08/18/2026
“The art of not trying.” It’s a phrase having a real moment right now, and it struck home with me the second I heard it, Why? Because it’s the thing I’ve been working toward in my own home and closet for years without ever having the words for it.. There’s a moment in every room, and every outfit, where you can feel someone trying a little too hard. The pillows are too matched. The jacket is too pressed. Everything is coordinating so hard it forgets to be alive. I’ve spent years, in this house and in my closet, working toward the opposite of that, and it took me a long time to understand that effortless style isn’t about trying less. It’s a different, quieter kind of effort altogether.
Ralph Lauren, who has built an entire empire on this idea, put it better than I ever could: he’s said that it’s ‘easier to follow fashion than it is to have personal style’. That’s the whole thing, isn’t it? Fashion is a set of instructions. Style is a set of decisions, yours, made slowly, over years, until they stop looking like decisions at all and start looking like you.
The effort that isn’t supposed to show.
Here’s what I think can be misunderstand about a collected look. We hear “not trying” and assume it means throwing things together and hoping for the best. It doesn’t. Ralph Lauren has talked about wanting everything he makes, the clothes, the decor to carry that natural, easy feeling, and he’s been honest that achieving that ease is its own kind of work. The effort is real. It’s just supposed to be invisible by the time anyone sees the result.” -Cindy Hattersley Design
Meanwhile at Gleaned Antiques… the thoughtful inclusion or purposeful exclusion of antiques and vintage elements in the shop’s inventory so that customer’s only see the end result and can just relax, peruse and continue their collecting/decorating journey is paramount.
The “not trying” part comes easy when I’m incorporating some of my favorites such as antique desk fans. The appeal of desk fans is well described by Nick Boschetto, in the June 2025 issue of the Journal of Antiques and Collectibles. Nick says, “There’s something undeniably nostalgic about the slow, rhythmic hum of a vintage electric fan. Before central air conditioning became standard, these elegant machines stood as the ultimate symbol of summertime relief.
Today, antique and vintage fans have taken on a new role – no longer just utilitarian devices, but decorative treasures, as sought after by collectors, interior designers, and home décor enthusiasts alike.
From cast-iron art deco designs of the 1920s to the colorful plastics of mid-century modern homes, vintage fans are a fusion of history, form, and function. As interest in retro home styling continues to grow, so too does appreciation for these cool collectibles. Whether displayed as statement pieces in minimalist lofts or used functionally in restored farmhouse kitchens, vintage fans bring character, craftsmanship, and a breeze of old-world charm into any space.”
I so appreciate Nick calling out the sculptural, purely decorative appeal of old desk fans. As a lover of old, rusty, crusty, green paint, my antiquer’s heart does flutter a bit when I encounter an original olive-green desk fan in the wild. Whether or not it “works” is a complete non-sequitur for me; as the electrical abilities of the yummy object in front of me does not fit into my flow of logic at all. The only question in my mind is what am I going to move around in order to fit said object of desire into a vignette. This is by the way, NOT the same question I hear people ask themselves; “but, where would I put it ?” in order to justify walking away from a find that doesn’t fit into their decorating schema (rather than taking the opportunity to expand their schema). Hmmm, maybe that is where the invisible effort comes in; schema expansion. I’m here to tell you the effort is worth it!
Expanding schemas in order to keep antiques real in the Uptown Shopping Center; Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm.
