Dominique Browning, former editor of House and Garden Magazine.

by Patricia Cove

I miss Dominique Browning. She was once the editor of the now out-of-print House and Garden magazine and an author of several books chronicling her life as a mother, designer, wife and ex-wife. I so admired her ability to lay bare the often humorous, frequently heartrending issues she faced in everything from her challenging career to the weeds in her errant garden.

And I often could identify with her writings that described the designs and the related activities within her home. Her children were a large part of that home, and although I have not gone back to reread the books she has written, I specifically remember the wonderful way she had of describing the spaces within her home and how they became such a huge part of her family life.

In the front of each issue of House and Garden, she would write a “Welcome” piece that I would call a miniature version of her books. She could capture the ups and downs of everyday life with each one of them wrapped up in an overstuffed sofa or the seating arrangement on her back porch. A throw pillow, a well-worn armchair or a flea market desk could all carry a special and meaningful family memory.

So why am I thinking about Dominique Browning? I guess because I worry that we are all so busy fixing computers that don’t work, answering phone calls from people we don’t know or arguing with tech suppliers about the increase in our latest bill, that our spaces, rooms and homes have become so antiseptic and devoid of those family connections that Browning so relishes. There just isn’t time anymore to think about that old rocking chair, let alone the memories it holds. Let’s just buy that Pottery Barn recliner and be done with it.

But I’m hoping that is not the case. The place we call home, our surroundings and the pieces we fill them with should all hold memories, whether they be from a long ago vacation, a very first apartment or a beloved relative. They should all speak to us in some way. These are the rooms that can’t be called trendy, modern, contemporary or traditional. What makes them successful are the activities that take place within and the pieces that envelope those activities.

I may have been called sentimental in the past, even materialistic … to a point. After all, my world is made up of a lot of materials! So when you combine sentimentality with materialism, you end up with something like a cozy couch that you curl up on with your kids or your partner, a “travel” room that is decorated with framed photographs of recent voyages or a “keeping” room with a large dining table, always set for a big celebration.

The pieces that are passed down from family members, the objects you have collected for years and years or the piece of art you found on your honeymoon are all significant features that become integral within the spaces of a home, and serve as hallmarks to any design, whether it be traditional, transitional or modern. These are the pieces that give a home life and make your rooms so much more than just a Pottery Barn showroom.

Sure, we have to think about scale and proportion, color and texture. And we have to think about patterns and how they mix. But the bones of the room are those solid pieces – those quintessential elements that add that illusive character we are all trying to attain, aren’t we?

I often think of good friends of mine who, after completing a kitchen renovation costing thousand of dollars, proceeded to hang a rubber chicken at a key vantage point within the room. It didn’t match the cabinets, the countertop or the back splash, but it sure did make an impact and conveyed a sense of humor that reflects the element of fun these friends bring to everyday life.

So for now, leave the trends behind. Make your next design decision one that transcends styles, moves beyond the “in” color and furniture style and moves closer to a design that speaks more about you.

I leave you with a favorite quote from Browning: “The best rooms evolve as we live in them and add the fruits of our travels, our adventures, our experiences, our passions, even our flirtations and our dreams. Good rooms have the comfortable feel of someone who is settled at their core, has the integrity of having made careful, considered aesthetic judgments, embraced them wholeheartedly and then had the conviction to make a surprise move.”

Patricia Cove is the Principal of Architectural Interiors and Design in Chestnut Hill. She can be reached through her website at PatriciaCove.com