Finding the soul of the home: Blending old with new

 Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator for 20 years, I always encourage my clients to find their personal, authentic style in their homes. It’s not about anyone else or the latest trends. It’s about you and what you love. It’s about finding the soul of your home and curating rooms that make you happy. It takes a little time and a lot of patience. And the result can be spectacular.

Having lived in old houses, beach houses, historic homes and new houses, modern condos, apartments and everything in between, my own style evolved over the years into a blend of contemporary coastal and a sprinkling of carefully curated primitive antiques. It came about as a result of my family’s love of surrounding ourselves with the feeling of living on the coast and our interest in history.

Primitive pieces are tangible reminders of our past and of those who created them so many years ago and raised their families around them. A faded pine cabinet where glass jars of fruits and jellies were stored. A kitchen farm table that hosted family dinners 150 years ago. A warped wooden ice box from Ohio that once held blocks of ice to keep a cow’s milk cold. Or in the particular case of my most recent find, a hotel reception mail and key cubby. If only these worn treasures from our past could talk, what fascinating stories they could tell us.

After

While many of these relics from our past have deteriorated and vanished in old barns, crumbling houses or road side junk piles, every once in a while, one of these treasures survives, calls out and almost begs to be returned to what it started out to be.

And that’s what we did. We brought it back.

After

We stumbled upon this old hotel reception desk/key and mail cubby and purchased it from a primitive dealer based in America’s treasure trove of primitives--Pennsylvania.

Before

Even before it arrived, we could tell from the initial photos what it would take to properly honor this treasure and do it justice. A proper clean up and straightening of several of the 94 oak cubbies was the beginning. Some of the key hooks were missing, those that remained were bent or loose, and with one solitary exception all the painted room numbers had worn off long ago. After some straightening and tightening, numbers in a 19th century type style were applied, brass keys and room fobs were obtained and aged to achieve a centuries-old patina as well.

Before

And to bring a sense of realism to our historical mission, we found actual envelopes and post cards from (the past) around the world and randomly placed them in dozens of the open cubbies. Not really knowing if this finished treasure originally graced an American or European hotel, we decided to give it a French persona and officially dubbed it from the 1903 “Hotel de Papillion.”

After

Notes and tips: adding something old to your home as an accent

• These pieces create character and visual interest in a room.

• Mixing new pieces with vintage antiques gives a space a curated, personal look.

• Incorporating a vintage piece or two is a way to repurpose treasures from the past.

• Use the 80/20 (new/old) rule to maintain a contemporary feeling while creating a focal point with vintage pieces.

• Pair a modern sofa with a vintage table or side tables or antique mirror.

• Trust your instincts as you create your own unique style.

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and certified gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. As a writer, blogger, stylist and color expert, she has helped homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless ways to create beautiful spaces and to solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog