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Functional Decor: The Stuff You Use All Day Shouldn’t Be the Stuff You Hide
I want to give you permission to put a hamper in your kitchen.
Now, before you go putting a collapsible hamper from your laundry room in your kitchen — that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about a beautiful basket. Something that looks as nice as a decor piece. It’s functional: it holds dirty cloth napkins, dish cloths, used tablecloths, so I don’t have to run up to the laundry room after every meal. You can have it on the floor tucked away — or not! A basket is very natural in the kitchen environment, and it looks nice either way.
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What Is Functional Decor?
There’s this idea I see everywhere: that a beautiful home and a functional home are two separate projects. You style the shelf for the photo, then put the real-life charging station back in place the second the guests leave. We treat it like it’s just part of life.
I don’t buy it. The most beautiful, lived-in homes don’t separate function from decor. If you’re always putting the same thing away to tidy or host or take a picture, that’s an opportunity.
Functional decor is the fix: instead of buying decor items separately from the things you actually use, you let the things you actually use be the decor.
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Buy the Pretty Version of the Thing You Already Need
This is the easiest place to start, because it doesn’t require you to change anything about how you live — just what you reach for the next time you need to replace something.
That could mean getting a beautiful notebook instead of a cheaper, utilitarian one. Every room needs a trash can, right? So find one that adds to your room in a light-reflecting metal or an interesting textural exterior.
It all goes back to my underlying philosophy: if it’s out, it’s going to be beautiful.
And none of it has to cost much more. It’s just choosing the version that’s easy on the eyes and letting it earn a spot in plain sight.
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How to Style Fruits & Vegetables
Contrary to popular belief, we’re not trying to create a still life with a grocery store haul.
Take the stickers off and separate the fruit. They’ll last longer AND look better in real life. Put your pears on a plate — you don’t even need to use a bowl every time! We just got a bunch of tomatoes in a wide flat bowl. Imagine a bowl of lemons next to the sink. (And if you have a smelly disposal, cut a lemon and you’ve got natural scent control.)
I have a tiered tray that I use as fruit storage — just treat each tier like its own bowl. Put your plums up top, your peaches down below. Let’s put one on the island, one on the side counter, one by the sink.
It’s beautiful, it’s edible, it’s real life.
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Beautiful Things That Are Actually Doing a Job
Once you start looking for it, you’ll find one of these in every room:
Your matches collected in a gorgeous little vase. Cutting boards hung on the wall like art — but actually pulled off for use. A pair of gold scissors and only your favorite pens, out in a small silver vase on the kitchen desk within arm’s reach. Disposable face towels decanted in an acrylic box. A golden stepstool you don’t mind leaving out.
Why can’t your nightstand cup be the prettiest one? (And put a coaster under it!)
What I Still Put Away
I’m not going to pretend everything in this house lives out in the open. A lot of things don’t earn it. Makeup, vitamins, extra bedding, cleaning mops—those can be tucked away out of sight.
That’s the test, really. Is it out every day? Are you looking at it every day? Then it should be beautiful. If it isn’t, it can go in a drawer with my blessing.
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If It’s Out, It’s Going to Be Beautiful
The point isn’t to pretend real life doesn’t happen here. It’s that I don’t want livability sacrificed on the altar of decoration. I actually live here.
At the end of the day, we’re styling your home to function for you. So find one thing this week — one thing you’re forever putting away — and let the pretty version stay out. Then tell me how it feels.
More posts Like This:
Hidden in Plain Sight: Why Your Storage Should Be Beautiful
16 Aesthetic Cleaning Supplies You Won’t Want to Hide
The Secret to a Clutter-Free Bathroom: All Our Hidden Built-In Storage
