What ageless spaces get right

From now until the end of year, our team is in its busiest stretch. Last week alone, we dropped our Bed & Bath Trend Watch over on Domino and seven designer-vetted Secret Sources guides here on Home Front. If you’re in the market for towels, wallpaper, or furniture, they are the place to start your search.

Today’s guest editor, Kara Mann, is not only an interior design whiz, but a shopkeeper, so she doubly understands the thrill of finding that just-right piece. While her Jackson Hole, Wyoming, storefront is called The Shop, it reads more like a home. The curation of vintage furniture and artisan-crafted objects is a clear reflection of Kara’s decorating tenets: time-worn objects and materials, everything in moderation, and an effortless, unhurried feel above all. All three appear in the spaces she designs, as well as in this very newsletter. —Lindsey DeSimone, senior editor, content strategy

Also in today’s Home Front:

• What the most ageless spaces have in common

• Designing around checkerboard floors

• The paint color Kara just used in an entryway

I’m drawn to spaces that feel both considered and lived-in. Homes that are quiet, elegant, unhurried. I gravitate toward natural materials that age with grace, furnishings that feel gathered over time rather than arranged for effect, and rooms that are refined without ever feeling precious. The aim, always, is a home that feels settled the moment you step through the door.

My design “dos” for bringing the look home:

Choose Enduring Materials
Natural stone, aged woods, hand-applied finishes—the things that only grow more beautiful with time.

Find Pieces With Patina
I’m always drawn to objects that feel as though they’ve already lived a life before arriving. They carry a warmth, character, and sense of permanence that’s nearly impossible to manufacture.

Look to (Design) History
The most ageless spaces aren’t built around what’s new, but around what’s proven: classic proportions, thoughtful restraint, and elements that will feel just as relevant 20 years from now as they do today.