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Welcome back to Home and Hosting
with Louis Bourke, the podcast 

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that's all about helping you 
make your space feel like home. 

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I'm Louis, stylist, design 
educator, content creator and 

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your friend in all things home 
hosting and at the moment 

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holidays. 
Because Can you believe it's 

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already November? 
Christmas is just around the 

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corner. 
I've been shooting all my 

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holiday collabs this week and I 
cannot wait for you to see it 

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all on my feeds across TikTok 
and Instagram. 

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So be sure to check it out over 
at the Wee Burke. 

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Each week over here we talk 
about how to elevate your space 

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and your life without over 
complicating it. 

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I'm not afraid to mix high and 
low because money doesn't buy 

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you class or taste, education 
does. 

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Researching, practise and 
routine gets you one beautiful 

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life. 
So today's episode is a little 

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bit of a tough loved one. 
It's my Capricorn moon coming 

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through today because I want to 
talk about why your home might 

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feel lifeless. 
You know that feeling when 

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everything looks fine on paper 
but the energy just isn't there?

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It's not warm, it's not 
inspiring, it's just a bit 

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beige. 
It might not be your space, but 

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you might have seen it online. 
Very put together homes that 

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don't really put together 
despite everything being there. 

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Or it's the complete opposite 
and that a house is a mess and 

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nothing's cohesive and 
everything is all over the shop.

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And before we start blaming 
square footage or budget, let's 

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be honest, a lot of the time 
it's not the house, it's us. 

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I think this is a really Aussie 
thing of playing down ourselves,

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the oh I can't do that, it's too
fancy. 

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But that often means I'm scared 
to commit, scared to put in the 

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effort into something that I 
might not be able to sustain. 

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And that's such a shame because 
your home should be a reflection

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and a reminder of the best 
version of you, not the version 

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that's afraid to try. 
Because that's saying you are. 

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What you eat actually applies to
who and what you surround 

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yourself with. 
If you improve your home, you 

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will improve your whole life. 
So today we're talking about 5 

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mistakes that make your home 
feel lifeless and what to do 

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instead. 
But more than that, we're 

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talking about how to grow up 
your space and actually lean 

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into being an adult because 
honestly, you deserve to live in

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a home that reflects that. 
All right, let's get into it. 

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Number one, you don't know the 
difference between authentic and

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fake. 
If your home feels lifeless, 

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it's probably because everything
feels fake. 

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Reproduction furniture, fake 
plants, dupes, veneers, 

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imitation marble. 
It's all pretending and it's 

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shows. 
Honestly it probably shows up in

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your wardrobe too. 
A whole lot of plastic. 

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Now I get it and I hear you. 
Not everything can be high end 

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expensive and senders broke. 
But when your home is full of 

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replicas it starts to feel like 
an amateur theatre set. 

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It's glossy, but it's certainly 
not grounded. 

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Now, finding the difference 
between reproduction and real 

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can be tricky if you don't have 
the lived experience. 

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I remember going shopping as a 
young kid with my mum and we 

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would go around the store and we
would pick out things that we 

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liked and I would show my mum, 
oh, look at this, look at this 

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amazing desk that was clearly 
like a replica desk that did not

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look good. 
And it was very shiny and it was

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like fake veneer and whatever. 
And my mum would be like, no, we

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want something like this and she
would show me more of an 

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authentic timber piece that 
looked beautiful. 

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So I learned from a really early
age the difference between 

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replica and real furniture, 
homewares, etcetera. 

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My parents are very earthy. 
They like lots of natural 

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materials around them more so 
than myself. 

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But I think that also relays 
back to where we live. 

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My parents are in regional NSW, 
whereas now I live in metro 

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Melbourne. 
So the textures and, and the 

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looks are going to feel 
different, but the rule of real 

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verse reproduction still is 
apparent no matter where you 

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live. 
How do we figure out what's 

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reproduction and what's real if 
we don't have that experience? 

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My recommendation is to look at 
the things that you really 

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admire. 
Find them at the really 

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expensive price point at the 
store, wherever you find it at 

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the most expensive price, be it 
at like an auctioneer place or a

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beautiful store. 
And and then look at it in a 

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place that you could pick up at 
a second hand store or Facebook 

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marketplace. 
So you can see like one thing is

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original. 
It speaks to the time that it 

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was built in and made in versus 
something that's been made now, 

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but in a really beautiful way 
with really good craftsmanship. 

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9 times out of 10 where the 
reproduction stuff comes into 

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play is when you see it at that 
sort of mid tier price point. 

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A mid tier can range depending 
on the original price of the 

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item. 
So if the original price at an 

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auction here is like 10s of 
thousands of dollars, that mid 

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tier range is going to be a 
couple thousand or a couple 100,

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right? 
So you can kind of tell 

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automatically someone has had to
cut a fair few corners in order 

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to bring that cost down, making 
it a reproduction. 

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And you can see the price of 
something correlates to how many

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corners have been cut 9 times 
out of the 10. 

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If you can find it at Facebook 
Marketplace, it means you've 

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found an opportunity where 
someone wants to get rid of 

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something if they don't want to.
Spend the time, energy and 

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effort putting it on an 
auctioneer website and you're 

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getting it at a great value. 
The item has like maintained the

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skill set and the craftsmanship 
because the corners weren't cut.

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It's just a person who wants to 
get rid of it. 

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Does that make sense? 
It's not to say that you can't 

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buy reproduction and replicas, 
but keep in mind if you're 

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getting it at a really good 
price, 9 times out of 10 it will

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show. 
And if you do that with 

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everything, it's not great. 
I also think you can feel the 

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difference between something 
that's real and something that's

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trying to be real. 
And I also think you don't look 

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great in a space that's full of 
like reproduction stuff because 

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you're a natural living thing 
surrounded by man made stuff. 

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So if you're not done all the 
time, like with your hair's 

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done, you've got makeup on, 
you've got a really good outfit 

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on, that reproduction stuff in 
your home can make you look 

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worse because natural things are
imperfect. 

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They're lived in, right? 
So the warmth of timber, the 

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cool weight of glass, the 
texture of linen, those are 

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things that bring life into a 
room and those are the things 

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seen in nature, the imperfect, 
the ever changing, just like 

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you. 
So it just feels better and it 

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looks better all the time. 
Let's not even talk about fake 

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plants unless you've spent a 
small fortune. 

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They are not fooling anyone. 
They're always a little bit too 

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green, they're too shiny, 
they're too still. 

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And the dust is a serious issue.
You're better off cutting a 

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branch from outside and sticking
it in like an urn and then 

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replacing it weekly, honestly. 
And look, that's not about 

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status, it's just about 
substance. 

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Buy less, but buy real. 
Mix in historical things and 

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vintage things that add 
character. 

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Because when you fill your home 
with things that actually have 

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life to them, the space starts 
to breathe again. 

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I remember when we covered this 
in my episode with fellow 

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friends with Home and hosting 
with Alexander Wagner. 

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He really loves to purchase 
items that are pre the 

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industrial revolution because 
there wasn't a trend cycle. 

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They were made with true 
craftsmanship and they have 

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stood the test of time. 
And I know some people are going

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to be listening and saying, 
Louis, I live in a modern 

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contemporary house. 
The historical stuff just does 

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not work. 
To which I will say that is 

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totally fine. 
Just look for pieces that are 

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made from natural materials 
because they will not date and 

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they will stay timeless and they
will look great and they'll feel

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real and you'll look great. 
Let's move on to #2 everything 

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being from the same store, Like 
if you're walking into your home

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and saying, Oh my God, this 
looks like Restoration Hardware 

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or Pottery Barn or Target or 
IKEA, kind of not a good look. 

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You need to mix it up because 
it's not giving home, it's 

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giving showroom and lived in, 
which is like really hard to 

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sustain because those places are
not lived in. 

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So you living in an environment 
that you're trying to sustain 

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that showroom level, it's just 
not achievable because you will.

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You'll just get stressed because
you won't be able to maintain 

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that level of clean lines and 
everything that a showroom can. 

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You need a home that feels 
cohesive like a store, but you 

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need to do that through a colour
palette and not a one stop shop.

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You should be able to look 
around your home and remember 

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the stories where you found 
something, how it came into your

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life. 
So mix it up especially with the

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homewares you can, I can collect
a lot of furniture pieces from a

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particular store. 
Like I have a lot of Globe West 

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in my home. 
Not my whole house is Globe 

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West. 
But also when you look around 

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you don't go, oh, this is a 
globe W store, beautiful store, 

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love the brand. 
But my home does not look like a

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Globe W store and certainly the 
homewares not from Globe West. 

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That's the thing. 
I think where people can go 

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really wrong is when they start 
picking up too many homeware 

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bits and bobs from bigger chain 
stores like H&M Home or worse 

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like Kmart. 
Don't get me wrong, you can pick

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up one or two things, but 
picking up like 20 things and 

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having them in all the different
rooms, that's when things just 

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go really, really wrong. 
Like pair an IKEA sofa with a 

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designer lamp, put a vintage 
chest next to a homey cushion. 

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That contrast creates rhythm and
and I think the real reason 

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people buy everything from one 
place is because they don't want

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to take the time to figure out 
what they actually like. 

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They just want it done. 
But also it's not done until 

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everything has a home. 
Put things in places so you know

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where they go when you're 
finished with them. 

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Stuff just can't live on the 
floor. 

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Give it a purpose. 
You have a purpose and so does 

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the stuff in your home. 
So give it some context. 

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Give it a place. 
Good homes are never done. 

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They just evolve. 
They grow as you grow, so stop 

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rushing to fill every space by 
one thing that matters instead 

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of five that don't #3 you're 
playing it too safe with colour.

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Let's talk beige. 
Beige with no texture, no 

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contrast, no life. 
It's not a neutral, it's numb. 

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Now don't get me wrong, I love 
beige, there's lots of it 

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throughout my home. 
But you've got to treat it like 

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it's a full colour palette. 
Layer your tones, combine matte 

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with gloss, linen with metal, 
timber with glass. 

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And don't be afraid to mix in 
those deeper tones. 

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Brown, tan, caramel, terracotta,
green. 

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They make beige feel 
intentional, not lazy. 

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Because this I'll just keep it 
simple thing is often code for I

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don't trust my own taste. 
You've got to back yourself. 

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Commit to the look. 
Design. 

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Confidence doesn't come from 
being safe. 

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It comes from trying things and 
learning what works. 

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That's growth. 
That one was a quick one, hard 

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and fast. 
OK, so now we move on to #4 You 

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don't understand scale. 
Scale is one of those invisible 

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rules that separates amateur 
from effortless. 

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Too often people have huge 
furniture and tiny decor, or the

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opposite little furniture with 
oversized lighting and it just 

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doesn't feel right. 
You want variety, Think tall, 

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medium, low and repeat that 
across your space. 

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When everything is 1 size or one
height, your eye gets really 

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bored. 
And when you have rhythm, 

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different levels, depths, 
shapes, it suddenly starts to 

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feel calm. 
And that calmness is what good 

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design actually is. 
It's not about perfection, it's 

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just about balance. 
You also need to layer right? 

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So a bed needs layers with 
blankets and pillows, tables 

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need layers when you're setting 
up for dinner. 

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Windows need layers with 
curtains and Roman shades. 

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Consoles, however, don't need 20
things. 

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Coffee tables do not need 10 
things, Sofas do not need 15 

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cushions and TV cabinets do not 
need 5 trinkets. 

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You also don't need to have all 
your furniture pushed up against

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the wall, like have a rug sit in
the centre of a room. 

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Put your sofa away from the 
wall, even if it's 15 

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centimetres. 
Let the space breathe, let the 

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energy move around the room. 
Decide when things need to be 

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symmetrical, like do we do 2 
lamps anchored on either side of

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the console or will it look 
better with just one scale? 

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And layering will be the thing 
that transforms your space. 

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Homewares that look good nine 
times out of 10 serve a function

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and a purpose. 
So if you have a lot of trinkets

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that serve 0 purpose, it will 9 
times out of 10 look messy. 

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Oh a candle has a purpose 
because it's there to like set a

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mood, you know, emit A scent. 
A vase is there to house 

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flowers. 
A lamp is to emit light. 

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A coffee table book is to 
inspire you. 

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But we don't need 5 coffee table
books. 

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Get an aesthetic board game for 
when someone comes over. 

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The small cutesy trinkets. 
I'm over it. 

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The cutesy childlike stuff just 
does not make a space feel 

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cohesive. 
It just feels like your 

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attention span is that of like 
scrolling TikTok and you need 

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little cutesy pieces to make you
give like a quick dopamine hit 

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and then move on to the next 
thing or go back to watching the

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TV. 
Like your home decor should not 

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be a distraction from real life.
It should just elevate your 

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life. 
It should be reminding you of 

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where you want to go, who you 
want to be. 

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Now I'm going to finish with a 
big one, one that I noticed a 

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lot when I moved from the Hunter
Valley to Melbourne, which I 

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kind of mentioned earlier, which
is your textures are fighting 

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each other or it's 21 and the 
same. 

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So texture is an emotion. 
If everything is smooth and 

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shiny, your home feels sterile, 
which can often happen in metro 

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city areas. 
If everything is raw and rustic,

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it can feel quite heavy and 
unfinished, often seen in 

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country homes. 
You need to combine and contrast

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these textures. 
Raw linen and timber, beautiful 

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glossy marble with Chrome luxe 
but jute with white gloss tiles,

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not so much. 
They don't marry up as well. 

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You need to know your materials 
and understand their 

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personality, and don't force 
opposites to coexist. 

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When your finishes complement 
each other, your home feels 

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cohesive, and when the textures 
relate to one another, it feels 

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balanced. 
It's also good to think about 

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how much of the texture you're 
using in a space. 

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So if you use a really textured 
rug, that's going to take up a 

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lot of visual weight versus how 
you just use the texture as a 

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small cushion. 
So be sure to consider that when

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you're doing your room. 
I live in inner city Melbourne, 

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so the textures that I 
incorporate into Myspace is a 

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lot of timber. 
It's a lot of suede, it's a lot 

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of linen, but it's not a lot of 
like rustic jute used to have a 

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lot of unfinished and raw timber
and it felt really heavy. 

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So then I moved over to more of 
a smooth timber finish with 

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curves to make it feel more 
balanced and modern and 

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contemporary. 
Also incorporated a lot more 

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stone, like the marble because 
it was a natural texture, but it

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was smooth. 
Again, it's actually more in a 

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leather texture. 
It's not shiny, so it's a little

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bit more matte so it doesn't 
feel so sterile. 

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Don't get me wrong, you can 
definitely use a sisal or a jute

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carpet in one of those heritage 
looking homes. 

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Just keep in mind that it is a 
little bit heavier, so you will 

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need to go a bit lighter and 
brighter when it comes to the 

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furniture choices to keep it 
feeling more urban. 

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Think about the context and 
where you live because that will

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help guide you as to what you 
should have in the space. 

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Home acts and works like your 
wardrobe, so if you're dressing 

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for the seasons, your home 
should also meet that as well. 

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So if your home feels lifeless, 
it's probably one of those five 

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things. 
Either everything's fake, 

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everything's from one store, 
you're scared of colour, your 

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scales off or your textures are 
fighting. 

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But deeper than that, it's often
about confidence. 

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Stop downplaying yourself. 
Stop telling yourself that 

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you're not fancy enough. 
Because it's not about being 

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fancy. 
It's about having respect for 

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your environment and by 
extension, for yourself. 

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Hold yourself and your family to
a higher regard. 

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Lean into being that adult you 
know you are. 

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Own your taste, and stop waiting
for permission to live it 

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00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,120
beautifully. 
Because when you're home finally

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feels like you, confident, 
grounded, there's logic. 

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It feels alive. 
That's when everything else 

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starts coming together. 
Thank you again for listening to

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00:17:57,880 --> 00:17:59,320
Home and hosting with Louis 
Burke. 

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00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,240
If you enjoyed today's episode, 
share it with a friend or 

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00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,520
someone whose house might need a
little bit more work. 

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00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,640
And I'll see you next week when 
we talk about the design trends 

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that are actually worth backing 
in 2025.