Why is everyone talking about comfort decorating?

Luxury large living room in the style of kitsch. Comfort decoration offers a chance to stop being perfect. Photo: AFP

Freshly arrived from the United States, comfort decorating privileges feelings over aesthetics. The trend encourages homemakers to forget about design-magazine diktats and instead to create mix-and-match interiors from their own personal bric-a-brac. The results may be a little kitsch. But, at the end of the day, is that really a problem?

Like a familiar calorie-rich dish on a cold winter's day, comfort decorating is an invitation to enjoy your own foibles with a personal space that speaks to your identity. Perfect for relaxation and cocooning, it offers a guilt-free opportunity to let go and unashamedly be yourself. Given the current state of affairs in the world, it has arrived right on time.