiling details. A plain white box is like that warehouse facade...gut wrenchingly soulless and devoid of all human emotion. (Dramatic? Me? Never! I'm trying to heal your physical and psychological wounds here people.) Architectural detail adds a layer of complexity and visual depth to your design. Remember, though, while you can let the architecture contribute to your overall design, don't be a slave to it. That's just creating a time capsule...not something timeless. Consider this room by Jean-Louis Deniot that uses its classical architecture as a foil to the more modern elements in the room.

Large living room with classical style picture frame moldings, and wainscoting. Plaster details in a leaf pattern add additional detail. A fireplace surround with fluted detail anchors the far wall and an art photograph printed with a pink filter hangs above. Furniture includes a blue upholstered kidney shaped sofa, a classical style chair and a modern style chair. The coffee table is freeform metal with a blue lacquered top. A midcentury modern lamp sits on what looks like a desk behind the sofa. Some more modern 3D art pieces and sofa pillows add a touch more pink to the room.The overall feeling is still a bit formal but with a more contemporarycurated air.

3. Use one-of-a-kind or statement making pieces.

You know what's THE OPPOSITE of boring? Something you've never seen before! Adding interest and variety can be as easy as hanging some original art or using an antique or unique item in your room. One of the modern masters of using statement pieces is designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. Here is a room in the Beverly Hills home he designed for RuPaul featuring a number of disco balls hanging from the ceiling, and walls plastered with stunning photographs of RuPaul in drag. I can guarantee you've never seen something like this before! Be fearless, be bold, do something new. And in the immortal words of RuPaul..."good luck and don't f**k it up".

This large living space with two-story ceilings and full-height multiple steel and glass doors leading out to a garden looks like it could have been a ballroom at one time. There are some classical details like an ornate crown molding with plaster work, picture frame paneling and wainscoting and a tall fireplace in what could be black and white marble. The entire palette is black white and grey for high drama with the only true color coming from a pink ikat print on the pillows for some club chairs. The ceiling is absolutely covered in huge disco balls in silver and black mirrors all at varying heights. The walls are filled with black and white images of RuPaul modeling in drag. The floor is done in an oversized trellis pattern with alternating octagons and squares, and the large club chairs are covered in a wood print pattern in grey with fringe around the bottom. The overall feeling is over-the-top drama, just like the homeowner.

4. Combine colors in new ways.

One thing that can really date a space faster than any other is color. Remember the avocado green, mustard yellow, and orange of the 60's? The bright neon and golden oak of the 80's? The burgundy, forest green and espresso finish of the 90's and 00's? And don't get me started on the oil-rubbed bronze craze people! When approaching color for your home, don't look at what everyone else is doing if you want it to last. Find a combination that you love but is a little unconventional. To do this, pull color palettes from art, nature or items you want in your room. Take, for example, this unexpected but exquisite combination by Miles Redd. Redd pulled the color palette for this dining room from the artwork, and ended up with this striking design. The benefits of using a color palette this unexpected...no one will ever be able to date this room based on its colors, and your room, and you by extension, will always remain memorable. The downside of using a color palette this unexpected is...just kidding, there are no downsides.

Dining room draped in a striated wall covering in multiple shades of deep blue with plain oak floors. There is a white lacquer tulip dining table surrounded by a traditional style chair covered in a glossy chartreuse vinyl or leather. A black and gold sideboard with an Asian influence sits on the back wall with a painting hung above it that is the inspiration for the entire space. It is a portrait of an African American man wearing a green striped sweater with a bit of a chartreuse t-shirt peeking out at the collar. The background is a cobalt blue covered in flowers and leaves in a gold tone. The overall feeling of the room is intimate in spite of the dramatic color palette.

5. Layer patterns and textures.

Pattern and texture to me are intricately linked and essential to interesting design, but this is an area where a lot of people struggle to make it work. If that describes you, my advice is to study some designer spaces, obtain a variety of samples for your room and just play with it. Have a little fun! If you have a couple of small scale prints, throw a large scale one in there to shake it up. Add in stripes, geometrics and organic prints. If you want a cozy space, use soft, fuzzy or wooly fabrics. If you want a luxe feel, add in some shine and sparkle. If you want cool and comfortable, opt for sleek or crisp materials. The only hard and fast rule is mix it up! It's hard to date any space with an interesting mix of pattern and textures as long as they span multiple eras and trends.

Hotel bedroom suite featuring bed with tall multicolor-floral upholstered headboard. At the end of the bed is a sofa with bold graphic black and white pattern. The wallcovering has a grey linen texture to it and there are multi striped pillows, multicolored curtains in a geometric pattern and more floral pillows on the sofa. The bedskirt is a yellow matelasse with a chevron pattern. There are some art pieces on the walls in different styles, one in a modern frame and one in a gold and black classical frame. A walnut bistro table houses a couple of side chairs with a mix of grey and bright pink upholstery. The overall feeling is cheerful but cozy.

Above is a bedroom created by hotelier and designer Kit Kemp who is absolutely fearless at combining pattern and texture, and you can learn a lot from examining her work. See how she uses different sizes of patterns, from the large scale prints on the headboard and sofa, down to the small scale striations on the wallpaper and stitched chevron on the bedskirt? Repeating colors keeps the disparate patterns feeling cohesive and she intersperses bolder patterns with more subdued ones, making this a level of pattern and texture a lot of people could be comfortable with. This is one of her middle-of-the-road designs as far as mixing pattern and texture, but even her more layered designs use the same basic principles. Let's quickly look at one of those.

This space is basically the setup for a whole apartment including a living area in the foreground, a dining area and bed in the midground, and a dressing room in the another small room in the background. The room is filled with patterns and textures, but the palette is fairly restrained. It is primarily red, tan and blue with some yellow and persimmon thrown in. The living area houses a rustic coffee table, a sofa covered in a large-scale pomegranate print and a striped chair. The dining table is the same tone wood as the coffee table and is surrounded by chairs in the pomegranate print and some in the same print as the wallcovering, but in a yellow color. The wallcovering appears to be a block print fabric with a red background instead of yellow. The bed has Kit Kemps signature tall headboard and is covered in a print with some flowers and coral that create a stripe effect on a tan background. In the back room there is a dressing table draped in the same block print as the walls. The walls of the dressing room are covered in what looks like a vintage print of English garden roses. The groupings of roses create a stripe effect down the fabric which has a tan background. Some quirky art and a chandelier made of multicolored glass tiles rounds out the room. The overall feeling is like a cozy but eccentric cottage.

Kemp designed this space for the Chelsea Harbor showroom of Turnell and Gigon, and I'm swooning. No really, where's the fainting couch? It's a riot of patterns and textures, but it still starts with the same principles as the bedroom above. Keeping a tight rein on the color palette ensures all of the patterns feel cohesive and mixing the scale of the prints gives the eye a resting point in between the bolder moments.

But there are a couple of master-stroke moves she made here that she didn't use in the bedroom above. Take a look at how Kemp used the same print on the wall and dining chairs but in different colorways.

This is a close up of the dining area of the room above showing the walls in red block print, and the dining chairs in the same print on a yellow ground.

The repeating pattern keeps the dining area from feeling too busy, but the change in color lets the chairs stand out a bit more. But the most brilliant thing she does is with the prints on the headboard and the wall covering in the rear room. Looking across the space those two elements really appear to flow together. Here, let me show you a closer view because this is the good bit.

This is a close up view of the bed and dressing room area in the room above showing the similarities in color and appearance of the fabric on the headboard and the wallcovering behind the dressing table.

See how the colors of those two prints are the same as is the scale? They also have the same organic, garden-bouquet feel to them and they both create a stripe effect on a neutral ground. While they are not the same print, they are so closely related visually that they go together like wine and cheese. This is GOAT level pattern mixing people. I can only hope to aspire to this one day.

Alright my darlings, this has been an absolute brain dump of information and I hope it helps guide you when creating your NOT-SO-BORING timeless space...because that's what timeless is really all about after all. And to finish this out and give your tired brains a rest (and mine too), here is an eye candy collection of some of my favorite timeless rooms for inspiration. One of these dates back to the 1930's and some are only a few years old. Try to guess which is which, but you can always hover over each picture to find out. When you're ready, get out there and design a timeless room! And once more for good measure...good luck and don't f**k it up!

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