Same Eye, Different Room
for anyone who can dress herself but has no idea what to do with the living room
I hear from fashion people all the time that they love clothes but feel completely overwhelmed when it comes to decorating their homes.
I, unfortunately, have been tortured by a lifelong love affair with both. Let me show you how my brain works between the two:
The good news is that it’s actually kind of the same thing.
Have confidence that your taste doesn’t belong to just one discipline. The creative people I admire most are constantly looking outside of their discipline —at paintings, hotels, gardens, films, architecture, history, the way someone carries herself, even the way a table is set. They collect references in their head that can be applied to their style in all sorts of ways.
They notice the way a woman knots a scarf. The proportions of a beautifully tailored jacket in the same way they notice the proportions of an architectural entry. They know why one pair of shoes looks effortless while another feels like it’s trying a little too hard and also how decorating can create a rhythm the same way that music can.
That instinct and eye translates directly to interiors.
The problem, I think, is that we tend to approach decorating as a hunt for individual objects: the sofa, the coffee table, the light fixture. It’s the thought that one perfect thing will walk into the room and solve everything.
As you know, true style never really works that way. The most stylish people know how to put things together (look at Michael Rider’s Celine collections! I love the styling!). A quirky hat with an otherwise classic outfit, relaxed tailoring with polished leather, something oversized next to something tailored.
Rooms work the same way.
A crisp linen sofa is the white button down, an antique side table is the vintage watch, beautiful drapes puddling on the floor is the dress worn barefoot and relaxed.
The magic is in the relationship between the pieces and knowing when to stop.
Then the final layer to me is confidence.
The homes I feel most chic feel edited, personal, and completely unbothered by whether anyone else thinks they got it right.
Don’t think of it as matching a room to an exact outfit. You're more translating the instinct behind the outfit into another medium.
Which brings me to the part that might actually be useful:
A Few Things To Try —> Styling Outfits to Rooms
Look at your room in black and white
Take a photo and turn the saturation all the way down. Suddenly you can see proportion (very important!!!), contrast, and composition without getting distracted by colors and patterns. It’s essentially trying on the room without the lipstick.
Steal a color combination from your closet
Yes, your favorite combination. Things like olive and faded blue, navy and tobacco, cream and black, pale pink and oxblood. Creams with pale blue like the Jacquemus image above. If you instinctively know that combination works on you, try it on a room.
Use the “third piece” rule
You know how an outfit can feel unfinished with just jeans and a shirt, but add a dinner jacket or a big cocktail ring and suddenly it feels more like an outfit? Rooms need this too. Sofa + coffee table is a pairing. Add an unexpected chair, stool, or antique box and suddenly you have a composition.
