Because your home should feel personal — not cluttered.
As a designer I meet lots of clients who struggle to combine sentimental pieces into their homes - here are some tips to help.
Start With a Clear Foundation.
Before layering anything in, you need a strong base. Think cohesive colours, furniture with clean lines, and a clear layout. When your foundational pieces are simple and intentional, sentimental items have space to shine instead of competing with chaos.
Choosing a cohesive colour palette through out your home can help achieve this.
Think about the main 2-3 main colours you have in your flooring, wall colour, window furnishings and large furniture pieces to determine your colour palette.
Use the colours and tones from these key elements to become the colour palette that is your base from which you can layer your sentimental pieces.
This example from my own bathroom shows how the white tiles and bathtub, along with the yellow tones in the basket and tapware determine the colour palette. From here the terracotta pot (a gift from a elderly family member) and the hand-drawn artwork became the focal pieces. The sentimental pieces were allowed to shine without overtaking the whole room.
2. Edit (Don’t Erase) the Emotional Stuff.
Not everything meaningful needs to be on display. Choose the pieces that still spark joy or tell your story in a way that aligns with your current life and style. Editing is not about erasing memories — it's about making space for them to matter.
Use negative space to allow your precious pieces to become statements and not get lost in the crowd.
Limit the number of sentimental pieces you have in each room - think 1-2 key pieces (unless you have a large art gallery wall, or a collection of smaller items you can cluster together). This way your home remains feeling balanced and nuanced.
This mantlepiece in my own home has lots of negative space (where nothing is placed), which allows the sentimental pieces of collected shells, paper craft made by one of my children, and the foot prints artwork of my youngest daughter to really shine. Note that I’ve clustered the items together to stop the items looking lost on the large mantlepiece.
3. Let One Piece Lead the Story.
Have a treasured heirloom, a piece of art from your travels, or an object that holds real emotion? Let that be the focal point. Build your palette and textures around it, rather than trying to match everything at once. One strong piece adds more impact than many scattered ones.
If you have one main sentimental piece in a room, position it so it becomes the focal point. Often placing it on the main wall you see when you enter a room achieves this.
Don’t be afraid to decorate your room and home over time. Start with your meaningful object, and overtime add to the room. If you decorate this way, your home will always feel so much better to be in long term.
In my daughter’s bedroom (when she was much younger), I placed the sentimental pieces together (the embroidery flowers and hand made elephant) and allowed the room to be added to over time. This mantle piece was the focal point, so you noticed the meaningful objects every time you entered the room.
4. Mix Old with New, But Keep the Palette Cohesive.
The secret is in balance. An antique timber dresser can look stunning next to a contemporary chair if they share tonal warmth. A family quilt can sit beautifully at the foot of a modern linen bedspread if the colours relate. It's less about matching eras, more about letting tones and materials talk to each other.
If your style is one where you like adjoining spaces to have a cohesive look and feel, think about your overall colour palette and how your precious pieces will tie into it. That way you can mix and match items throughout your home.
Think about your textures and mixing them. If you have an heirloom glass vase, sit it along side something with a matt finish, or a non shiny surface like timber or rattan.
Whilst I don’t have a lot of modern pieces on this console, the copper from this old sheep trough bouy from my family farm has turned a lovely green and ties in well with all the plants sitting on the console table - the colour palette remains cohesive so the items all sit well together.
5. Display With Intention, Not Guilt.
If something doesn’t feel like it belongs but you’re holding onto it out of obligation, pause. Consider whether you can use it differently (reframe it, relocate it, repurpose it) or simply let it go. Group sentimental items into one or two styled moments — like a vignette on a console or a story wall in the hallway — rather than scattering them across every surface.
This is made easier with smaller pieces that you can move from room to room. Don’t get stuck in a rut, move things around often to determine the best spot for them.
Store meaningful items in storage boxes when you tire of them. Don’t feel you need to keep things on display, often when you go back to them with fresh eyes you can determine if you want them to have a place in your home.
This old number plate from my Grandpa’s farm truck as been moved around a lot in my home. It’s currently in storage, but that doesn’t mean I might miss it and find a place for it again in the future!
When in Doubt, Curate With a Second Set of Eyes
Blending meaning with style is an art form, and sometimes it helps to have someone neutral guiding the process. In my design consultations, I often help clients uncover the emotional value behind certain pieces, then style them in a way that makes their home feel more cohesive and calm.
Whether you're renovating a home in the Adelaide Hills or refreshing a much-loved space you've lived in for decades, your story matters. The key is giving it room to breathe.
Want help finding that balance? Book a design consultation and let’s bring meaning and beauty together — thoughtfully.