from minimalist to meyersist

interiors

13 Apr

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thoughts on the journey of an evolving home… & some moodboard inspiration

As the preoccupation with what makes our house feel like home evolves, I find myself digging deeper as to why I’m drawn to the layered comfort of the set houses in Nancy Meyers movies and how they evoke so many feelings and emotions. To better understand it I’ve had to rewind to 2015 and reflect on my then relationship with Instagram and ask a few questions… the answers to some of which make me squirm.

Since moving in together in 2003, we’d always veered towards a paired back vibe – the quiet calm of beige and neutral hues, clean lines and clutter stored out of sight. Preferring a softer version of minimal, we slowly evolved our home from one that housed a couple into a family space. Some years down the line came my accidental foray into the newness of blogging, social media and then building a business off the back of it. Most influential in all of that was Instagram. Whilst consuming so much content, the likes of which I’d never had access to before, it was too easy to find myself adrift amid the continual search for what else can be added that will make this “look just so”. And when that just so changes from week to week, everything soon starts to feel like the polar opposite of paired back calm.

image credits: Top Left - MandyeNOHoME | Top right - pinterest | Bottom left - Pottery BArn UK | bottom right - harlowe james

product: click imagery or use links  coffee table | lamp | matches | throw | rug | pendant light | cushion | candlestick | Hurricane candle holder | vase | sofa | pair of prints | Long cushion | print set | lamp shade | table runner | tray | dining table | placemats | dining chair

As with my wardrobe, I fell into the trap of paying too much attention to endless interior trend cycles. What followed was an influx of pineapples, marble trays, rose gold this and ikat print that, scattered without any forethought about the house. The soft minimal elements were still there but now buried amid a mishmash of interior hashtag chaos. I lost count of the people who walked into our living room between the years of 2015 and 2020 (until everyone stopped walking into everyone’s houses in 2020) and said, “Ooh this is so Instagrammable!”. I used to love that. Until I didn’t.

Trying to pinpoint the about turn stays with the pandemic years… a time when everything was turned on its head. Like so many people, the feelings that came from home being a place of comfort and safety intensified and with them, the focus on what we truly valued and loved began to evolve again. An awareness of what we needed to consume versus what we did, coupled with the discomfort that some parts of the house felt more like snippets of a 3 x 3 grid than a home was the beginning of a long process of change. That and the simple fact that we were older and our taste was evolving.

Rewinding further to the days pre blogging and social media, when I found out what I liked by flicking through magazines and books, I remember watching certain American movies, looking at the houses and apartments and thinking why do they always look so cosy and lived in? Where does this come from and how do they do it so well? Before I knew about Nancy Meyers there was Nora Ephron – hands up who fell in love with Marie and Jess’s apartment in When Harry Met Sally when they’re playing Pictionary on the flip chart board? Or imagined themselves typing on a laptop at a desk that could have been straight out of Kathleen Kelly’s apartment in You’ve Got Mail?

The first time I watched Something’s Gotta Give, I had no idea why I was so drawn to it and would go on to re-watch it multiple times in the following years. Apart from the fact that it starred Diane Keaton. Or why I automatically reached for my It’s Complicated DVD when I felt down, just so I could absorb the vibes from the kitchen scenes where vast meals were prepared for returning adult children and eaten amid family chatter. Apart from the fact that it starred Meryl Streep.

image credits: Top left | top right | bottom left | bottom right

vase | footed basket | lemon print | ladle | spoon | wall light | jug & vase | stool | tea towel | utensil pot | serving bowl | wooden board |  table cloth | dinnerware | surface cleaner | footed bowl | jug | tumbler | table | napkin | vase | mug | butchers block

When I think about the common denominator of Nora and Nancy’s movies, it’s that all life happens in those spaces. These fictional homes are alive with the hum of day-to-day activity as well as the glory and grief of major life events. Examined further, it’s much more than a pleasing aesthetic – there are emotions and feelings involved. Storytelling, details, layers, softness, natural elements, collected treasures, memory objects, items that mean something and some that perform important functions. The possessions elicit a sense of comfort… of being grounded in moments and years… feeling tethered to very roots of home. It’s there in the glass jars of stones that Diane Keaton collects from her walks on the beach and it’s in the cupboard with the scrabble where the blankets are kept for Jude Law to sleep on the sofa post pub visit in The Holiday. It’s in Amanda Woods’ home cinema room and vast DVD collection – movies are her career but also objects of love - and a source of gumption for houseguests whenever gumption might be required.

As a twenty to thirty something I acknowledged that only a minority of Americans live in Manhattan apartments or reside in a Hamptons beach house come summer, but the feelings evoked by absorbing the homes in those films was a thing for me long before some genius on the internet labelled it. By the time I turned fifty and had ridden the Instagram trend train until I got a bad case of motion sickness, I was more than ready to dive deep and learn what would go to make up our version of the Meyersist home vibe. That and I got fed up with H pointing at the pineapples and telling me they were “so 2016”.

In this life chapter I find myself drawn towards a home drenched in meaning, emotion and comfort - the need to be surrounded by things that facilitate a simple slowness is a priority. I want the house to quietly encourage the practice of making the most of every moment in the day – mundane or otherwise. This is what I mean by ritual based living – the seasonal versions of which I plan to dive into more deeply in later posts. It’s not complex or a prescriptive set of daily habits… more the opposite in fact. The rich aroma of an early morning coffee made in a favourite cup, the chair with a blanket and cushion that whispers read your book here, the layered bed that invites me to get in earlier every night in winter and the garden seat that beckons the moment the sun begins to peek through the clouds.

These days, it feels like our home is a work in progress again, albeit a much slower and considered one. When the urge to update or change something arises, we now try mulling it over and explore what’s prompted those feelings – only then can we map out a slower path to doing something about it. I’ll be honest, accepting that progress will be slower has taken some getting used to. When you’ve been reared on an Instagram diet of glossy Before & After’s, it’s easy to get caught up in the cycle of Change It ALL! And do it NOW! This isn’t how a home is created and leads to costly mistakes, not to mention needless consumption. The interior blogs and Instagram accounts that I follow now tend to be those that show a more realistic journey of decorating or renovating, including past mistakes made and a true representation of the time it takes to get things done. My own disclaimer is that at age (almost) 57, I feel like an absolute beginner at all of this and learn more every time we tackle even the smallest of interior (and garden) related tasks.

image credits: top left | bottom left - The white company | bottom right

cushion | bud vase set | rattan bowl | calm mist | linen bedding | table lamp | faux dogwood | duvet cover | pyjamas | bench | slippers | chair | photo frame | chest of drawers | rattan side table | wall light | throw

Here’s what I do know so far…

I want elements of relaxed minimal alongside the beautiful detail that says we live here.
I love a mix of old and new, but I have A LOT of work to do on getting it right for our home.
Eclectic belongs alongside calm.
Ditto a little kooky next to the classic.
I have to continually question what I really love – as in deep feel, full body love – and what I’ve just been influenced by. All the time.
I remind myself every day that I don’t live in a sprawling saltbox house in Maine but a three-bed, 70’s mid-terrace in Dorset.
There IS such a thing as too much chinoiserie. As much as it pains me to say it.
The chinoiserie I do have looks even better when showcased against natural textures in muted tones.
Key furniture pieces should tone but not match.
Every time I go to a vintage store/charity shop/antique/brocante fair/emporium of any kind, I DON’T have to bring something home. Well maybe I do…
Overhead lighting is the devil’s work.
I’m impatient as hell and so really have to try hard not be tempted by the quick fix. I’d rather wait than half-arse it.
That said, some key things are expensive so a cost-effective interim solution until we can afford the final iteration is the sometimes necessary.
Despite its haters, Instagram is still a great source of interiors inspiration. Just be careful of the accounts you follow – stick to your preferred interior style preferences, be aware that there are a lot of AI generated interiors and avoid those that bang on about “hauls” for a room. Make frequent use of the Save function, organising into relevant folders and have regular unfollow sessions if the content isn’t inspiring you anymore. That way, what you truly like pops up more regularly.
I prefer accounts that focus on the journey of getting there more than the grand reveal. Show me the details, tell me about the mistakes made as well as the things that worked and look beautiful.
I DO love colour… I just need a lot of practice using it wisely.
Coffee table books are even better when you read them as opposed to just leaving them on the coffee table.
Get as much inspiration as you can offline – books, movies, outdoor walks, visiting shops and markets, tear out magazine pictures and stick them on a pin board. Although don’t do that until your husband has read the issue you’re about to massacre…sorry P.
Among (some) style influencers, there’s now a message of “Don’t copycat – take inspiration & make it yours” starting to filter through. The same applies to your home.
Plants in the right places are a room-softening game changer.
In a world that for the most part appears to have gone bat shit crazy; it is definitely okay to focus on the joy that your home can bring… and making the most of the smallest of moments within it is good for your mental health.
Vintage blueware china belongs alongside modern ceramic tableware.
I love a gallery wall and can’t wait to get going on our living room but the thought of attempting it is intimidating me on a daily basis.
Use the linen napkins/good plates/glass storage jars/serving platter/scented candles/favourite glasses every single day.

The header image in this post is a view of our living room so far. We began thinking about it in February 2025 and still have a long way to go. The bookcase is an interim solution - a built in will have to wait until a few years time - this row of IKEA shelving is one of my favourite things about the room so far. Just having all the books in one place, easy to find and pleasing to the eye makes me happy on a daily basis. Not to mention the shelf space to add in additional faff-ments here and there. Whilst we wait on the delivery of a long planned sofa next month, I’ll put together a post detailing how we changed the layout and what we’ve done so far. Mistakes and disagreements included.

Any tips for creating a gallery wall are welcome by the way! And faff-ments is a word.