Inspiration Whiplash
Curating my own style when I love different aesthetics
When I was first married, long before Pinterest & Instagram, I had a Better Homes and Gardens interior design book, “The New Decorating Book,” a stack of my mom’s Laura Ashley catalogues from the 90s and a bookcase full of saved shelter magazines, as my sole inspiration for decorating our first home. I was 25 years old, we had just paid off our student loans and saved to buy our first home, meaning there wasn’t a lot left for decor. I spent HOURS pouring over those images and advice, I can still picture some of my favorite rooms with such clarity and specificity - they are permanently seared in my memory. Nowadays, I scroll on instagram and bookmark and screenshot on a daily basis SO many gorgeous and inspiring spaces, yet rarely do they have the permanence in my mind the way those early images did. Sometimes the onslaught of daily inspiration only serves to confuse my personal sense of style and make me question if I should exercise some restraint with pattern or my growing ceramics and pottery collection. Because how can I love this, if I also seem to equally love that?
Example 1:
Two collections: one tightly edited and monochromatic, the other full of pattern and color. I’m OBSESSED with both. And while they share some similarities, both very fitting of that classic country home style I gravitate toward, they are also collected over time and you would buy and seek out different items if trying to replicate the look and style for yourself.
I often think personal style influences our interior design choices, so it doesn’t surprise me that I have over 30 (er, 50…) ivory and beige sweaters, but also a closet full of block print dresses. I like earth tones and neutrals as much as I appreciate pattern and color. With fashion it’s easy - I just wear what suits the mood I’m in. With interiors, however, you have to be a bit more committed. Above, Josh’s home is the cashmere ivory sweater and Maura’s is a block print dress.
Let’s have a look at two work spaces found in my saved images…
Once again, I’m pulled in two directions and would crave both spaces for different reasons. As I was sitting down to write this, I realized that my process of honing my own style relies heavily on intuition and experience, things I can’t really simplify in writing in a succinct and helpful way. I don’t have a formula or set of questions I ask myself. But I do have a feeling I’m chasing and that “feeling” is what guides my choices more than anything else. Here is my short(ish) list for tried and true inspiration when my head starts spinning with ideas and I need some direction…
Some of my absolute favorite homes of all time, that stop me in my tracks whenever I see them, and linger in my head long afterwards…
Cathy Kincaid, see a full tour here
Lee Ann Thornton, I adore her new seaside cottage as much as her older Dutch colonial - see here
Maura Endres, instagram here
The home from “It’s Complicated” (I mean, all of Nancy Meyers’ movie homes, if we are being honest. I think what appeals to me (and maybe most of us) is how life is lived in those homes on the screen. The kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms are all such reflections of her characters, they are not magazine looking but beautiful, cozy and warm spaces. The dinner parties, weddings, babies, date nights, etc all seem a little more special with the pretty backdrops.
When designing for clients and when decorating for myself, I also think about how I want the home to feel when…
Making the first cup of coffee for the day
Opening gifts on Christmas morning
Reading a book on a rainy Sunday afternoon
Celebrating my children’s birthdays
Ringing in a New Year
Watching a Friday night movie
Hosting a dinner party
Opening all the windows on the first warm spring day
I like my design choices to reflect inspiration found in my favorite places:
The Beacon Hill Bookstore - the mix of patterns, color and charm. It was very much the inspiration behind the bits of red I’ve recently incorporated into my own home
The Cotswolds - English florals, gingham, fresh flowers, patterned lampshades, ruffled hemlines, collections of pottery and ceramics
Sconset - New England coastal charm, stripes, blue and white, wicker, slipcovers
The French Countryside - block prints, antiques, copper, painted trim, skirted sinks and tables, wallpaper, un-lacquered brass, feminine details
Keeping inspiration in an easy to reference place:
Instagram: My “Inspiration Highlights” on instagram are a quick snapshot of what I most gravitate toward and a good place to ground myself when I start to question what I want to do. I also have folders with saved images that are sometimes quicker and easier to reference than Pinterest.
Design Book Library: My favorite design books. I have 100s but I often reach for the same ones. I’ll share those in an upcoming post!
Pinterest - The Pinterest suggestions are often much more on the mark than the Instagram algorithm.
My Inspo Binder - My original Pinterest, torn out magazine articles from the last 25 years!
Ultimately decorating is meant to be a fun form of self expression and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I know. Should I really be saying that as someone who has made a profession of it? I think it’s possible to love multiple styles and find ways to combine aesethics into one that is uniquely you. I suppose my own style is in some ways a mix of all the things that inspire me. I like to play with pattern and color, but in a controlled way. It’s less of a this or that and more of a this and that. I love many different interpretations of classic, coastal and country style. And somewhere within all of it is mine. I adore patterns, I’m willing try a little pop of a new color now and then, but not at the sacrifice of a sense of peace and calmness. I repeat certain colors through my entire home (ivory, brown, blue and green), I embrace my love of gingham (there is no fabric pattern that brings me more joy), I don’t worry about over doing it with feminine details because they make me happy. Often fear holds us back, worried we will “make an expensive mistake” or we just want our home to be “perfect and finished.” The truth is our homes will always be evolving - furniture will need updating, artwork will move around to accommodate new additions, you’ll outgrow patterns or colors you thought you would love forever, families will change and your home will need to accommodate different stages of life. So soak up all that inspires you, edit or layer as you go, and remember that the life you live in your home is always going to be the most beautiful thing in it, not the drapery pattern that you agonized over for months (or years).
Wonderful post. Incredibly helpful and encouraging (and fun to read). Don’t stop writing! Already looking forward to the favorite design books article. Thank you!