Celebrities may have more resources than us, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t enjoy or utilize the same design and maintenance principles they believe in. Here are some home design ideas and maintenance tips we can copy from the stars.
Go green.
Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and even Queen Elizabeth II herself are champions for reducing carbon emissions, and many of them believe we can start with our homes. Many of them have advocated for green energy and utilize it for their homes, too. Julia Robert was rumored to have paid millions of dollars to make her home eco-friendly. At the same time, Johnny Depp enlisted the help of a hydrogen energy expert to turn his Caribbean home hydro-fuelled.
If you can’t afford to turn your home 100% eco-friendly just yet, then start little by little: Transition to LED light fixtures, have your air ducts cleaned to help decrease your energy bill, and consider planting a small garden. Every small act of kindness towards our planet counts—and you don’t necessarily have to spend millions of dollars today.
Go minimalist.
Power couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian-West famously have a suburban California mansion that looks like a chic and otherworldly escape. Assisted by renowned antique dealer and interior designer Alex Vervoordt, the couple’s home has minimal furnishings and instead boasts subtle designs and plays with shadows and light.
There are so many benefits to keeping a minimalist home—it’s much easier to clean, it gives you more space, and it allows for less time to look for stuff. Not to mention, it’s kid-friendly and gives you more time to focus on your other daily tasks. When done right, it can also help to conserve energy. The first step to becoming a minimalist is changing your mindset, knowing that you cannot keep accumulating items over the years, and learning how to let go of things you no longer need or serve you.
Go for sustainable and sentimental materials.
Aside from green energy, a sustainable home can also do so much for the planet. Actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgaard opted for reclaimed materials like wood and hearthstones for their eclectic brownstone apartment in Brooklyn. The hearthstones, in particular, are sentimental for Maggie since it came from her hometown in California.
If you have an old piece of antique furniture from your childhood home, don’t be quick to dispose of it just yet. Check if it’s something that can go well in your new home and what steps you can take to make it look brand new. You can refurbish it by repainting and adding a bit of stain. Not only is recycling or re-purposing old furniture good for the environment, but you’re also taking home a piece of your rich history into your present and your future.
Go for coziness and comfort, not just style and statement.
Gisele Bündchen may be an incredibly glamorous supermodel, but the home’s style couldn’t be farther from her public image. Instead of a showpiece, she and her husband Tom Brady decided to go for a simpler, cozier look for their Brentwood, Los Angeles mansion. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said that what they were looking for was a comfortable home, not a place to display ostentatious wealth. Their home ended up looking stylish anyway, with warm and neutral palettes and reclaimed materials.
This is good news for us regular folk! As long as we keep our homes as clean, family-friend, and eco-friendly as possible, even the simplest of styles can look like it came out of a page from Forbes. Focus on natural light and colors that allow light to bounce off. Give your home a serene, welcoming look by incorporating some indoor plants or by opening windows that are in full view of your yard, especially if trees surround your home.
Go for furniture and design elements that give you joy.
Friends star Jennifer Aniston realized when designing her Beverly Hills home that she wants it to reflect what she does for a living. And because she’s an entertainer, she wanted her home to be a place that gives guests a sense of fun and enjoyment while also giving them a hug.
More than anything, your home needs to be a place that comforts and soothes you and makes you happy. Only keep things in your home that spark your joy, and let go of elements that rob you of it. It will make a living in a time of intermittent lockdowns so much more bearable.
There are important design principles that we can learn from the stars, and we can incorporate them into our homes without breaking the bank. Improve your home through these design and maintenance principles and allow it to make quarantine life a bit easier.
