Our decorator has a small storefront in our community, Accanthus Interiors, and it was in his shop window and what drew us in. DH and I both had a strong reaction to it. The base is mahogany root. Our guy said it was one of three from his source, and he was only selling the one.

I do not think it is hard to come by similar items, however they may be made of different woods. Atelier Bouclair has a teak root coffee table and a local craftsman does custom work (mostly dinning tables) with large slabs of teak.

Carla, I meant the one with the two drawers. I wouldn't have guessed it was a tree root!

Sorry! The one with the two drawers is from 'Homesense'! LOL! Just like my clothes, my house is a mix of 'high' and 'low'!! I have a 16th century pen and ink Madonna from the late 16th century school of Verona, and framed greeting cards on the same wall!

I think that you should focus on what you like and how it makes you feel - which is something that you noted. We have renovated more than one house and in terms of decor style it doesn't always match how I like to dress. The last house we owned was a 1920 colonial. We used dark woods and light furniture in warm neutral shades and lots of neutrals in the decor. We renovated a 1950's very modern lakefront to the studs and went with lots of off white which seemed to reflect what worked with the lake, the 1950's mid century modern style, and how we were feeling. We are now in a 1940 era art deco style home with curved walls and have lots of deep colors, purple, orange, green. My clothing style tends to more colorful, but it hasn't always been the case with my decor. The one caveat I would go with in renovating is to make sure that the architectural style in terms of the renovation matches the architectural style of the existing condo. Eg if modern, modern, etc, and works well with what already exists, so you don't have a disjointed mismatch between existing and the new renovations. But with everything else I would go with what you are feeling that you want. Warm colors can certainly work with modern. Good luck!

I love this question. I feel much more skilled at home decor than at personal fashion.

Something that I try to understand is how I can translate my WASPy, slightly shabby interior design aesthetic into a fashion persona for myself. Eg. in my house, much is high quality but little is in perfect condition. Antique chairs covered with velvet with worn-down pile... Persian rugs which, if you look closely, have a few stains and other reminders of their old-age... mahogany end-table with some water rings... To me, all of this feels cozy and lovely.

But if I go out with scuffed shoes, pit-stained t-shirts and threadbare sweaters, I just look like a homeless person. Why this disconnect btwn genteel shabby (home) and slovenly unkempt (person)?

Hmm,
I'm no help Shiny - though have enjoyed reading this thoughtful thread.

I have almost no opinions on decor beyond liking what a new coat of paint can do.

Our furniture is mostly Ikea, our house more cluttered than many because our church doesn't have a building, but I hope it is welcoming for the students we mostly have there, who don't seem put off by a couch that sheds bits.

My fantasies in the house realm are all functional - I design kitchens in my mind, and scenarios where the wardrobe is situated such that I don't have to get my clothes out in the morning while is is dark because DH is still asleep.

All that said, when I go to other's houses who have an aesthetic vision I do appreciate it!

Thanks Carla, as long as you are having fun with it, it is all good. I see similar style furniture in Room and Board but the price point is high.

UPDATE

Just got back from a meeting with the designers and they showed us their suggestions for the master bathroom tile and flooring. And it's gorgeous!!!! And yes grey.....

I'm now sold on their proposal for grey kitchen cabinets, as I am starting to see how it'll all come together...

Also a special shout-out to Jules: it clicked for me today why grey has become trendy. It's the new energy efficient canister lightbulbs! They cast a cool tone, so it seems natural to want cool toned grey to go with it...

What they are proposing however does not look trendy to me. It's beautiful, sleek, modern, sophisticated...

We'll find out in a week or two when they can schedule the renovation. It's not impossible that they may be able to get it done this Spring....

So excited!

I did an almost-whole-house renovation and decorating project last year, and the main thing I took away from it was "your house will tell you what it wants." I see a lot of houses in my neighborhood of 1930s houses that have been renovated with the latest up-to-the minute bathrooms and kitchens, and to my eye it looks odd and I feel like it will look dated in 10 or 20 years. I tried to respect the era of the house without doing a re-creation of the original, and I think I was successful. In fact, my guest bathroom was the subject of an article on houzz.com the other day! http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks.....s-bathroom

And to answer the question you asked, I think my house reflects my clothing style. I love bright colors and fun details, and my house has a lot of both! Here are a couple of pics of my house from my contractor/designer's web site:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/151503974942833226/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/151503974942833228/

I definitely think one can do modern AND warm--it's exactly what I'm going for in my own home! My bedroom and bathroom have a color scheme of shades of blue with a sandy tan and white, for example. The blue is restful but the tan warms it up and the white keeps it looking modern and fresh. I go for clean lines and keep it simple, but there are traditional touches here and there, which keep it feeling like a home. I tried really hard to get home stuff that matched my personal style perfectly and it just DIDN'T work. I hate wearing brown, but it makes a space feel very homey to me because my parents used a lot of brown and warm colors in their decor.

Wow! I saw your Houzz before/after. (I've been lurking on there for a couple of months). Gorgeous. Definitely successful and fitting the house.

Are you the reason I'm now obsessed with painting interior doors black? That seems to be a sudden thing on Houzz lately. It's brilliant.

How did you get on the before/after?