No. 46
Why trinkets are so important
I have ALWAYS had a lot to say about trinkets. When I was 20 and in my sophomore year of college I had hand-carved boxes from Haiti and Wedgwood pottery sitting on my school-issued dresser. These were easy enough to transport from dorm to dorm, then to my first home in San Francisco when I graduated.
By the time I was 23 I had a lovely, modest collection of treasures and antiques: a few vintage French ashtrays that cost more than a month of drinks out with friends, an iron bamboo magazine rack, a tiny solid sterling silver alarm clock, and vintage framed original art (nothing too grand). I have continued to collect and collect and have found that tiny, special, meaningful, high quality treasures are one category of item I NEVER regret purchasing. I’ve almost immediately been able to make every space I’ve inhabited feel like home: collected, personal, meaningful, and homey.
A work of art! Featuring some of my favorite books, a vintage French vase, glass bowl from Vermont, antique sculpture from an old neighbor, African sculpture from our honeymoon, and wedding photos
So why are trinkets the key to a perfectly balanced, complete, personal home? There are a few reasons for this.
Convenience
Starting with the obvious, it is hugely convenient to invest in small goods. No matter where you move, you’ll find a place for them. Their size doesn’t matter, they don’t need to fit between two awkward walls, they don’t need to match in color or style.
When you move into a new space, it’s nearly inevitable that you’ll need to buy or replace a number of items that fit your new lifestyle. You need another couch because of an upsize, a different size table to fit an awkward corner. Sometimes the scale is completely off: we love a few of our chairs that are just dwarfed by the size of our new home. Your favorite rug is now half the size of the space it needs to fill.
Moments don’t need to be huge: a sculpture from Paris, a favorite candle from my winery, matchbooks from some of my favorite restaurants across the globe, and a vintage marble bust.
In addition, large items are often subject to wear and tear, and “softs” need to be replaced, if not often, eventually. A rug with too many spills? A couch that need to be reupholstered after the kids eat too much chocolate ice cream on it? Practically, these items impact is a bit more fleeting than your small goods.
Balance
Balance in a space is massively important, there’s a whole world of opinions out there, but a balanced home should be some percentage new, and some old. I LOVE an old, funky, vintage couch, but practically, your family room piece is more likely going to be new and custom. In a room with a new couch, maybe a newly upholstered chair, and a mix of old and new light fixtures, how do we make the space feel like our own?
You can go REALLY old, really obscure, really funky, and really impractical with small goods. Even if you went simple and big-box on the furniture, it’s the difference between a space feeling like a showroom and a home (I HATE accent pieces that were clearly purchased from the same store as the furniture, but that’s something for another time).
My all-time favorite Cartier vase, fertility beads, another bust (I love busts), and fresh florals
Not only that, but when you swap out your old couch or rug for a new one, your trinkets will stand the test of time and create a sense of cohesion and timelessness in your space.
Personalization
Little personal items - mirrors, bowls, vases, seashells, sculptures, candle holders, trays, boxes, frames - are what make your home YOURS. They bring you back to vacations you took, people you met, and pages in your life you want to revisit. The specific furniture often, and this is controversial, doesn’t even matter: what matters are the items that bring you joy, even in little moments.
Books I have received as gifts (every single one in this pile - how fun and special to be reminded of friends every day!), adorable handmade cocktail napkins, and a sculpture purchased by forcing my driver to stop on the side of the road in the Mexican countryside
Stewardship
You don’t always own a home in the philosophical sense, sometimes you are a steward, inhabiting a space until it is no longer your time. This is the case in our new home: a beautiful 1927 historic building that has been lovingly and carefully restored. We came to this space to live in it, not to mold it in our image. We could make it ours by tearing down walls and replacing doors - but we know our place in his buildings history as just one in a long line of owners, and honor it as such.
Because of this, we find smaller ways to make it our own by respecting the bones: custom window treatments, new period-accurate doorknobs and hinges, switch covers, and antique light fixtures. These are the things that will make the home even more special, historic, and beautiful for future owners to come.
These lamps are some of my favorite light fixtures we own, combined with a vintage frame, gorgeous vase, and the most special housewarming gift - a Dominique Ostuni pinch pot
Trinket City
And with that, some of my favorite little pieces currently:
