Decorating
Mother's Day: How Did Your Mum Influence Your Style?
Here are 6 decorating tips and styling tricks, passed down from mothers to daughters from around the world
When it comes to decor, there’s nothing like learning at your mother’s, er, tool belt. So, this Mother’s Day, we asked our community of Houzz users around the world: what lessons about design and decor did you learn from your mother? Here’s what you told us.
Pictured: Antonia (Toni) Sutter and her mother Evi Neubauer.
María Cañal from Oviedo, Spain, pictured with her 9-year-old son
María Cañal’s mother was also constantly rearranging and repurposing the things in their home. “My mother has two mottos: ‘Everything goes,’ and ‘Move this from here to there, and it will look like new.’ Reuse things, give them a second chance, move objects and furniture off-site so the house looks different. I remember entering the house and going, ‘ohhhh,’ because she had changed the tables and furniture around. Often, small changes make spaces look really different – you can do a lot with a little. This attitude has influenced me.”
María Cañal’s mother was also constantly rearranging and repurposing the things in their home. “My mother has two mottos: ‘Everything goes,’ and ‘Move this from here to there, and it will look like new.’ Reuse things, give them a second chance, move objects and furniture off-site so the house looks different. I remember entering the house and going, ‘ohhhh,’ because she had changed the tables and furniture around. Often, small changes make spaces look really different – you can do a lot with a little. This attitude has influenced me.”
2. Appreciate what you already
have
Houzz user oklouise learned a similar lesson from her mother, who showed her how to take DIY to a new level. “My darling mother never had money for ‘decorating,’ and I can’t remember anything new, as all [our] belongings were made up of a collection of cast-off, secondhand and recycled bits and pieces that she scrubbed and polished, repainted and re-covered. But it looked and felt warm and inviting, and the house and garden were always full of flowers.”
She remembers how her mother built the decor of an entire room around one absolutely perfect piece of DIY. “Her pride and joy was the Moroccan-tile-inspired splashback that she made out of some old wrapping paper, carefully cut to fit and varnished to make it waterproof. [It was] meant to last only ’til she saved up for real tile. It was the starting point for the colours of paint and curtains and cushions and rugs, and was only reluctantly replaced years later when the paper finally disintegrated — but nothing ever looked or felt so perfect.”
Her mother’s genius for reinvention has left a mark: “Many more years later I think of her when I have to decide between a loved old piece of junk and having the option to choose something new, and I’m afraid the scruffy usually wins.”
Mother’s Day DIY: A flower votive candle holder
have
Houzz user oklouise learned a similar lesson from her mother, who showed her how to take DIY to a new level. “My darling mother never had money for ‘decorating,’ and I can’t remember anything new, as all [our] belongings were made up of a collection of cast-off, secondhand and recycled bits and pieces that she scrubbed and polished, repainted and re-covered. But it looked and felt warm and inviting, and the house and garden were always full of flowers.”
She remembers how her mother built the decor of an entire room around one absolutely perfect piece of DIY. “Her pride and joy was the Moroccan-tile-inspired splashback that she made out of some old wrapping paper, carefully cut to fit and varnished to make it waterproof. [It was] meant to last only ’til she saved up for real tile. It was the starting point for the colours of paint and curtains and cushions and rugs, and was only reluctantly replaced years later when the paper finally disintegrated — but nothing ever looked or felt so perfect.”
Her mother’s genius for reinvention has left a mark: “Many more years later I think of her when I have to decide between a loved old piece of junk and having the option to choose something new, and I’m afraid the scruffy usually wins.”
Mother’s Day DIY: A flower votive candle holder
3. Tell a story
Maybe part of the appeal of reusing and repurposing is that possessions can tell a story. That was certainly the lesson Anna Elisabeth Goth Engel, of Taarbæk, Denmark, learned from her mother. “When I look around our home, it is clear that my mother has inspired me to decorate with interior elements that have a history – antiques, as well as things that mean something special to me and carry memories,” she says.
Maybe part of the appeal of reusing and repurposing is that possessions can tell a story. That was certainly the lesson Anna Elisabeth Goth Engel, of Taarbæk, Denmark, learned from her mother. “When I look around our home, it is clear that my mother has inspired me to decorate with interior elements that have a history – antiques, as well as things that mean something special to me and carry memories,” she says.
Pictured: Anna Elisabeth Goth Engel, from Taarbæk, about 20 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark
“I am not only inspired by my mother’s style, but also my grandmother’s. She died in January this year and I have inherited quite a few things from her that I really love. It means a lot to me that the pictures that she had her whole life are now hanging on the wall above my bed.”
See more beautifully styled homes from around the world
“I am not only inspired by my mother’s style, but also my grandmother’s. She died in January this year and I have inherited quite a few things from her that I really love. It means a lot to me that the pictures that she had her whole life are now hanging on the wall above my bed.”
See more beautifully styled homes from around the world
Hiroko Machida (left) and Mizuho Dorothea Machida
The items in our homes can also tell stories beyond our own. Mizuho Dorothea Machida, who runs the Japanese interior design school Machida Hiroko Interior Coordinator Academy alongside her mother, Hiroko Machida, says: “One of the most notable traits I have inherited from my mother is her love of old things. When I was a kid, she took me to an antiques market in our neighbourhood every month. She loves Japanese antiques and vintage items, and so do I, because she taught me how to appreciate them. She even let me buy an inexpensive item and practice DIY on it … She also took me to museums very often, especially for exhibitions of traditional Japanese arts, such as Ukiyo-e [a style of painting from the Edo period in Japan, 1615–1858] and buddhist statues.”
The items in our homes can also tell stories beyond our own. Mizuho Dorothea Machida, who runs the Japanese interior design school Machida Hiroko Interior Coordinator Academy alongside her mother, Hiroko Machida, says: “One of the most notable traits I have inherited from my mother is her love of old things. When I was a kid, she took me to an antiques market in our neighbourhood every month. She loves Japanese antiques and vintage items, and so do I, because she taught me how to appreciate them. She even let me buy an inexpensive item and practice DIY on it … She also took me to museums very often, especially for exhibitions of traditional Japanese arts, such as Ukiyo-e [a style of painting from the Edo period in Japan, 1615–1858] and buddhist statues.”
That’s not to say that your own story should get lost in the mix. “When living in Europe and America, my mother realised how important it is to have your own lifestyle, that reflects how you think about your day-to-day life. Just imitating a beautiful space doesn’t make a comfortable living environment for you,” Machida says.
Houses have their stories too, as Caroline, from Moorea, Tahiti, French Polynesia learned from her mother: “Maman is passionate about art history and the history of old houses – she renovated old houses, mixing respect for the period in which they were built and for their timelessness with her own style. She handed her knowledge about antique furniture, about how to create harmony and how to analyse a space and strip it to its bare essentials down to me.”
Caroline’s own style builds on these lessons. “Thanks to her, I had confidence in myself and started my own projects. This villa was basic, but the Polynesian environment was not. So, I highlighted the essential – the colours of the lagoon, the view, the vegetation – it was obvious to me that I should propose [keeping] a rather pure interior, thanks to my mother.”
Caroline’s own style builds on these lessons. “Thanks to her, I had confidence in myself and started my own projects. This villa was basic, but the Polynesian environment was not. So, I highlighted the essential – the colours of the lagoon, the view, the vegetation – it was obvious to me that I should propose [keeping] a rather pure interior, thanks to my mother.”
4. Pay attention to detail
Another lesson Anna Engel learned from her mother was how details can be transformative: “I’ve got some Kilim cushions that my mother bought for me in Marrakech, which introduced me to the entire Kilim style. She also inspired me to decorate with small things and accessories to make sure that the home is not too minimalist.”
Toni Sutter has distilled her mother’s style into “a few basic rules,” which she says she has adopted in her own decor: “1. There is art in omission. 2. White walls create space and width. 3. A mix of old and new, cheap and high quality gives the best mix. 4. Details like modern handles provide an individual touch.”
Another lesson Anna Engel learned from her mother was how details can be transformative: “I’ve got some Kilim cushions that my mother bought for me in Marrakech, which introduced me to the entire Kilim style. She also inspired me to decorate with small things and accessories to make sure that the home is not too minimalist.”
Toni Sutter has distilled her mother’s style into “a few basic rules,” which she says she has adopted in her own decor: “1. There is art in omission. 2. White walls create space and width. 3. A mix of old and new, cheap and high quality gives the best mix. 4. Details like modern handles provide an individual touch.”
Pictured: Prue Walstab, with her daughter Mimi, 9, from Brighton East, Victoria, Australia
5. Put your own spin on it
A lot of the magic happens when children use their mothers’ lessons to grow in their own, individual styles.
“My mum is a huge influence on my style, although she is a much bigger risk taker than I am. She is an innovator. Always one step ahead of the trends, her house is ever-evolving (to the dismay of my dad),” says Prue Walstab, of Victoria.
Walstab’s style is a bit different from her mother’s, but this helps her push her own boundaries. “I admire her eclectic style a lot and am constantly amazed at how she puts a room together, but I tend to just take snippets of what she does. I have a simpler, ‘less is more’ aesthetic, where hers is ‘go big or go home.’ It’s great for me, as she shows me what is possible, and I take from her style the parts I like the most. I highly value her opinion on the design choices I make and often seek her advice.”
This setup also has some tangible benefits. “The best part of having a style-loving mum, who is forever decorating her house, is that she is always giving me hand-me-downs. As she tires of items, they come straight to me – I have been lucky to receive couches, bedheads, lamps, decor, light fittings… it never ends.”
See more of Prue’s home
A lot of the magic happens when children use their mothers’ lessons to grow in their own, individual styles.
“My mum is a huge influence on my style, although she is a much bigger risk taker than I am. She is an innovator. Always one step ahead of the trends, her house is ever-evolving (to the dismay of my dad),” says Prue Walstab, of Victoria.
Walstab’s style is a bit different from her mother’s, but this helps her push her own boundaries. “I admire her eclectic style a lot and am constantly amazed at how she puts a room together, but I tend to just take snippets of what she does. I have a simpler, ‘less is more’ aesthetic, where hers is ‘go big or go home.’ It’s great for me, as she shows me what is possible, and I take from her style the parts I like the most. I highly value her opinion on the design choices I make and often seek her advice.”
This setup also has some tangible benefits. “The best part of having a style-loving mum, who is forever decorating her house, is that she is always giving me hand-me-downs. As she tires of items, they come straight to me – I have been lucky to receive couches, bedheads, lamps, decor, light fittings… it never ends.”
See more of Prue’s home
Ida Hasselqvist’s living room
6. What not to do
Sometimes though, as much as they love them, children simply do not share their mothers’ sense of style. Ida Hasselqvist, from Karlsborg, Västergötland, Sweden, says: “My mother hasn’t really influenced my style at all. She was very conscientious and the house was neat and tidy, but she didn’t care too much about the decoration. Every room seemed to have a different colour, I remember.”
However, Hasselqvist does say she carried over some elements of the family style into her home – in moderation. “My first room was yellow, so maybe that is why I like having yellow accents in my otherwise black-and-white home. For me, a cosy home is all about clean, straight lines. Too many colours make the home fussy. But I do have a couple of porcelain elephants that I inherited from my grandmother. They are black and white, though.”
User Hayleys rooms shares a similar experience. “My mother wanted red everywhere. Red walls, red couches. She was a very passionate person. I am no less passionate but my love of red decor only goes so far. At the moment, I only have one red cushion in my living room. It’s a nice little memory of her.”
Your turn
How did your mother influence your decor style? Share your inherited tips and tricks in the Comments below.
More
Read more about decorating styles
6. What not to do
Sometimes though, as much as they love them, children simply do not share their mothers’ sense of style. Ida Hasselqvist, from Karlsborg, Västergötland, Sweden, says: “My mother hasn’t really influenced my style at all. She was very conscientious and the house was neat and tidy, but she didn’t care too much about the decoration. Every room seemed to have a different colour, I remember.”
However, Hasselqvist does say she carried over some elements of the family style into her home – in moderation. “My first room was yellow, so maybe that is why I like having yellow accents in my otherwise black-and-white home. For me, a cosy home is all about clean, straight lines. Too many colours make the home fussy. But I do have a couple of porcelain elephants that I inherited from my grandmother. They are black and white, though.”
User Hayleys rooms shares a similar experience. “My mother wanted red everywhere. Red walls, red couches. She was a very passionate person. I am no less passionate but my love of red decor only goes so far. At the moment, I only have one red cushion in my living room. It’s a nice little memory of her.”
Your turn
How did your mother influence your decor style? Share your inherited tips and tricks in the Comments below.
More
Read more about decorating styles
“When I think about my mother, I immediately think of her passion for her own home,” says Toni Sutter, of Freiberg, Saxony, Germany. Her mother has always found inspiration in the new: “Ever since I was little, renovating and redecorating has been part of our lives, as an important motto of my mum’s is: ‘It’s good the way it is, for a while – and then no longer.’”