Decorating Styles
Would You, Could You, Live in a Themed Home?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and nowhere is this more evident than in our homes
Maybe you’re tired of the popular industrial-style and Scandinavian-inspired interiors. Perhaps a new theme is in order. Would you go as far as to commit your interior to being an ode to a period style, to a commercial space or to a pop culture icon, as these residents have?
From the kitchen to the bedroom and the bathroom, Hello Kitty makes an appearance in this home via small appliances, bed linens, wall decals and more.
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2. Victorian twist. Happy colors lift the seriousness of this Victorian theme designed by Vegas Interior Design.
Victorian-style carved furniture gets an edgy spin in black and silver in the living and dining area.
3. Stepping back in time. This flat by Fifth Avenue Interior is decidedly more traditional in its Victorian style. The colors are richer and more somber, and the furniture is ornate.
4. Tile-conscious. California artists Cheri Pann and Gonzalo Duran first experimented with mosaic tile by adding it to their bathroom while making other repairs. They became so fascinated with mosaic that they’ve spent more than two decades covering almost every square inch of their home with it — inside and out.
5. Cafe-inspired. This home by Ideal Design Interior showcases a cafe look. In the kitchen it’s the more common black-and-white, clean-lined cafe look.
In the living and dining area, it’s as busy and eclectic as a real cafe might be.
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8. Mamie Eisenhower meets Mad Men. Soon after John Smagner inherited a collection of midcentury furniture from his grandmother, he began binge-watching the television series Mad Men. He transformed his Chicago row house to reflect the period when his furniture was new.
6. Wallpaper whimsy. Interior designer New Nyew’s home is chock-full of character. She’s decked every wall with a different wallpaper.
7. Candy colors. Jeanie Engelbach describes her house as “Pee-wee Herman opened a pop culture museum in Candy Land.” She has amassed an impressive collection of sentimental treasures — lunch boxes, Pez dispensers, bobbleheads — in her one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood.
“My personal design influence is based on my 9-year-old self: candy, cartoons and late-’70s pop culture,” Engelbach says. “I love bright colors and anything that sparkles and shines.”
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Do you live in a themed home? Let us know in the discussion here or the Comments section below. And photos, please!
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See more of this house
Do you live in a themed home? Let us know in the discussion here or the Comments section below. And photos, please!
Browse more decorating guides
So it’s no surprise that there are homes dedicated to the Sanrio cat, such as this one by Design 4 Space.