I saw Emily Adams Bode Aujla speak once about her and her husband Aaron’s approach to designing their home, and she described it as “not belonging to any one place or time”. There are tons of historical references and items in their home that can be pinned to specific eras, but as a whole, it doesn’t feel themed or dated—it feels like a collection of nods to moments across history that inspire them. Since then I’ve redefined “timeless” in my mind in this way, both in interiors and in fashion; a specific item or design decision may reflect a trend, but in the greater context, it doesn’t belong wholly to one place or time.
That’s an interesting distinction between items and a collection and makes sense especially for designing a home which is so much about personal tastes. I always thought of timeless as universally interesting. When a place is thoughtfully designed and curated, it remains compelling to future generations because it offers entry into the world the designer created.
This may be your best substack article yet. So profound. Your ability to captivate the feeling of exactly what it means to create a personal space. Just beautiful!
Yes! Yes! Yes! It's so refreshing to read someone's thoughts on interior design who is actually thinking about what they are doing and not just following the flock.
Another incredible,insightful and thought-provoking article. Possibly the most often asked question I get from clients is, ‘is this piece timeless’? And the most difficult to answer! So dependent on context. Thank you so very much for this, Colin! Our anxious, beige world needs to ponder this post! 🤎🤎🤎
Really enjoyed reading your article - I have been thinking a lot about timelessness in the last few weeks, while writing about Greek and Japanese art. I was thinking along some of the same lines but came to a very different conclusion about the concept myself. So it was great to read someone wrestling with the concept of timelessness as well. It’s so loosely defined and used - unfortunately.
I adore this thought, its thought provoking! It makes me wonder about 'timeless' in wine. This really hit for me - 'What matters isn’t whether something will date. Everything will. What matters is whether it meant something when it arrived'.
I love your voice in the world of interiors, and I agree with what you wrote—but it seems to me there are pieces that truly feel outside of time. This chaise longue in your photos is the best example of that 😀 It’s both rooted in its own time and reality, yet also beyond time. In fact, many pieces in this set tell the same story, as if they stepped outside time. But yes—a room doesn’t have to be timeless per se; it has to be personal to feel truly special.
This arrived at the perfect moment as yesterday I was thinking about the over used word ‘timeless’ and that there is no such thing! So thanks for this, I enjoyed it.
I saw Emily Adams Bode Aujla speak once about her and her husband Aaron’s approach to designing their home, and she described it as “not belonging to any one place or time”. There are tons of historical references and items in their home that can be pinned to specific eras, but as a whole, it doesn’t feel themed or dated—it feels like a collection of nods to moments across history that inspire them. Since then I’ve redefined “timeless” in my mind in this way, both in interiors and in fashion; a specific item or design decision may reflect a trend, but in the greater context, it doesn’t belong wholly to one place or time.
That’s an interesting distinction between items and a collection and makes sense especially for designing a home which is so much about personal tastes. I always thought of timeless as universally interesting. When a place is thoughtfully designed and curated, it remains compelling to future generations because it offers entry into the world the designer created.
No one wakes up craving beige without a reason. Profound while simultaneously funny.
This may be your best substack article yet. So profound. Your ability to captivate the feeling of exactly what it means to create a personal space. Just beautiful!
Yes! Yes! Yes! It's so refreshing to read someone's thoughts on interior design who is actually thinking about what they are doing and not just following the flock.
Another incredible,insightful and thought-provoking article. Possibly the most often asked question I get from clients is, ‘is this piece timeless’? And the most difficult to answer! So dependent on context. Thank you so very much for this, Colin! Our anxious, beige world needs to ponder this post! 🤎🤎🤎
Really enjoyed reading your article - I have been thinking a lot about timelessness in the last few weeks, while writing about Greek and Japanese art. I was thinking along some of the same lines but came to a very different conclusion about the concept myself. So it was great to read someone wrestling with the concept of timelessness as well. It’s so loosely defined and used - unfortunately.
I adore this thought, its thought provoking! It makes me wonder about 'timeless' in wine. This really hit for me - 'What matters isn’t whether something will date. Everything will. What matters is whether it meant something when it arrived'.
Thank you for the inspiration!
I love your voice in the world of interiors, and I agree with what you wrote—but it seems to me there are pieces that truly feel outside of time. This chaise longue in your photos is the best example of that 😀 It’s both rooted in its own time and reality, yet also beyond time. In fact, many pieces in this set tell the same story, as if they stepped outside time. But yes—a room doesn’t have to be timeless per se; it has to be personal to feel truly special.
Also, the photos are breathtaking, as always!
I found this concept super interesting!! 👏🏻
This arrived at the perfect moment as yesterday I was thinking about the over used word ‘timeless’ and that there is no such thing! So thanks for this, I enjoyed it.