All too often, people get so stuck on trying to create a feeling of cohesion in their home that they end up choosing everything that ‘matches,’ resulting in a home that looks contrived and generic.

The secret to beautiful interior design is about carefully curating your home. A well design home is one that looks collected, not mass manufactured.

I’m a huge believer in mixing metals and finishes. Yes, gold and silvers can co-exist. It’s all about balance, and if you’ve got a good blend and the right tones, you can even mix in some bronze.

Blacks and whites can marry beautifully with pops of color just as taupes and greys can offset one another in a way to make a space feel luxurious with subdued hues. It’s the careful layering of colors and textures that add a sense of luxury to a space.

The way to avoid that stodgy show home look in a space is to layer multiple textures, tones, and colors. I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s nothing worse than a space that looks like all of the furniture was purchased from one manufacturer. When a sofa has two matching toss pillows, and the accent chair is in the same family of fabric as the sofa, it can make the most high-end furniture looks cheap.

You can spend $10K+ on a sectional, but if all the pillows are in the same body of the fabric, you’re doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Luxury isn’t about the price tag. The truth is, I’ve seen Versace home, and Roche Bobois look like a total train wreck. Dare I say that half of the homes in the British Properties are rich in budgets but poor in taste. I guess there’s truth to what they say… “Money can’t by class,’ and Lord knows that there’s a lot of money in Vancouver but class…that’s a whole other story.

For a room to feel curated, it has to look like you’ve collected pieces over time. If it seems like you’ve done a one-stop-shop, you’ve made a huge mistake!

You have to be willing to play with different time genres, textures, and colors. Curated spaces are all about rich layers with exquisite attention to the details.

It’s often the person rushing to fill their walls with art and decor that end up with a home that looks contrived. Rushing to Restoration Hardware or HomeSense to fill the gaps to try and lend a feeling of personality to their space without actually giving it any real consideration. It’s the voiceless art, the polyester toss pillows that don’t sit right that show just how much care and attention went into the space.

It’s the fine details of a home that speak the loudest about you and is often so overlooked.

Curated spaces are those that feel luxurious because care and attention were put into every detail. The very meaning of Curated is to put together with expertise and detailed precision. Simply put, you can’t rush a curated home.

Luxury has nothing to do with a name brand and everything to do with quality, ethics, and agelessness.

Real luxury is a way of life; it’s not about putting on a front to impress others. Authentic luxury is about the substance of a piece; it has a story to tell. One that doesn’t involve mass consumer trends and fast manufacturing.

There’s nothing basic about curated homes and nothing budget about them either as they require that extra special touch to create a spirit of authenticity. They require fine craftsmanship to allure the eye to a job well done, and just as Hermes, Chanel, and Prada aren’t for everyone, neither is a curated home.