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How do your interiors reflect your exteriors?

shiny

Veteran

If you're reading this I caught your attention, but probably I'm not asking what you think I'm asking.

When I say interiors I mean your interior design of your home. How does it reflect (or not) your fashion style?

I ask because we are about to embark on a major renovation of our new condo. We've never renovated anything, so this is totally new for us. We have an interior designer we've hired.

His early renditions seemed to reflect how I dress -- lots of neutrals and cool tones. White, grays, black. I am at odds here because I'm not sure that's how I want my home to look. I may look best in cool & neutral tones, but I feel cozy in warm surroundings.

We do know we want to go modern. Not just me, my very classic non-trendy hubby also wants sleek modern interior design to live in. I still think you can do modern & warm though? We do not want institutional modern.

Would love this forum's thoughts and experiences and advice, and bonus points for some inspirational pictures of you wearing your style, while living in it too.. or wearing a different style but loving or not loving the style of your home you live in as backdrop.

How do we integrate the two?

40 replies

Latest reply was from shiny

greycat6

Veteran

My personal style and interior style are both classic. The house is decorated in tones and colors that I am drawn to for my wardrobe as well. My style of dress is probably more current than the furniture but that is more economic than anything else.

When we built our house, the interior designer we used suggested I collect pictures from magazines, books, Internet or where ever I could find of things I like and, more importantly, what I don't like. Many times I couldn't name what I did or didn't like about the image but eventually patterns emerged. This was a very useful exercise. I find myself doing it when I am explore a new fashion trend to try.

Good luck! Sounds like an exciting project!

Astrid

Veteran

Just wanted to leave you some links:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....hing-style

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....hion-style

I actually had another thread in mind but I can't find it now.

I definitely think my own preferences are somewhat in sync. I like clean lines but natural materials, no fussy decorations, mostly colors I would also wear...

Style Fan

Veteran

I dress in earth tones and I see a lot of myself in the Kibbe Natural style or Yin Natural style. I have done small renovation (kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, small extensions) and decorating in all 4 houses that I have owned. All of the houses have had a warm, natural feeling about them. I used terra cotta tiles in the kitchen, wood flooring, pine or cherry cupboards and lots of natural lights. The colour of the paint has always been terra cotta, pumpkin, golden yellow, olive green, and brown.
Our furniture is rustic farm pine or mission with simple lines.
We have a lot of original art that is very colourful. Most of it is from 2 First Nation artists who are good friends of ours.
It would appear that the interior of my houses reflects my style of dressing. But both of my DHs wore a lot of black and had very simple styles of dressing.
We live in a place where winter can be 5 or 6 months long. The inside of the house needs to look warm IMHO. DH agrees even though he would never wear such colours.

Style Fan

Veteran

I should add that my sister and her husband live in a very modern house with modern furniture. They have a warm colour on the walls and the furniture is warm coloured. It is warm but modern.
They both dress very modern but in cool tones. Interesting.

April

Veteran

I am going to add something I have learned from working with Maria Killam (Colour Me Happy blogger and color expert) on several decorating projects. When you choose your "hard finishes" -- tile, flooring, countertops -- do not go with the latest trends. Go with something as classic (i.e. boring) as possible, and then make your space unique with your non-permanent decor choices.

Watching HGTV makes everyone think they want that pencil-tile backsplash or granite countertops with a super-busy natural pattern. Maria cautions that if you choose these things, your house will date quickly and you will hate them within a few years, as trends change and HGTV starts showing the Next Big Thing.

Renovations are so stressful that you really don't want to condemn yourself to doing them more than once.

Also, realtors have a name for spaces that have been so mercilessly individualized that they only speak to the person who individualized them: they say that they are overly "specific." These spaces are, when you should choose to do so, incredibly hard to sell.

Please note, I am not saying that everyone should choose "builder beige" and blandness so that they can someday sell a piece of property. I'm saying don't make permanent decorating decisions that are so "you" that no one else can appreciate them, and that will be extremely difficult and expensive to change. And don't make them based on what's hot right now.

Stick with classic for the permanent stuff, then bring in your own individual style with your art, pillows, rugs, furniture, paint colors, linens, dishes, etc. Hot trends should be restricted to anything that you can change quite easily.

Jules

Veteran

Colour Me Happy is a good blog to go through (she has a fun mini "course" if you sign up). I agree with her basic principles April mentions, but the overall look isn't quite me - however, just realizing that and figuring out why is helpful in itself. I like Apartment Therapy more for personalized, less staged feeling modern homes. I'd consider modern style but in warm, natural materials - wood instead of MDF, etc. Go with your gut if the designer colours feel too cool - we just redid our basement and I realize now the overall grey scheme I went with is too cold, despite many colourful accents. Be careful when choosing lighting, as many of the newer energy efficient types default to colder light than traditional bulbs which mimic natural light better.

Anonymous

I consider myself as "transitional", a cross between contemporary and traditional. Soft muted colors in furniture and walls with pops of colors in window treatments and artwork, etc. DH and I love quality, so pretty much everything we have is high end. We also do not like clutter and that is also obvious in our wardrobes. (except for DH's t-shirt drawer, which I would be very happy if the t-shirts somehow just disappeared).

Funny that when we were picking out our new kitchen the designer said that it was obvious what we were picking was a reflection of us.

BrieN

Veteran

Yes! I had a laugh the other day when I realized how well my ivory lace top, brown boots and camel cardigan was blending in with my kitchen counters, cupboards and backsplash.

My house is done in ivory, cream, camel and brown with touches of grey and black to ground it. I like those neutrals on their own but also how they look with deeper reds and green foliage as well as robins egg blue, teal etc.

One difference between interiors and outfits (where each day can be a new color or style) is that while each room is separate they need to relate to each other so you have flow.

I recommend spending time on houzz, and having your husband do so as well. Save things you like in your notebook. Patterns will definitely emerge.

And spend a good long time thinking about countertops. I guess my advice would be to start.with those.

Staysfit

Veteran

My house is decorated in warm, natural tones. Maybe autumn colors. There are golds, greens, reds, and some blues. I have natural hardwood floors everywhere, and cabinets that looks like light cherry; I have porcelain tile, limestone, granite and lots of Windows to let in light. Most of my furniture is Stickley, which is most definitely mission style. Maybe it's masculine and bulky looking? I have paintings and artwork on almost every free surface. Most are by my DD who is an artist, but some are from our parents, or other family members. They all have sentimental value. Many have a bird or nature theme. I have one piece of artwork framed from each year of my DD's life, starting when she was three. (It was clear even then that she had some talent). My mother and my DH's mother each gave us a painting from the houses we grew up in to start our collection. I used these and a set of plates a friend brought from Turkey to determine our color scheme. I also have family pictures. It's the art and the pictures that mean the most to us. My house is 10 years old and I still love it. The only thing I would change is to add a screen porch, and maybe a
larger closet in the master bedroom!

The decorating does not reflect the way I dress at all! Not one bit. My color scheme is very different, my furniture is heavy and chunky and I typically wear items that are light and have small details, etc.

I don't think decorating needs to reflect what you wear. Do what makes you happy. It made me happy to use the pictures we received as gifts from our parents as a theme for our house. I don't think I will get tired of my choices. I always feel good when I get home. It's like a warm hug!

Liz

Veteran

I love color of all kinds, and it took me a while to realize there were colors and patterns I am happy to look at and surround myself with, but that didn't mean I want to wear them.

The general feel of how I dress and decorate is probably similar, but the colors and patterns aren't.

April

Veteran

Shameless sharing of something I tweeted this morning: Cautionary analogy for trend-dazzled #HGTV viewers: Decorating is to renovating as getting dressed is to plastic surgery.

Proceed accordingly!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

The rooms in the house most recently decorated do reflect my style. Today I am wearing black skinny cords, a worn mid grey v neck t shirt, brown suede booties and a fluffy black oversized cardigan. I have attached a couple of photos which I think are probably best described as neutral but texture rich too.

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shiny

Veteran

Greycat - yes I've collected a ton of pictures. I also can't name what I like or don't like, but I've never really come up with a style descriptor either.

Astrid - thank you! I missed those threads. Just went and read through both.... interesting theme regarding how the style of the home dictates the decor. I totally agree with that, our last place was built in 1905 so we gravitated naturally towards art deco style. This new place was built in 1895 and was a Catholic school until it was renovated and turned into condos in the 1980s. We are on the top two floors (along with 3 other condos) which used to be the school's gym. In the bones you see traces of its 1895 heritage, and lots of bad 1980s finishings, but otherwise you could easily go a lot of different directions with the design, including modern urban penthouse, I think....

StyleFran - your house sounds lovely. Our last house was very colorful too, pretty much a riot of rich color everywhere, in warm tones to offset the fact it got little sunlight. But we're in the mood now to go with a scheme that is more neutral.... I think I'd even like to have white walls for a change.

April - YES, totally agree. When I first started collecting photos, I was drawn to the current trend of grey. When house shopping, we saw a lot of newly reno'd grey condos with white or grey kitchen cabinets and dark flooring and the pop of color (yellow or fuchsia or red). But then I found myself getting tired of this look, and gravitating instead towards something warmer. That said, I don't want an all white kitchen with white subway tile backsplash (basically what we have now). I know it's classic and can be a great backdrop and all that, and I know it's safe... I just find it boring and bland.

Jules - I followed Color Me Happy years ago when we picked the paint colors for our last house. Thanks for the reminder. And yes, you are right about the light bulbs! Our new place has basically not been touched since the 80s, and was rented out the past 10 years. It has fabulous bones and loads of potential -- it's only the finishings that scream stuck in the 80s and these can be changed. The main living areas are yellow oak flooring with orange-tinted paint on the walls and even the ceiling (!). The canister lighting has never been upgraded and DH attempted to change this right away. He changed just one bulb and boy did we notice a difference between orange glow and cool white glow. Meanwhile the master bedroom has a cool-toned carpet and cool-toned white walls.... it reads so differently than the downstairs.

Lara - I'm with you on not liking clutter. I want everything to have a place and be put away behind cabinet doors. I want easy to care for and clean, with minimal items to dust.

Brie - your home sounds lovely! Countertops... yes... don't get me started on that topic.

Staysfit - we also have some inherited art we'd like to incorporate. It's all pretty neutral so won't really be dictating our color direction in any way. It is more classic/traditional but I think the juxtaposition of modern with a few classic pieces will be interesting.

Liz - you may be on to something. Since I'm petite, that tends to bar me from high-end designer fabrics and quality, and I'm resigned to black, black, and more black... but with home decor I don't have those limitations, only budget.

April (again) - LOL! We are definitely renovating not just decorating. Moving walls, moving our kitchen, moving the laundry, tearing out all the 80s stuff, adding more lights, etc. This is why we hired an interior designer rather than a decorator. The place needs some plastic surgery, not just a coat of paint!

Rose - what is the material used in your shower? I like that!

RoseandJoan

Veteran

Hope the link works for you http://www.showerwall.co.uk/pr.....oductID=95

Anonymous

I think wood warms up a modern space, even if you're using greys on your walls and in your upholstered items. A big drum-style walnut coffee table, or a few bentwood pieces would look fab. A wooden (but modern) dining table would be great.
Having incandescent/halogen lighting at different levels really helps warm up a space too. Lots of lamps--not just overheads.
I agree with Jules that even the warmest LED lights are still very cold and offputting.

Also, throwing in an antique or two keeps things from looking too stark.

My innate style is very cottagey, but with a few modern touches. I like florals, Hudson bay blankets, shaker cabinetry, quilts, primitive pine furniture. I don't think this translates to my personal style, which is plain and minimal.

Jules

Veteran

Just a small point - I find saving a few pictures of things I *don't* like can be a helpful reminder as well. Obviously not everything I hate, but things that are close to my style but off somehow, or have something specific I was considering but realize I don't like when I search for real-life examples. Those "not quite" pictures can be really instructive reminders when I go back and review my boards.

And yes about flow - part of the reason my basement feels too cool is the huge transition from the rest of my warm, old house to the cold, new basement. I need to bring the cool colours upstairs now, but keep it more balanced than I did downstairs.

JAileen

Veteran

The main colors in our house are off white (walls) and medium brown (oak floors). We get color and texture comes from furniture, rugs, and artwork.
Some of our furniture was inherited, some was bought new, some was bought at thrift stores, and some was made by family members long dead. When our home was threatened by wildfire years ago, it was easy to pack the cars. Anything irreplaceable was put in the car.

All of the artwork in our house is personal, and acquired over the years. I see people on TV whose homes are decorated by someone, including artwork. I think that would feel like living in a hotel - attractive but impersonal. None of our artwork is valuable, but it all has meaning to us.

I find myself more and more attracted to a modern style. The bathroom we redid last year is modern with cool colors (grey). But it's not cold because of bright rugs and fun pictures.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I've been slowly transitioning our decor to a more lively space from a mostly neutral palette - but this is being done with art, pillows, rugs, accessories -- nothing really permanent. And the theme is still very "me" being natural, abstract floral, wood with some modern elements. For big items that are built in, I'd stick with your gut and go with classic modern. I like rustic wood floors for nearly any style home but that's just me. Subway tile is a bit classic I agree, but depending on the home, it can work beautifully. I didn't get to choose my cabinets (honey toned, slightly rustic wood) or granite (mostly black with some specs of color) as it was a new home and already in place, but if I replace it in the future, I will go with a lighter color on the counters as black is constantly showing dust and doesn't make the space as light as it could be despite many large windows! I like my walls to be mostly off white these days. But I have large scale art that covers most of the wall space anyway.

Helena

Veteran

I see so much mixing of warm and cool tones; I think that can be a great way to make a modern space warm - especially, as Smittie says, with warm wood tones.

My home is very neutral, black and white, with gray and soft blue accents - transitional in style, I would say. I like being able to change out or updates small things like cushions, etc. to change things up, while keeping the fixtures classic. It's very similar to my dressing style now that I think of it!

Gaylene

Veteran

If you have a strong personal aesthetic, I think you can't help but incorporate into your home as well as your wardobe. We used an architect AND an interior designer when we built our home because they each bring a different perspective to the "bones". Without the architect, I don't think we'd have had our gorgeous windows and views, and, without the interior designer, I doubt we'd have had the wonderful lighting. Both of those features were a big reason our house sold so quickly when it went on the market.

My advice would be to spend time and money on getting the layout, structure, heating/cooling, and lighting right. It might be tempting to go with a gorgeous sink and cabinet in a bathroom, but putting the money in heated floors will pay off in spades in keeping your house warm and cosy while you live in it and be an attractive selling point to a buyer. Same goes for lighting, cabinet placement, walls, traffic patterns, and all those under the radar aspects. In wardrobe terms, these are your basics and essentials.

The surface pieces are what people will notice when they walk into your space. Most of these things can, and do, get changed over time. Counters, wall covers, furnishings, fixtures, art, colours--none of these are permanent so here you can play around with whatever delights your eye. If you don't get it right, live with it for a few years, and then replace that lovely, but essentially useless, sink which splashes you every time you wash your hands. Or repaint the walls, move the furniture, and put up drapes instead of blinds. Just like building a wardrobe, mistakes are part of the game, and your tastes change.

I adored the high contrast, high energy of black granite counters, stainless steel appliances, white subway tiles, and punches of red and cobalt in our former house, but I'm also totally happy with the pale wood, greys, off-white, and nickel background of our new west coast condo. The gentler, subdued vibe suits me--and has obviously influenced my wardrobe which is transitioning into more neutrals with the odd watery pastel.

rachylou

Veteran

This is where my problem with matching my surrounding architecture really gets ugly. I just moved right? Well I moved from a place that was built maybe in the 50s/60s to one built in the early 1900s and got rid of almost all my furniture with square edges. The older house is simply too refined. Yeah, I liked that furniture but not in the new place. It makes me feel like the last ten years of my life I was just an interior design fashion victim. Lol! On the other hand, my sofa in a granny-print chintz has been with me my whole life and has worked everywhere. Anyways... Total identity crisis... And my apologies for being no help whatsoever... !!

LaPed

Veteran

I have yet to own real estate, or even live in a place long enough to really leave my mark on it.

I think there are a lot of other factors when it comes to interior design that aren't necessarily as much of an issue with fashion: your partner's or other housemates' preferences, resale value of the home/level of investment, etc.

I'm curious to know how this plays out for others. We're in the market for a house right now, and it's quite an interesting process, seeing how my preferences compare to my husband's. I think he gravitates a little more towards warm-cozy-traditional and I towards bright-airy-quirky, which is somewhat reflected in our sartorial choices. When it comes to home interiors, quality, durability, and environmental health are always my first considerations, then I think about style and aesthetics -- although now that I write that out, I realize that's often how I choose items for my wardrobe too. Hmm.

JAileen

Veteran

LP, I was going to mention the compromises. When we were looking at dining furniture, I had Windsor chairs in mind. The arm chair was perfect! My husband sat in one of the chairs and just said no. It wasn't comfortable and that was that. Okay, then. Well, we ended up getting a compromise, of course. Giant ladderback chairs that are really comfortable, considering they are not cushioned. Not my first choice, but not bad, actually. However, if I were buying dining furniture now, I might want something modern.

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abc

Veteran

Interesting thread and timely for me as we just moved and are personalizing the new space (no renos but it's a big white box right now so typical to me it's getting a good dose of color!)

have you been on houzz? Maybe someone already mentioned it but I find things that call out to me there (as well as to an earlier poster's point - what you don't like as well)

Brooklyn

Veteran

I found Maria Killam's blog incredibly useful, for the reasons April mentions. Houzz is great for the articles (as well as the pictures). There are articles on identifying your style. I have gone for a transitional (Classic with some contemporary elements) look in our home. The house is over 100 years old. So the kitchen is white shaker cabinets, with white subway tile, white stone bench top and timber floor (all classic) but with modern brushed nickel pendant lights, sleek contemporary handles, a timber island in a different colour from the perimeter cabinets (a modern trend) and modern artwork. In terms of colour, my choices have been way more neutral than my fashion choices. But I do think having a foot in both the classic and trendy camps does generally reflect my style. My DH basically stayed out of the choices, only intervening on matters of practicality. That made things a little easier. But I would still describe our renovation as a very difficult process, so good luck

Aziraphale

Veteran

Gosh, I'm no help when it comes to renovating -- I've never undertaken such a large project! My wardrobe and my living space are very much the same, and I've never done an overhaul on either. I just pick up things as I go, and discard things occasionally, and in the end I have a bit of a quirky mix. Nothing's too over the top, though. And I prefer a medium amount of "stuff" -- i.e. clutter turns me off, but big empty bare spaces do, too. There are hints everywhere of my background and interests (science, nature, art, literature) in both my clothing and living space.

Your plans sound lovely. Yes, you can absolutely have a "warm" yet modern interior space. It doesn't have to look institutional! My in-laws have just about everything in white, but they use a lot of shades and textures in their interior decor, and it looks clean yet inviting.

Runcarla

Veteran

If this is a Reno, then get the bones right and focus on those views you just bought - so possibly open concept? Is there any interesting architectural detail worth working with, or are you stripping it back to the studs? Neutral colours and natural finishes allow you to change up your decor at a whim with a new duvet cover, throw, sofa cushions, or rotating your art.

DH and I worked with a decorator, and our home is a comfortable consolidation of BOTH our quite different style preferences. I'm a minimalist and could live in a plain box with a futon and a big window (I need light.) DH loves traditional comfort, and 'stuff' and was attached to an area carpet. We are also taking our cues from our view - we look out over a wooded ravine, with lake Ontario in the far view. We are using a lot of greys, beiges, and cream - like stones on a beach or driftwood. If we were doing a complete Reno, I would trade the dark floors for light ones. I do love the hardwood floors throughout the house though.

FWIW: the leather couch, and the chairs are filled with goosedown for added luxury! We are looking for some luxurious comfort at this time in our lives.

However the colours of our home are not representative of what we wear - but they do match our hair! DH is a cool toned and silver fox, and I am warm toned and sandy haired.

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Anonymous

My house and my clothes are traditional with a few modern elements here and there.

elpgal

Veteran

Carla, I love that console table in photo 3. If it is a recent purchase, can you share where it is from?

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