Organic Rustic Pared-Down-Traditional Style

A s much as I strive to define my style, it keeps changing. A fickle beast, my taste.

But in truth, I've begun to notice something constant about my taste and it is this: I love *organic* style. I don't necessarily mean things made from organic cotton and sustainable wood (though I do like those too!). What I mean is a rustic sort of "au natural", simple, found-object kind of style. A style I don't really have words for!

I love references to the sea, pale colours, whites and blues and greens, and beachside objects like found sea stars and weathered woods.

I love rough wood, natural fibres like linen and cottons, hand weaving, hand made pottery. I like tables and objets made from salvaged wood, driftwood. I love antiques too, as long as it has a form and shape I like, and a worn heirloom feel. I like old-fashioned things.

I love traditional decor too, so I'm not all about "rustic" and "primitive". But in my traditional decor, I like things to pared down, a little more spare, not cluttered but clean and textural. I gravitate to classic armchairs, but prefer when they are covered in simple cottons or tone-on-tone jacquards so they are textural but not too visually busy. I love pattern most when it is simple, organic, or curvy. I like leaf patterns, simple florals, pale colours. Patterns that come from nature.

I'm not really into contemporary decor and the chocolate-coloured wood that is all matchy match and industrial chic. I find a lot of the pieces just lack character when they are too polished and linear. And while I'm not a huge fan of pine and light woods, I like my woods to be mid-tone or dark, as long as it looks like wood and not something made in a factory. But I do like having one or two pared-down contemporary or modern elements in a room, as they give the eye a rest from all the curvy organic goings on....

What I do love about modern is the art, mostly the paintings, for their spareness, I think, and amazing saturated bursts of colour. Though I am also fond of old-fashioned etchings, drawings, and architectural sketches.

Defining my style is a work in progress. And as much as I hate to sound so out-of-the-box, one of my favorite styles is the Pottery Barn look. All the photos in this post are from their recent catalogue, in which I found a lot to love!