@BunsenBurner
Thanks so much! I can tell from your posts that we have similar tastes.
This is our fami,y room rug… a little chunkier but warmer
https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-diamond-loop/Gray/200OZAS02A-P.html
@LeastComplicated, you might like one of these from Pottery Barn. All are on clearance except for the Hummingbird one that is still 20 percent off. Sorry, I’m bad at posting links so just google Pottery Barn and:
Hummingbird Reversible Percale Duvet cover and Shams
Fauna Bird Print Organic Percale Duvet Cover and Shams (may be too bold but I kind of love it in a way…trying to decide, myself!
More traditional but pretty:
Mariella Reversible Tercel Printed Duvet Cover and Shams
Monique Lhuillier Rose Bouquet Floral Print Cotton Quilt and Shams
Also just discovered a few more unusual nature/botanicals at PB, @LeastComplicated
Poppy Organic Percale Duvet Cover and Shams: notice this one is reversible with the botanical print on white on the reverse side if you don,t like the black. the butterflies are to die for. I may have to have this one.
Thistle Floral Print Organic Percale Duvet cover and Shams…there’s a matching shower curtain too.
Completely agree with the idea that we should do what we want and love. We have always liked very contemporary and fairly minimalist everything and don’t have any of the items in the linked post. Until our kitchen remodel a couple years ago, we did have dark granite tile and I was thrilled to replace it with a white with gray veining quartzite with 3" high counters.
My house is almost 100 years old, my stuff is very eclectic. If I look around my living room I have a Stickley style TV armoire that doesn’t fit a TV anymore, a carved chest from Zanibar, a fold out desk that my Greatgrandfather made, a suede sofa from Ethan Allen (fairly modern and plain), a very elaborately carved coffee table from Indonesia, two Hiroshige prints, an oriental carpet that belonged to my parents, two African masks from Mali, a pastel portrait of my Greatgrandmother and another one I did of my son, an arm chair from Pottery Barn, a little rocker also from my parents, but recovered in something that was stylish in the 90s, a stool from Africa. Traditional radiator covers and moldings. Just removed the old black recessed cans and replaced them with white LEDs in the ceiling. Fireplace is very tall, with a weird brick design. It was painted white and we kept it that way. Walls are Benjamin Moore - Hawthorne Yellow which looks beige on my computer, but yellow on the walls.
I’m very eclectic with maybe a bit of a boho mix of things from my travels, 19th and early 20th c.Furniture (but the simple kind, not ornate unless it is ornate/carved in a fun way), and a few things (artwork, old wooden toys, and references to nature/birds/animals/botanical prints, colorful baskets fromGhana)that I think gives it a touch of childlike exuberance and of course, live plants. I also like textiles of different kinds that often have a sort of handmade look or folkloric design (don’t want to use the now-sometimes thought -derogatory-term gypsy, but, sort of EasternEuropean aesthetic.)
My house was built in the 1880,s and on a historic registry, a tiny Victorian with a tiny wraparound porch, huge windows, thick walls and tall ceilings downstairs. It has battered floorboards, a lack of closets in most rooms, only 1.5 bathrooms, no dishwasher, the third bedroom is the size of a small office, impractical in many ways…and I’m in love with this little house. Often I think I’ll want to leave this town but I can’t bear to leave the house behind!
I actually bought a new reproduction free-standing farm sink (the kind with a drain board that you put a curtain skirt around and bought a huge 19th century upper kitchen cabinet that covers a wall. Before installing it I stripped all the old lead paint off myself (took weeks) and in the end didn’t repaint the outside because I discovered the square nails in it and loved the rustic look of them showing. I have oiled wooden countertops (ha, from Ikea, of all things!) that kind of blend in with this old cabinet pretty well , I use an old free-standing 19th-century wooden cupboard as a pantry
and open shelves in the other walls for plates, cups and bowls. Have hand-painted plates from France (quimper) and other places. Even though it’s the wrong era, I would love a Big Chill or Smeg curved-top Fridge because, well, they’re fun. So minimal it’s not, but I also like a certain degree of simplicity so there’s a bit of a creative tension to somehow keep it from being chaotic or stuffy. So windows are bare except for bedrooms and those curtains are plain white with shades to draw at night, and anything functional that I don’t absolutely love is white or neutral in some way. No rugs on the floor (I like the austerity of that somehow) and no coffee tables to bump into. I love my house. But update it? The question doesn’t even seems relevant, lol! It’s a layering of my life, a very personal creation. Kind of ”Anthropologie”, but maybe a less-hip version.
The article said overdone granite, not granite itself, I guess that means if it’s on the countertop AND island.
I don’t thing Granite countertops are outdated quite yet.
I’d suggest getting solid colored bedding (personally I’ve always been a fan of crisp white bedding) then get a few pillows and a bed drape-y thing for the foot of the bed made in a botanical print you like. I’m sure you can find some patterns you like at a good fabric store that have a similar feel to that china pattern.
1, granite counter tops but I don’t consider it overload and I’m still happy with it. Our oversized island top is chunky maple Boos block.
IMO, good quality, traditional oriental rugs are a classic and defy trendiness. I don’t have white subway tile but I like it and would say the same for it - will always be a classic when other things ebb and flow or are “one hit wonders” of home decor.
Never was a fan. They always seemed WAY too busy and chunky. I’m more of a minimalist.
I’m not a fan of the overly gray look that has been on trend for awhile but seems to be on its way out.
There are actually many designers that mix oriental rugs with any kind of design. Try searching on YouTube for some ideas of how to. If they are excellent quality I wouldn’t assume they’re “out.”
When I think of overdone granite, I think of the kitchens that had granite counters and granite backsplashes. I always that was “too much” granite.
I think I’m the only one who never would choose granite - I’ve never liked the way it looks.
I agree you may be in the minority, @abasket . There are so many colors to choose. What is it you don’t like about it? The shiny quality? The veining? Just curious. I absolutely think it’s gorgeous. Plus, I love being able to put all my hot stuff right on it.
You and my mother. 
But she likes tile. I just find tile to be a PIA with the grout. Plus I like having surfaces where I can roll out dough.
If something works and you like it, keep it. Life isn’t about following trends. Remodeling and redecorating to keep up with the herd are wasteful practices, for your wallet and for the environment.
I recommend getting the lever style door knobs not the round ones. The lever style is much easier for older people to open and can be opened with an elbow instead of with your hands if needed.
Thank you @inthegarden ! That’s exactly what I was looking for! I agree, I love the Poppy on the reversed side.
Much easier for dogs, too.
50 years or so ago, I had a student teaching supervisor who had a gorgeous home furnished with lots of old furniture. I loved it then…and swore I would have something similar when I owned my own home.
And I do.
My woodwork on the first floor is custom woodwork that is stained a medium brown. If the next owner wants to paint it, they can.
I do want a lighter colored couch in my family room!
Our bedrooms all have nice hand pieced quilts…and some have (perish the thought) bedskirts that are sort of ruffled. It all goes together.
I agree that granite “overload” would be when the counters and back splash are granite!
I prefer quartz for the ease of maintenance.
Our kitchen counters are quartz - we got them 10 years ago - a nice sand shade. I was also never a granite fan. I did toy with the idea of getting our cherry cabinets professionally painted white , because I do love white cabinets, but it is so expensive.
We have minimal window treatments and many bare windows. People come in and rave about how nice it is and bright. The truth is I’ve never had a real clue about window treatments, so just never bothered.