Decorating With Americana

It's Inauguration Day in our great country. Whatever your political affiliation, it is a day which brings pride and gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy in America. This country has such a rich history and many of us have bits and pieces of times gone by in our own homes. Whether you inherited a piece or collected over the years, it can be tricky to work antiques into your more current decor. Decorating with Americana can bring to mind the folksy, pink and blue, over run with nic-nack look of the early 1990's. Today, incorporating found objects and vintage pieces with clean modern furnishings is the trend. It's more about showcasing select statement pieces, than mass amounts of manufactured theme items. Using a neutral back drop, light or dark, natural textures, like canvas, jute, and metal create the perfect backdrop to pop a few items of nostalgia, without having to live in a museum. These rooms are good examples of showcasing Americana:

One of my most important decorating principles is "If you love it, then why hide it." So many of my clients over the years have shown me awesome family artifacts with lovely stories behind them. Most of the time they were tucked away in a drawer or closet. These are the details that make your space personal, your bits of history. Use them and show them off. However, collections can be tough to display and not look cluttered or junky. Its important to remember to group items together and vary the shape and height to create interest.  Even the novice decorator can't go wrong with the basic rule of three. Select three items of different heights and place them together, now continue grouping and then put all the sub groups together in one collection. By putting like items in one display they become a unit and not scattered tchotchkes (Choch-Kees).  If you are into Americana, some of the most popular items are books, kitchen utensils, pottery and dishes, nautical artifacts and quilts.  Putting them out properly can be the difference between a nice room and a really interesting space.

Great quilt storage. They are protected but still out to enjoy. The key to this is not over stuffing, neatly folding and keeping any other items in cabinet simple.

When displaying pottery or ceramics, the important thing to remember is to keep patterns and colors together. This collection is from the same era, family and color palette so it works without looking busy.

Don't be discouraged by unusual items with odd shapes or structure. Again, grouping them together gives them purpose. After all their unique construction is part of why you collect them.

Play with items and think of them in a way other than the typical. Turning items over or on end, breaks up the linear display of each shelf and brings dimension to your grouping. Whatever you collect, don't be afraid to share your treasures. History never goes out of style and should never be forgotten. "If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth." -President Ronald Reagan