Rescue From Domestic Perfection

Submitted by Carmen Natschke - Editor, The Decorating Diva LLC on Sunday, 14 January 2007

is the name of a new decorating book by Dan Ho, the anti-decorating decorating guru who a few years back launched the anti-decorating shelter magazine called “Rescue”. Dan offers up some wonderful ideas about decorating as a style instead of decorating for the sake of decorating. They are timeless recommendations in a world in which we often mistakenly believe that the perfect upscale kitchen with Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, granite, Espresso bar and crystal chandeliers will bring us happiness when in reality simply eating dinner off those cherished china dinner plates bequeath to you by your grandmother brings a happiness unlike any other.

Mix the low with the high. Keep the chipped china that belonged to your grandmother. Put out that acrylic afghan. Serve cupcakes and champagne.

Value what you have. Resist the idea that if you bought new accent tables or lamps, life would be better. Instead, drape a scarf you don’t wear over the table you already have. Add a pink bulb to a lamp and cast a new flattering light over your possessions.

Leave the ’50s tile in the bathroom and use the money you would have spent on remodeling to buy a great piece of art. The art can be passed down.

Pay attention to the legacy factor. An Ikea chair may end up in a landfill but the one by Le Corbusier will be snapped up if you put it out on the curb.

Forget the idea that your house should be ready for guests at any time. True hospitality, Ho says, “is generosity with your personal time and space, the ability to go with the flow. If you’ve got the domestic-diva guest room set up, so what? Maybe you should take in a boarder.”

Declutter your bed. “Beds are not meant to be gazed upon as if they were the pillow aisle at Nordstrom.”

Instead of remodeling so you’ll have more space, pare down. Use a suitcase to house out-of-season clothes. Convert your summer cooler into a “closette” for storing beach towels and gear during the winter.

Clean. We live in a world where it’s easy not to get down on your knees and scrub your floor, Ho says. “We miss out on an opportunity to renew our relationships to our objects because we don’t handle them. But when you preen your stuff, you love it a little more.” (source Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)