Whether you spend the majority of your day at home, or come home at the end of a long day at an office or other workplace, your home should bring comfort, happiness, peace, and – in my opinion – a little touch of whimsy.
As Willy Wonka once sang…
“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”
I couldn’t agree more. In the midst of the humdrum repetition of housekeeping…laundry to be folded, dishes to be washed, and yet another meal to be cooked…a little whimsy can be a breath of fresh air.
No matter your decor aesthetic, or your budget, you can find ways to add a little unexpected fun to your home. Whimsy is unexpected, and fun, and almost always brings a smile to one’s face.
Read on for some practical ways to add whimsy to your home.
Ten Ways to Add Whimsy to Your Home
1. Use patterns.
Patterns can go a long way in livening up a space. Depending on your personality and taste, you can choose how many patterns to add, and how bold you’d like to be.
Curtains, bed linens, and area rugs are all easy ways to add patterns (and therefore color and fun) to your home.
In our kitchen, we have solid white curtains. I did this so I could bleach them, and keep them looking nice no matter what dinner threw at them. However, we covered our kitchen chairs in a patterned oil cloth fabric that seriously makes me smile each time I look at it. It is a small thing, but it makes our table so cheerful and fun, and well, downright whimsical.
2. Add a quirky throw pillow.
I realize throw pillows are a bit old hat, and sometimes seriously overdone. However! I like to have at least one throw pillow on each couch, because there is nothing better than a nap on the couch, and no nap is complete without a pillow. But! I have no interest in throw pillows with uncomfortable fabrics or embellishments, and I refuse to purchase a pillow or case that cannot be washed. In our living room, we have three throw pillows. Two are covered in a solid golden color, very no-fuss, and very comfy for napping. The third is my beloved old friend, the lemon tree pillow. (You can read more about the now-bedraggled lemon tree pillow here.)
Rather than purchasing trunk loads of throw pillows from the big box store, consider adding just one special pillow. Maybe it has a saying that makes you laugh. You might find a treasure at an antique store. You could even make one yourself! A throw pillow can either be another cliche of middle aged homemaking, or it can be a little touch of whimsy brightening otherwise normal days.
3. Display vintage prints or book pages.
I love pages from old books or magazines. Children’s books are some of my favorite sources of art. Find an illustration that makes you smile, and tear it out! Put that page in a frame, and you have a unique, whimsical, and affordable piece of art. I also enjoy finding decor items from the thrift store. Sometimes, nothing beats an old quirky piece from a couple decades prior. Not only are these pieces often really fun, it is unlikely you’ll see them on any else’s wall.
4. Make a rainbow!
A few years ago, it became quite popular to organize books by color. I could never get behind this, because I am too much of a library lady to veer from careful categorical and alphabetic order. But books aren’t the only thing you can rainbow! In our house, we have a shelf of rainbowed mugs. I have also seen people organize DVDs or clothes by color. Look around, and see if you can make a rainbow in your house!
5. Display children’s art.
Is there anything that brings such simple delight as a child’s drawing or painting or paper craft? I think not! Truth be told, these crafts can become quite the burden if you have several children, or if one is an especially prolific artist. Rather than stuffing them all in a box in the closet, or immediately recycling each one, consider using those homemade treasures as decor.
I have a string hung up in the hallway just for this purpose. I use binder clips to attach the art to the string, which makes it easy to hang all sorts of projects, and also makes it easy to switch things out. Every few weeks (or sometimes months), I take some old things down, either storing them in a keepsake box, or discreetly recycling them, and then I add a few new things.
It is a great way to show my kids that I love their handiwork, while also adding a sense of fun and whimsy to my home.
I also love Rachel’s idea (Nourishing Minimalism). She uses easy-to-change art frames to display kids’ art.
6. Hide things in your home.
No, I’m not telling you to lose things, though I do lose a lot of things. I am suggesting some tiny trinket, some whimsical little knick-knack you can put somewhere for someone else to find. It could be an action figure, or a little painted stone, or a mildly frightening doll that fell off of a homemade Christmas ornament your aunt made in the 90s. Seriously, this little doll is weird and funny to find, and a surprise like that has a way of brightening your day.
7. Use vintage furniture for a new purpose.
We have an old library card catalogue, which I had before we got married, and which has been shuffled in and out of several living spaces. My husband and I are determined to keep it around, no matter how tight space gets. It is currently being used as storage in our eating area. Our kitchen table also serves as our school table, and art table, and everything-else table. Each family member has a drawer in the card catalogue, which holds their pencil pouches and other little special things. We have drawers for burp cloths, pencils, and index cards. One of the drawers holds notes from our wedding – but that is another story for another time.
Our card catalogue brings delight, but it also serves a purpose. Furniture does not have to be either functional or fun, it can absolutely be both! By using furniture pieces in an unexpected way, you can add personality to your home, while still being practical.
8. Add whimsy to a utilitarian home item.
We have a utensil jar in our kitchen. It sits next to the stove and holds spatulas and whisks and other things. Many homes have a utensil jar, but not many homes use an old cookie jar to hold their utensils.
In a smaller home, you may not have room to add a lot of trinkets, and you may not have many walls for hanging whimsical art pieces. Even if space isn’t an issue, you may not be a fan of the clutter that often comes with more playful decor.
Rather than adding pieces just for decoration, look for quirky replacements for utilitarian objects. Use an old mug for a pencil cup, or repurpose a plastic honey bear as a vase. Store crayons in an old tin, use your old pencil box as a wipes container, or stack outdated encyclopedias into a plant stand.
Add a little element of surprise to your home! The surest way to add whimsy to your home is to do something unexpected.
9. Googly eyes!
Our family calls April 1st “Googly Eye Day”. This is because I have a habit of putting googly eyes on things while everyone sleeps on April Fools Eve. I love googly eyes. Every year, I do the same prank, and every year I make myself laugh. Googly eyes on appliances, googly eyes on family pictures, googly eyes on food. It is funny!
Each year, a few sets of googly eyes stay where I put them. Guests in our home may realize they are being watched. By a pepper shaker! Seriously, just try this one. April Fools or not. If you can find edible googly eyes (usually located by the sprinkles), you will be a hero.
A little nonsense…
Adding a little whimsy, little touches of surprise or outright nonsense, keeps the dreariness of repetition at bay. Whether you spend the majority of your days at home, or come home for a few precious hours after work, you should love being in your home.
Go add a little nonsense.
Love the googly eyes! What a fun idea!