Forget the Trends: How to Create a Home With Real Soul

I’ve been in the design world for a long time, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that trends are a trap. Honestly. I’ve seen it all. I remember a time when everyone had to have those heavy, elaborate kitchens with dark, ornate cabinets and fussy, textured walls. It felt very grand for about five minutes.

Then, just a few years later, many of those same people were calling us back, ready to spend a fortune to rip it all out for a super clean, all-white look. It was a powerful lesson. Chasing what’s hot right now is the fastest way to build a home you’ll end up disliking.

A space with real substance, one that you’ll love for years, isn’t about what’s popular this season. It’s about quality, thoughtful design, and a genuine connection to the people who actually live there.

Instead of getting caught up in fleeting styles, my work always comes back to a few core principles. You’ll see these ideas pop up as “trends” from time to time, but their roots go so much deeper. They’re about how materials feel to the touch, how you move through a room, and how light can completely transform a space. It’s about building something that lasts.

Getting Real with Materials: The Foundation of Good Design

The best spaces almost always begin with honest-to-goodness natural materials. Wood and stone are the original building blocks, and for good reason. They bring a warmth, texture, and a sense of permanence that factory-made products just can’t seem to replicate. But using them right means you have to respect their nature. It’s about so much more than just picking a pretty color.

The Living, Breathing Nature of Wood

Here’s the single most important thing to understand about wood: it’s not static. It’s alive, in a way. It moves. It expands when the air is humid and shrinks when it’s dry. The pros have a technical term for it, but all you need to know is that it breathes with the seasons.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called to look at a gorgeous, expensive dining table that has split right down the middle after a year. The cause is almost always the same—the person who built it didn’t plan for that natural movement.

So, how do the pros handle it? When we build something like custom cabinetry, we never just glue a big, solid panel into a rigid frame. A classic cabinet door, for example, has a central panel that

Inspiration:

How do I create a lighting scheme that feels warm and layered, not just functional?

Think of lighting in three layers. First, ambient light: the general overhead source. Make it gentle with a dimmer. Second, task light: focused beams for reading or cooking, like a classic Anglepoise desk lamp. Finally, accent light: the magic layer. Use small, low-wattage table lamps in corners, uplight a plant, or place a picture light over art. The goal is to create pools of warm light that draw you in, rather than flooding the room with a single, harsh glare.

The soul of a room often lies in its textiles, but not all natural fibers are created equal.

Belgian Linen: Celebrated for its lived-in, slightly crumpled texture that only gets softer with time. It’s breathable and understatedly luxurious, perfect for slipcovers and curtains that feel effortless. Think brands like Libeco or Libeco Home.

Merino Wool: Brings unparalleled softness and depth of color. It’s not just for winter throws; a wool bouclé on a statement armchair, like the Pacha Lounge Chair by Gubi, adds instant tactile warmth and sound-dampening qualities.

Both are investments that age beautifully, unlike synthetic blends which can pill and fade.

Embracing imperfection is key to a soulful home. That slight darkening on a brass tap, the tiny scratches on a marble countertop, or the gentle fading on a leather armchair are not flaws. This is patina—the physical evidence of life and use. It’s what separates a cherished, living space from a sterile showroom. Resist the urge to polish and perfect everything; character is built over time, not bought off a shelf.

• It introduces a unique silhouette not found in mass-market stores.
• It tells a story of a different time and place.
• It often features superior materials and joinery.

The secret? Look beyond the usual suspects. Instead of just furniture stores, hunt for that perfect side table or dresser at local estate sales, antique fairs, or specialized online marketplaces like Chairish, where curated vintage pieces are waiting for a new life.

A 2022 study by the National Association of Realtors found that 83% of buyers said that staging made it easier to visualize a property as their future home.

While this is true for selling, it’s a trap for living. A ‘staged’ home is designed to appeal to everyone, which means it’s truly personal to no one. The real work of creating a home with soul begins *after* you move in, by slowly replacing the generic with the meaningful and layering in your own history.

The fastest way to lose soul: Buying a ‘curated’ collection of vintage-style accessories from a single store. True character comes from the hunt and the happy accidents of discovery over years. A home built from a catalogue, no matter how stylish, will always lack the personal resonance of one assembled piece by piece, story by story.

Don’t just think about what your home looks like; consider how it smells. A signature scent is a powerful, invisible layer of design. It could be the woody notes of a Cire Trudon candle, the clean fragrance of beeswax polish on an antique chest, or simply a vase of fresh eucalyptus on the console table. This sensory detail is what makes a space feel truly and uniquely yours.