whim·sy:

– noun –

{playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor} 

{a thing that is fanciful or odd}

 

Since I became a mother I’ve realized the importance of whimsy. Seeing my daughter giggle at the simplest things, like twirling in circles, made me realize that as an adult I’ve forgotten the importance of play.

As an adult life OFTEN seems so serious. We have to obey our calendars, meet our deadlines, and keep up on those emails. Sigh. Now, I’m not saying you should call into work tomorrow to go play, buy why not whistle your favorite tune in your car on the way to the office, or add a little skip to your walk (you should just try it). Can’t whistle? Skipping not your thing? Try fancying up your language. When your coworker asks “How are you” instead of replying with your normal, “I’m good” try “I’m feeling marvelous today. My weekend was great, my favorite band put on a thrilling performance”. I bet this will elicit a smile from your coworker. 🙂

 

 

 

There are so many ways to bring joy into your world – it can show up in your behavior, your wardrobe, and of course, in your space!

why not incorporate a little whimsy into the design or the objects in your home? This is a great way to bring some personality to your environment.

Feast your eyes on this gorgeous bedroom by Summer Thornton Design. The wallpaper, patterned lined drapes paired with the canopy bed create the perfect light and airy whimsical space!

 

And who says swings only belong in a playground? Homeowner Suzy Holman incorporated them as part of her seating in her living room (photo below on the left) evoking childhood memories of carefree summers at the neighborhood park. Our founder Rebecca designed her whole living room around an oversized swing (photo below on the right), perfect for cozying up to read a book, and reminiscent of the swing she grew up with in her grandmother’s living room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe your whimsy moment is a piece of art, a throw pillow or even a lamp. One of our clients just shared this great source for fantastically whimsical art and we are *so* excited to pass this on to you. Fab Funky understands whimsical – just look at these two boxers riding tandem on a bike while the one on the back baits the one on the front with a bone (so he can slack on pedaling – ha!). It’s just so silly and nonsensical, I’m dying over here laughing. Or these Tropical Giraffes… (wait, don’t giraffes typically belong in the Savanah? And when did they sprout feathers out of their heads and develop butterfly wings?) A hare, hot air balloon, goose and birds all on the same throw pillow – yes please!

 

 

 

 

Whimsical doesn’t always have to be silly – it can mean being bold. Consider playing with scale. Here the folks at Surface View turned a classic still life painting by Balthasar van der Ast into a larger-than-life wall mural – how cool is that? I also love that the vase on the console is filled with flowers that are similar to the mural in real-life scale. It’s elegant, bold, and filled with personality!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe your whimsical is a slight nod to the whimsy, this could be pom-poms or tassels, like this curtain from Anthropologie. This happens to be *my* type of whimsy, right up my ally. In fact I replaced my boring white curtains with these exact curtains and I *love* the change. I loved them so much I even purchased them in pink for my daughter’s bedroom! Remember, not everyone’s whimsy is the same 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Another simple way to put the fun in functional is something small and unexpected. Tea time just became a little more fun with these dinosaur loose tea infusers.

 

 

And just because, here is some eye candy to inspire your inner child…

(Left image: design by Tatyana Mironova, photo by Dmitry Livshits. Center image: design by Tina Bousu. Right image: design by W. Robinson and Kyle Johnson, photo by Nickolas Sargent).

A great designer (none other than our very own Rebecca West) once said, “The things you keep in your home not only represent who you are, they also affect who you will become.” I couldn’t agree more! So if you’re ready to take life a little less seriously, level up the whimsy in your space!

So go exercise those imagination muscles, look for adventure, and add a little magic to your life! And if you’re looking for help adding some whimsy to your life and to your home, we’d love to chat about the ideas above and more in a virtual Design Helpline session!

Now excuse me, I have a pillow fort to go build.

 

May your home always be Whimsical!