Let’s reflect for a moment about what you’ve done…

About 20 years ago you — or the designer you hired — went out and did some shopping. At the time, the Tuscan-look was popular, so you went all-in and did your entire house with a heavy, thick, layered look that included curly ironwork, colorful silk flower arrangements, tapestries, gold sofas, dark damasks, and heavy faux finishes.

Back then it felt right; it felt beautiful!

Today… not so much.

Now please, understand that I’m not insinuating that this look is a bad one (for a castle in Italy) when I say this, but…

For the here and now, your Tuscan-look probably feels a bit dated.

You want to freshen it up, but you also want to hold on to some of the expensive pieces you bought. (Which, by the way, I’m all for holding on to those expensive purchases from the past; there’s certainly no harm in that.)

But how?

How do you take a room that was designed in this Tuscan style and update it to the point that it looks fresh, light, and in-the-now, today, as well as on into the future?

You edit.

More specifically, you edit...

These:

And this:

Next...

You get rid of these:

And this...

Well, honestly, I probably wouldn’t even bother reupholstering this. Really, just take it on down to Goodwill. ;-)

As for these:

They can be reused in many kinds of rooms, even mid-century.

Next...

You take your tapestry clad upholstery and reupholster it in a light colored linen type fabric for a fresher look.

You eliminate lots of extraneous trims and pouf for a simpler look.

You can refinish an existing chair in a darker finish or a white-washed gray finish to make it more up-to-date and then reupholster it in a bold modern print.