Because Ive spent more than a decade as the editor of Country Living, Ill admit a lot of people ask for my design advice, but heres the thing Ive noticed through the years: When it comes to their homes, almost everyone wants instant-gratification. Social media has a lot to do with this. How many times have you seen a one-week design challenge, or an after" unveil that seemingly came out of nowhere? Heres why thats a problem. If youre a reader of Country Living, you likely gravitate toward layered, lived-in spaces that feel truly personal. These dont happen overnight with expedited shipping on Wayfair. (For the record, we still love Wayfair.) The houses we regularly feature employ what designer James Farmer refers to as a cast-iron skillet strategy to decoratingtheyre seasoned over time, which leads to a layered, more nuanced decorative flavor.If our spaces are truly a reflection of ourselves, they should, like us, evolve over time.In recent years, a movement known as Slow Decorating has surfaced that champions a take-your-time approach to decorating a home. Like the Slow Food movement, it also encourages us homeowners to be more thoughtful about how and where we spend. For example, a basket made by a local artisan may be a bit more expensive, but theres value in supporting honest-to-goodness craftsmanship. The same goes with furniture, artwork...you get the idea.Now Ill admit that it took me some time to practice patience, but heres what Ive come to realize: The design elements in my home that I dont love all involve decisions I made in a hurry. In recent yearslargely inspired by the homeowners and designers Ive frequently interviewed for Country LivingI have embraced a few Slow Decorating lessons Ive learned and feel compelled to share them with you should it save you an impractical purchase or aesthetic regret. More Decorating Inspiration:Shop for the Piece, Not the RoomDesigner Libby Cameron is a master at interiors that feel acquired over time. (Her collected family home in Maine, seen below, is as lived-in and layered as it gets.) I like to buy what I love and move things around, she says. Furniture should be versatileit doesnt have to feel like it was bought for a specific room.If I fall in love with an antique piece of furniture, which happens frequently, I ask myself one question: Can I think of three ways I could put this [insert item] to use throughout the house? If I can envision, say, a chest of drawers used in a bedroom, entry, or hallway, I feel okay making the purchase. I find a lot of people approach buying furniture as a fill-in-the-blank strategy. With Slow Decorating, its more of a mix-and-match approach.James MerrellA living room by designer Libby Cameron features furniture that can move around as neededSweat the Small StuffIts the thoughtful little details that bring a room to lifethe quirky piece of artwork, the sentimental souvenirs, the curated collections. When I was renovating a farmhouse in Mississippi, I stocked up on pheasant glassware and vintage books by Mississippi authors well before I had any furniture. Heres why that was helpful: Acquiring those bitsy pieces here and there helped me feel like I was making progress on the project, which also made it easier to hold out for just the right bigger-ticket items, such as the sofa, sideboard, and so on. Hector M. Sanchez for Country LivingPheasant glassware, vintage plates, and faded paintings give a Mississippi kitchen a layered-over-time feelingRELATED: 100+ Best Places to Shop for Antiques and Vintage OnlinePrioritize QualityYou know the saying: Buy once, cry once. It may be slightly painful to pay more for hand-crafted furniture or a quality antique, but in the long run itll serve you better than a bookcase made of particle board. In the same way the Slow Food movement says to know your farmer, theres also something to be said for knowing the name of the person who thoughtfully made the items in your homeor the antiques dealers who sourced them for you. (Chances are theyll also have a good story to share!)Hector M. Sanchez for Country LivingA pretty wooden plate rack by Cosmo FryMix Materials and ErasThe strongest examples of Slow Decorating are those spaces that you cant quite assign to any certain era. They feel stuck in time, but in the best, hardest-to-pinpoint way possible, says Country Living Senior Homes & Style Editor Anna Logan. When you make peace with waiting it out, youre less likely to jump on trend bandwagons and wind up with a house that can be tied to a very specific moment in time. (Lookin at you, Modern Farmhouse.) Dane Tashima for Country LivingA living room of a Marthas Vineyard cottage feels unhurried in all the best ways possibleRELATED: 95 Living Room Ideas Youll Love for Classic, Rustic, Traditional, and Modern Family SpacesRemember: Finished Isnt the Goal This may be the hardest one. When it comes to decorating our homes, theres a real desire to be finishedto tie up the loose ends and be done with it. But if our spaces are truly a reflection of ourselves, they should, like us, evolve over time, with additions that reflect new interests and pieces that come with new stories. (Well, this one time at the Round Top antiques shows...) In grammatical terms, a home is an ellipsis, not a period. Perhaps no one understands that dot-dot-dot approach to decorating like a collector, who trades box-store convenience for curation over time. While psychological research says that people gain more happiness from experiences than possessions, when possessions are tied to experiences, its the best of both worlds.Tour These Houses That Get Slow Decorating Right:Rachel Hardage BarrettRachel Barrett is the Editor-in-Chief of Country Living. She can't pass up a vintage seascape, drives an '89 Woody Wagoneer (that is, when it'll start), and hopes to buy you a lemonade at a future Country Living Fair.