Kinfolk in Interior Design

Kinfolk. noun [ plural ] /ˈkɪn.fəʊk/ 1.members of the same family.

Kinfolk is an old-fashioned word refering to a group of relatives and friends that forms a family. Nowadays, we have rescued this old gem of our vocabulary to talk about something that goes beyond its traditional meaning and explore a whole lifestyle.

When we talk about Kinfolk as a style of living, it goes beyond a certain number of interior design rules or trends in order to make our homes look nice. The more we experiment with it, the more we realise that it has grown to embrace each aspect of our life: from the garden and the world outdoors, to our home decor passing through to the way we dress, style ourselves and organize our kitchen.

The Kinfolk style is an ode to the family as well as to the essential and important things in life. Inspired by the "slow life" movement, it focuses on meaningful belongings and relationships and doesn't leave any space for clutter.

To embrace the Kinfolk style in interior design, we might start by doing some internal observations and decide which objects are really essential and which ones have just been collecting dust for months. It could also be a good opportunity to give these unused objects, clothes, etc a second home by supporting some local charities! Kinfolk is all about nature and respecting the environment, therefore, recycling, reusing, donating, are always part of the process.

When we talk about Kinfolk in interior design we also have to look at two other styles that have a lot to say aswell: scandinavian and bohemian. These styles must always have a minimalist twist in order to meet the eco-responsable ethos of our Kinfolk lifestyle.

We can find Kinfolk inspiration all around: in a old vintage object that we reuse in order to practice sustainable consuming habits, hosting a picnic in the park or keeping our house under a natural color palette.

Comfort is the main criteria to create a pleasent atmosphere through natural elements. In Kinfolk we love rough wooden materials that haven't really been treated to keep it's original color, as well as natural linens, cottons and wool to provide a cozy and pleasant style .

White is the protagonist in this stage and that is because it feels like there has been a note added to all the rest of colours in the room. We want to aim for a bright and light styling , soft pastel shades and muted palette.

The use of raw materals and plants throughout the house will shout out kinfolk style all around. The appearence of wood, rattan, ceramic, cotton, wool, fur and even feather will help find the balance between the different elements to find the balance between scandinavian, boho and mnimal style that we need to trully embrace this lifestyle.

Finally, we should remember that, Kinfolk, is not just about interiors and design, but something bigger, it is a state of mind and a serial of small decisions we make daily. It is the whole wide world outdoors and the echo of it that we bring into our homes in a simple and harmonious way that works better for us.