Like most trends, interior design styles come on the heels of other trends, as reactions—even backlashes—to the opposite. For the past decade, we’ve been driven by the stark, austere perfectionism of minimalist design, which can be quite beautiful and soothing when it’s done properly. But there is also a starkness to it, an unlived-in, sterile, and museum-like quality which makes it much less practical for everyday life. Recently we’ve not only had to make our homes our places of refuge and to raise our families, but we’ve also had to set up impromptu home offices and take “staycations” in the backyard. Achieving and maintaining the meticulous habits required of minimalism are simply unrealistic when one truly “lives” in a space.