How to Decorate a Home You’ll Love Forever, According to Bunny Williams |

1. Embrace Classic Foundations

Bunny Williams recommends beginning with classic architectural details and neutral color schemes to establish a lasting base for your home. Elements like crown molding, hardwood floors, and traditional trim never go out of style and provide a backdrop that adapts seamlessly to new furnishings or decor.

This foundation ensures the space remains welcoming and relevant, even as tastes evolve. With timeless bones in place, you can confidently layer in art, textiles, and accessories that reflect your personality. Discover more about Bunny Williams’s approach to classic design at Architectural Digest.

2. Invest in Quality Furniture

According to Bunny Williams, choosing furniture built to last is essential for creating a home you’ll never tire of. Instead of selecting trendy or disposable pieces, she advises opting for classic, well-crafted items such as a timeless sofa or a solid wood dining table.

Look for hallmarks of quality like kiln-dried hardwood frames and hand-tied springs, which ensure lasting support and comfort. These foundational investments provide both beauty and reliability, serving as the backbone of your living spaces for years to come. Explore more of Williams’s insights at House Beautiful.

3. Layer Patterns and Textures

Bunny Williams champions the artful layering of patterns and textures to bring warmth and personality to a home. She recommends mixing florals with stripes, or pairing luxurious velvet with breezy linen, to achieve a space that feels thoughtfully curated rather than overly coordinated.

This strategy adds visual interest and a sense of history, making rooms inviting and unique. By combining different materials and motifs, you create a lived-in, timeless atmosphere. For more of Williams’s expert advice and inspiring interiors, visit Elle Decor.

4. Personalize with Collected Objects

Bunny Williams believes that a truly timeless home reflects the lives of its inhabitants. She encourages displaying art, books, and unique treasures collected over the years, from travel mementos to vintage finds. These personal touches add layers of meaning and warmth, ensuring your space feels authentic and lived-in.

Williams also suggests rotating your collections occasionally, which refreshes the atmosphere and highlights different stories. Infusing your home with objects that matter to you creates an environment that’s both beautiful and deeply personal. Explore more of this philosophy in The New York Times.

5. Prioritize Comfort

For Bunny Williams, true luxury in the home means creating spaces that encourage relaxation and togetherness. She advocates for plush seating arrangements, inviting sofas, and chairs you want to sink into, layered with soft throws and tactile rugs underfoot.

These elements not only enhance comfort but also make your home more functional for everyday living. Cozy textures and thoughtful layouts ensure that family and guests always feel at ease. For more of Williams’s comfort-driven design strategies, explore her insights at Veranda.

6. Use Color with Confidence

Bunny Williams inspires homeowners to embrace color in their interiors, whether through painted walls, vibrant accent furniture, or eye-catching accessories. She frequently balances bold hues with classic neutrals, creating a harmonious and inviting atmosphere.

Williams believes that experimenting with color not only keeps spaces from feeling monotonous, but also offers a powerful way to express individual personality and style. Don’t be afraid to try unexpected combinations—color can transform a room’s mood and energy. For more of her color advice and practical tips, explore Real Simple’s guide.

7. Create Inviting Lighting

Bunny Williams emphasizes the importance of layered lighting to achieve both ambiance and practicality in a home. She recommends combining overhead fixtures, table lamps, and sconces to provide flexibility and warmth.

Incorporating dimmers allows you to adjust the mood for any occasion, while mixing vintage and modern lighting fixtures adds depth and character. Well-designed lighting not only enhances the look of your rooms but also flatters everyone within them. Explore more of Williams’s expert lighting advice at Better Homes & Gardens.

8. Mix Old and New Elements

Bunny Williams is renowned for her ability to create rooms that feel both timeless and fresh by blending antiques with contemporary pieces. She often pairs vintage tables or classic chairs with modern art, sculptural lighting, or sleek sofas, achieving a balanced and dynamic effect.

This thoughtful juxtaposition ensures that interiors never feel dated or one-dimensional, instead reflecting a sense of history and personal taste. Mixing old and new elements allows your home to evolve gracefully over time. For further inspiration and Williams’s expert advice, visit Martha Stewart.

9. Connect Indoors and Out

Bunny Williams advocates for a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, enhancing both beauty and livability. She frequently uses repeating colors, materials, or motifs to visually link rooms with patios, terraces, or gardens.

Features like French doors, expansive windows, and plant-filled interiors help blur the boundaries, inviting nature inside and encouraging year-round enjoyment of both environments. This indoor-outdoor flow not only expands living space but also creates a tranquil, unified atmosphere throughout the home. For more on Williams’s approach to connecting interiors and exteriors, explore Garden & Gun.

10. Edit and Curate Frequently

Bunny Williams emphasizes the importance of periodically editing and curating your home’s decor to keep spaces feeling lively and harmonious. She recommends regularly reevaluating collections, rearranging furniture, and updating displays as your lifestyle and preferences change.

This ongoing process helps prevent clutter, ensures every item has meaning or purpose, and maintains a sense of order throughout the home. Thoughtful curation allows your interiors to evolve gracefully, reflecting your current tastes and experiences. For more on Williams’s philosophy of editing and refreshing interiors, explore the insights shared at Domino.

11. Focus on Entryways

Bunny Williams considers the entryway a crucial element in home design, as it creates the home’s first impression. She suggests combining practical storage solutions like elegant consoles or baskets with beautiful touches such as artwork and thoughtfully chosen lighting.

This combination of function and style ensures the foyer is both welcoming and organized, inviting guests in with warmth and personality. Williams believes that a well-appointed entry signals hospitality and sets the tone for what’s to come. For more of her expert tips on designing impactful entryways, visit Southern Living.

12. Choose Timeless Window Treatments

Bunny Williams advocates for window treatments that enhance rather than compete with a room’s architecture and views. She prefers simple, tailored draperies and shades crafted from classic fabrics such as linen or cotton, which offer a sense of understated elegance.

These timeless materials and styles not only provide privacy and light control but also age beautifully, adapting effortlessly as your decor evolves. By avoiding overly ornate designs, you ensure that your windows remain a harmonious part of the space. For inspiration from Williams’s own home, visit House & Garden.

13. Make Room for Entertaining

For Bunny Williams, creating spaces designed for socializing is fundamental to a lasting, joyful home. She prioritizes multipurpose living and dining areas where flexible seating arrangements and open layouts accommodate gatherings of any size.

Thoughtful additions like a bar cart, extra chairs, or movable tables make it easy to entertain guests and foster a welcoming atmosphere. Williams’s approach ensures that your home remains lively and adaptable as your entertaining needs change over time. For more of her entertaining wisdom and practical ideas, explore Food & Wine.

14. Display Art Thoughtfully

Bunny Williams believes that art is essential for making a home truly personal and vibrant. She recommends hanging artwork at eye level and mixing different media, such as paintings, prints, and sculptures, to create visual interest.

Williams tends to avoid rigid symmetry, instead arranging pieces in organic groupings that feel curated and natural. This approach invites the viewer to explore and appreciate each work individually, while also enhancing the room’s atmosphere. For more inspiration and practical tips on displaying art in your home, visit The Spruce.

15. Create Private Retreats

Bunny Williams understands the importance of having personal sanctuaries within the home. She often incorporates cozy reading nooks, peaceful bedrooms, or secluded garden corners designed for quiet reflection and relaxation. These intimate spaces provide a respite from daily bustle and promote a sense of well-being.

Williams’s thoughtful approach ensures that every member of the household has a place to unwind and recharge, contributing to a balanced and harmonious environment. For more of her expert advice on crafting private retreats within your home, explore the insights available at Lonny.

16. Respect Proportions and Scale

Bunny Williams emphasizes that well-proportioned furniture and decor are crucial for harmonious interiors. She advises matching the scale of sofas, tables, and rugs to the dimensions of each room—avoiding pieces that are too large or too small for the space. Careful measuring and visualizing layouts before purchasing ensures a balanced, comfortable environment.

Williams’s attention to proportion helps rooms feel cohesive and inviting, preventing visual clutter or awkwardness. For more practical advice on achieving perfect scale and proportion in your home, refer to her tips featured on HGTV.

17. Let Collections Grow Organically

Bunny Williams encourages homeowners to avoid purchasing entire matching sets or filling their homes in one shopping trip. Instead, she suggests building collections—whether of china, art, or books—gradually and thoughtfully over time.

This organic approach results in a home filled with meaningful objects that reflect your personal journey and evolving tastes. Each piece brings memories and character, ensuring the space feels authentic and lived-in rather than staged. For additional insight on curating collections with intention, explore Williams’s advice featured at Better Homes & Gardens.

18. Incorporate Greenery

Bunny Williams is a strong proponent of bringing nature indoors to create lively, refreshing spaces. She frequently incorporates potted plants, ferns, and fresh-cut blooms to soften the edges of rooms and infuse them with vitality. Even a simple vase of flowers can dramatically uplift the atmosphere, adding color and a sense of tranquility.

Williams believes that greenery not only enhances visual appeal but also contributes to a healthier, more inviting environment. To discover more of her tips on integrating plants and floral elements into your home, visit Country Living.

19. Make Every Room Livable

Bunny Williams is a firm believer that all rooms in a home should serve a real purpose and be fully functional—not just designed for appearances. She advocates for practical layouts that promote ease of movement, as well as choosing durable materials and easy-to-clean finishes that stand up to daily use.

This philosophy ensures that every area, from formal living rooms to cozy dens, is comfortable and inviting, supporting the routines and needs of your household. For more of Williams’s practical strategies for livable spaces, explore her advice featured at Real Homes.

20. Trust Your Instincts

Bunny Williams encourages homeowners to listen to their own preferences and passions when decorating, rather than being swayed by passing fads or outside opinions. Trusting your instincts ensures that your home becomes a genuine reflection of your personality and brings lasting satisfaction.

Williams believes that embracing what you truly love creates spaces that feel authentic, comfortable, and enduring. Your confidence in your own style is the key to designing a home you’ll cherish for years to come. For more of her thoughts on cultivating personal style, read her interview with Forbes.

Conclusion

Bunny Williams’s approach to decorating is rooted in timelessness, authenticity, and a deep appreciation for individuality. By layering classic foundations with meaningful collections, quality furnishings, and personal touches, she demonstrates that homes become more beautiful and comfortable as they evolve.

Williams’s enduring advice is to trust your instincts, prioritize comfort, and allow your spaces to reflect your unique story. In doing so, you create a sanctuary that grows with you and brings joy for years to come. To explore more of her philosophy and tips, visit Bunny Williams’s official site.

How to Decorate a Home You’ll Love Forever, According to Bunny Williams