I love rooms that are designed with a sense of playfulness and light-heartedness, or when they have something quirky in them, even if it is subtle! A whimsical style can make a house feel like a happy home! Whimsy offers character and personality, while eliminating pretentiousness, stuffiness or seriousness that is sometimes a part of the design world. I think we sometimes lose our sense of childhood wonder when we grow older, so while some might long for a more serious or “grown up home” others want to retain a sense of youthfulness and amusement and express that through their home.
Sometimes you can immediately spot something fanciful in a room, but other times it can be a delightful surprise to discover whimsical elements that are incorporated more subtly into a room.
Whimsical decor might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it is fun! We’ve incorporated a sense of whimsy in one way or another to all of our homes over the years, whether it was through splashes of happy colors, patterns or accessories. Today I wanted to share a few examples from our past few homes and talk about our decorating plans for our current home!
Some of our OG blogging community might remember my DIY Map Wallpaper in this little hall. It was a spur of the moment idea, but I think often that is how some of the most charming whimsical designs come together. If you overthink too much you might chicken out :).
I fell in love with these curtains years ago and have kept them with me every move since. If this colorful pattern isn’t whimsical, I don’t know what is! I haven’t found the right place for them in our new home, but rest assured they will appear somewhere. Probably in an upstairs bedroom or hallway.
(I got these curtains HERE years ago, they have several similar here. I’ll share a few at the end of this post with other whimsical decor!).
Another fun way to add whimsy to your decor is to bring a sense of childlike fun to your home. For example, I adore animals. We always have charming animal figurines, lamps, drawer pulls and art around our home. While we don’t have kids at home any more, that doesn’t mean we have to have an overly serious adult style house. We still are kids at heart :). However, we use restraint in how much whimsy we bring into a room and choose whimsical pieces that have a bit of class — we want it to complement our overall style.
The bunny door knocker on the front door of our last house was a quirky touch I added–it made our home feel so much like ME! (You can see more of this Dutch door in this post)
I also love to tell a story with our decor. Since I adore animals, I enjoy picturing the entire scene where animals might live, such as a meadow or enchanted garden or any type of fairytale setting. That visual image in my mind or on a mood board makes it extra fun to choose additional accessories that help create that scene.
I feel like this whimsical artwork I got recently is how I view life. :)
I also LOVE living by the sea. I’ve always enjoyed bringing in coastal art and decor wherever we’ve lived. It fuels my imagination as I picture the setting of a quaint home on the shores of the sea. Now we truly do live on the shores of the sea, but I still love to use my imagination for how I want our home to feel.
Scalloped patterns always feel subtly whimsical to me. This scalloped rattan tray and blue and white scalloped trim pitcher (an antique I found recently) are fun new touches of whimsy in our home! The whale tail wood spreaders (similar here) peeking out of the pitcher make me smile, too.
We’re just finishing up a remodel of our current home so we haven’t decorated yet, but I can’t wait to bring in my whimsical decorating style. We intentionally chose traditional elements as a timeless backdrop for the ever evolving seasons and things we love. Some of the whimsical elements might be so subtle that no one else will notice or know the story of what they are looking at, but the important thing in decorating isn’t what other people think or see, it’s what your home FEELS like to you!
We can’t wait to start decorating with accessories and fabrics! In fact, we already bought our first “whimsical style-setting” fabric which features all of the colors we’ll use! Shades of blues, greens, golds, whites and a soft blush pink. Soon I’ll be able to bring in our other accessories and have fun styling each season.
Do you enjoy whimsical decorating? What are the things you love?
Whimsical Decor:
Sources: Meadow Print // Whale Platter // Neutral Floral Rug // Bunny Wallpaper // Scallop Pillow (color options) // Animal Dessert Plates // Accent Chair // Blue Table Lamp Set of 2 // Star Light Sconce (shade options) // Scallop Rattan Tray // Polka Dot Basket (color options) // Spiral Candle
2 Mood Boards for Our Home (with a touch of whimsy!):
Sources for above left mood board /// Sources for above right mood board
More Whimsical Decor (click images below for details):
Related Posts:
5 Whimsical Happy Rooms: Sunday Strolls & Scrolls
I absolutely adored your map wall!! I enjoy whimsy…I’ve been working on a vintage State plate collection for about 7 years now. I think I’m at 31 now!👍 I’m always on the lookout for the more colorful ones!
What a neat idea for a collection!