You do know Pippi Longstocking, don’t you? She’s that unconventional clever and creative gal whose red braids stand out straight and who lives in a house called Villa Villekulla. You can often see her wearing a short patchwork dress with oversized shoes and missmatched thigh-high stockings. She’s got lots of humour, the strength of ten policemen and a suitcase full of gold coins. She is a treasure-hunter (sak-letare) and vintage-lover who sleeps with her feet on the pillow. Pippi knows all about rule-breaking.

She’s actually the quintessential undecorator.

In fact, one of the houses featured in the book Undecorate looks a lot like Pippi’s house. It has a whismy turret and a bright yellow door set with a patchwork window of coloured glass. More than that: it’s also full of unexpected treasures and mishmashy personal collections inside…

Now what is Pippi Longstocking Decorating, to be exact? Is it the same as Undecorating? Well, both yeah and no. All of the homes presented in the book on Undecorating are clearly Pippi-inspired. Because if anything, Pippi knows what’s best for Pippi. She wouldn’t let anyone else decide. She loves her things and a bit of (or loads of) quirkiness and character. If someone called her hodgepodge style crap decorating she would most certainly say:

“Aren’t we living in a free country? Aren’t we allowed to decorate as we wish?” and maybe she’ll add “…and by the way, I’ll tell you, that in the Isle of Kurrekurredutt, all people decorate this way and they are so downright happy they barely leave home.”

The Pippi Longstocking Decorating Guidelines? The DO’s and DONT’s? Crap, she’d say. And I think we can conclude Pippi has never ever been trendier.

I think the debate that the book and the phenomenon Undecorate have created is very interesting. Some, including myself, find the free, creative and personal no-rules-approach very liberating. Breaking ‘rules’ about how the perfect home should look like is pure pleasure. To play with colour, scale, proportion, texture, etc and find something creative, lively and personal come out of it. To be insipred by imperfection.

Just like trends that come and go, ‘no-rule-decorating’ is innovative in itself; it pushes boundaries and help develop new paths. Heartfelt creative decor gives new inspiration, with its wide range of examples – it has a wide wingspan and it is inclusive of diversity. To decorate with your heart. Who can say professional polish matters more than personal expression, in a home. To think freely is always greater.

Others, view Undecorate as a polar opposite to pretty and well-done interiors. Interior decorating is not ’anything goes’. Ugly is still ugly, cluttered is still cluttered and missmatching is missmatching, no matter what new label is put on it. Pretty and well-done (by the book) is highly valued and cherished: it never goes out of style. Interior decorating may not be rocket science but it surely requires some skills, professional rather than personal.

I would like to see the undecorating-idea taken one step further. Don’t ”decorate”, likewise don’t ”undecorate” – use your own decor philosophy!; whether it’s decorating like your grandma, to go with your love for polka dots, creating a circus theme in your house, have your kitchen public toilet style or to be guided by a professional’s step-by-step instructions. Whatever makes You happy. We don’t all need to love each other’s home decor...do we?

Anyhow, I just wanted – with this lovely photo from the book – to highlight that the author of Undecorate, Christiane Lemieux, (also) loves a good debate and she wants people to join in on Twitter for a #Undecorate tweet-chat. That’s on Wednesday, April 20 at 2 pm eastern (that would be 20:00 my Swedish time/CEST). Happy wknd!

Update: And take a look at The Undecorate Tumblr – with masses of creative, quirky and rule-free decor inspiration!

Update again: Some great articles on undecorating, part I & part II

It has hardly escaped the avid reader of interior design blogs that DwellStudio Founder & Creative Director Christiane Lemieux has published a book called Undecorate. With the appealing subtitle The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design. I got my copy the other day and first of all: the book is definitely a decorative object in itself! But that’s still not the primary benefit of the book. Undecorate is a homage to personal and heartfelt interior design. In a beautiful way it draws upon today’s [or tomorrow's if you live in Sweden ;)] trendiest and most valued interior design ideal: the lived-in, unfussy, creative imperfection. The book features twenty homes which all have the highly interesting and precious trait that they could only be the home of the person who decorated it – so much does each home reflect and enhance the individual(s) it contains. It’s a sweet but definite goodbye to the practise of buying ‘style’ from a know-it-all interior designer. Instead, this book invite you to decorate – or more specifically to undecorate; to follow your own instinct even when it’s telling you to do something a little crazy, a little different; even something against the ‘interior design rules’…

Still undecorating as a (or Lemieux’s) concept, is not haphazard style; it’s not thought-free. At all. It’s about being guided by something other than the traditional constraints. To be your own guide. Though just like its neighbour the creative, personal, quirky and eclectic style it’s not totally trend-free or without its own standards – it points to some direction, at least. Yet the ‘undecorating’ philosophy has an inherent freedom. It says a lot of yes and no no’s. It has a no-rules approach. If you love polka dots and feel you want to paint your rooms polkadotty, yes you should! If you want your living room to feel like a decadent Paris club…OR even ;) if you want your kitchen to look like an emergency room – yes! If those surroundings make you happy. And no, the book didn’t say those last things, but it inspires you in that direction. My personal favourite of the houses featured is under the heading “Life Imitates Art”. A New Englander has created a California home full of beauty and personality. It’s a mishmash of styles and periods with personal connection as a unifying link. It’s even a bit circusy, which I love (and now I know that love certainly has some connection to the fact that I used to ride a unicycle as a child).

Very inspiring, just like the entire book. It can be read many times over and in between readings it’s an attractive addition to the decor – if you love decor books!

…is a body with soul.

| pics from House Beautiful, Rum, Elle Decor & Atelier Abigail Ahern |

Discuss!

Use things in decor that make you feel happy and relaxed. One can believe there is no better interior design advice than that. Only have stuff you can use, a home is not an exhibition. The residents of this apartment below, fully featured in Sköna Hem, think that way. And they pronounce (and practise) also the advice of the advices. The decor trick (note trick, not rule because there aren’t any) #1: they constantly move around their things. They get lots of holes in the walls because of this, as they even move around the paintings (!) but it surely is the bestest trick. You might just have what you need, it’s just piled up in a boring way. You might be bored, but you haven’t tried moving stuff around. Issue can be as simple as things don’t do themselves justice where they are; they need new company. So before you throw out all your furniture and buy new: Think the opposite. Do You Like Your Things (you should!)? Ok, a rearrangement may do the trick!

…and btw, what’s happened to Sköna Hem the last few days? Who suddenly woke up? Is there a new creative mind around.. Their site went from stagnation to inspiration boost in the twinkling of an eye. Awesome.

A highly interesting and appealing interior design trend in my opinion is the Granny & Grandpa-line of interior thought. It’s a retro style not pointing out specific decades or design styles, but going a few generations back – to a time without decor-anxiety. To a time when homes were furnished and decorated from the owner’s head and heart. Things we surround ourselves with had a purpose. The homes had character and were taken care of. With family history, old portraits and flowers, genuine materials and things we need, not for one reason or the other must have. A time when DIY wasn’t a concept, it was life. And that’s where we find Granny and Grandpa. In the trendey-archive posts can be found e.g. within the Faded Glamour-style, the countryside trendification and now – in Granny’s wallpapers! Because I’m on a mission right now to find wallpapers of this kind for our bedroom. So there will be more on this. Stay tuned :)

| 1 st pic via The Selby, 2nd is a collection from earlier posts: Granny’s Wallpapers, True Scandinavian Style & Swedish Folklore Style – Still Going Strong |

…and we do love the dark painted walls we’ve indulged in lately. It’s so stylish, beautiful and in a way “new” we made it an own category also, under Decor Tricks. Sooo, trendey welcomes you to the Dark Side! Moahaha..and mind you, “white walls” is only a tag :p