I just picked up a book by Stacy London, The Truth About Style. Stacy is a fashion stylist and TV personality. I was an avid watcher of her What Not To Wear show, and have always loved fashion. Stacy is known for pushing people to dress the body you HAVE and express your individuality. She deals with personal style and what we wear and claims that how we present ourselves is a shortcut to feeling really good. That the external presentation can affect the internal emotion. I am musing as I read about how all of this applies to our home environments too, because it TOTALLY DOES.
Homes reflect the style of all the inhabitants of the space. So it isn’t quite personal, though there is often one person who takes charge. There is a lot more compromise and blending to meet all needs. Plus, the things we do to our homes stick around for longer than that regrettable shiny dress you bought to wear to your cousin’s wedding. Like resorting to grabbing a sweatshirt, people are often paralyzed into making easy decisions instead of thoughtful ones.
I propose (like Stacy) that your home style should be a little of this and that. Be an eclectic style that takes into account where you live. Reflect the type of home you currently live in, just like clothes should flatter the body you have. (What you wear won’t confuse me into thinking you are a size O and similarly your faux finish walls will not convince me your house is a villa in Tuscany.) Your home should have finishes that suit your family and pets and entertaining style. Colors don’t all have to *match* and you can balance the design by mixing it up. You should have some items that are up to the minute fashion, and some investment pieces or things inherited from your past. And that like our clothing, style really has very little to do with how much money we actually spend.
So your true style is likely not just “modern” or “farmhouse” or “beach” or “shabby chic” even if you like some of the elements that contribute to those looks. We all like more than one thing! Our homes truly are our own personal Eclectic Style. We will break down the characteristics of some of those popular theme looks in future posts so you can better define exactly what your eclectic style is.
I suspect, that this is the difficulty many of you have in deciding how to finish your space. Some respond by quickly buying what is easiest. (The Gray Sweatshirt syndrome) Some jump into whatever theme is currently top of the charts, ending up with a Beach theme in the desert or a Farmhouse look in a suburban tract house. (The Buy A Whole Outfit shopper.) I am not saying that some of those elements aren’t PERFECT in your home, but that you may need a more complex style to really reflect you.
Then there is the evolution problem. Circumstances change. Tastes grow more complex. Values evolve. The sofa that was perfect 5 years ago is too small for the new house. A new blended family brings with it different accessories. Hanging on to the old style, like the too-small jeans you keep holding onto, is just holding your new style back. We all tend to not see what has been there for a while, just accepting that it just IS. Looking at it with fresh eyes can be the cure.
I am in the midst of revamping my Pinterest resources to help. You won’t see the new boards for a bit…but if you want to follow along, get ready by making sure YOU have a Pinterest account, and look for mine and follow me. I love working with clients on Pinterest, as it is a great tool to put together a look and get consensus.
Are you ready to do some soul searching and really think about style?