Children’s rooms and other less formal spaces are places where one can play a little. ‘If you’re displaying the award in an ironic place like the WC or boot room, then go as wild as you want,’ says Brandon, who advises restraint in formal living spaces. Will avoid places like Uns drawing room Or indeed the kitchen altogether, seeing those spaces as ‘more style-forward’, so there’s a greater chance of a collection of medals or certificates looking out of place.
For Jessica Tucker, senior interior designer at HG 101 listees Sims Hilditch, ‘More personal items are often found in studies, libraries, upstairs or Snug spaces,’ and advises that ‘artwork, books and CollectablesRather than creating anything that feels too formal,’ the right approach is to incorporate those markers of achievement in a subtle, authentic, rather than ‘overly curated’ way. That way, these pieces feel less like bragging rights and more like an accumulation of family lore, adding layering that gives the home the feel we want.
You need more reassurance, Jane Austen wrote in Pride and Prejudice, That ‘vanity and pride are different things, although the words are often used synonymously. One can be proud without being vain. Pride has more to do with our opinion of ourselves, vanity with what others think of us.’ This distinction seems useful because it brings us back to intention. Thoughtfully displayed – contained in a bookcaseSuch as hanging in temporary spaces There was a corridor – Medals, certificates and photographs seem less like bragging rights than markers of life: races run, tournaments won, exams passed. They become part of the emotional architecture of the home, reminding us of who we are, what we value, and what we were capable of at different moments in our lives. If the objects that symbolize it are beautiful, so much the better. If not, well, Nancy Lancaster That said, every room needs something low, so you’re good either way.
