Discover Your Life Style
The key to understanding your Interior Decorating style is simple — you must first understand your life style.
Imagine the life you want.
What do you fantasize about? Hosting cocktail parties in a vibrant metropolis high rise apartment? A brownstone? Having quiet mornings in your villa? Out by the ocean or stretches of countryside? Are you deep in mountainous woods with views of majestic snowcapped mountains? Making pottery and baskets from materials you found on the land? Or are you out in the desert, minimal, observing the quiet splendor of the open sky?
Be specific. Brand yourself.
Create a moodboard. A playlist. A perfect morning ritual. Get weirdly specific. Because the clearer the vibe, the louder the resonance.
If you weren’t shown beauty as a child, it can be difficult to visualize a dream life. We have to look to others to show us the way. Is there a person’s style you admire and can emulate? When we study other people, when we’re shown what is possible, we allow ourselves to grow beyond the path we know and manifest abundance.
Who are you in your space? Who and what do you want to see reflected in your home? Use present tense.
I am. I have.
It can be awkward at first. You may feel like you’re asking for too much. You aren’t. Dream as big as you can dream. Allow your mind to visualize your life’s full potential. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have these things. You may never have all that you desire but you can live like you do.
That’s your life style.
Now we research. This is how we develop our interior style.
Take our Expander/Muse Shere Hite (pictured above) for example.
“Shere Hite sits on a Louis XV bergere chair she found in an open air flea market in Chelsea in 1977.” How do we know it’s a Louis XV Bergere chair? What is a bergere chair? This is where you have to hop online or consult antique furniture guides. It’s very helpful to learn design history. Then you’ll have a rich appreciation of the pieces in your home. Once you have a grasp on 18th century furnishings in the Rococco period, you’ll probably want to learn all of the design periods! One chair will lead to another until you figure out which eras you like best.
I find this approach is much more valuable than choosing A or B on an online “What’s your style” quiz.
A bergère chair is a distinctive piece of furniture that exudes elegance and sophistication. Originating in France during the reign of Louis XV in the 18th century , these chairs are characterized by their upholstered frames, exposed wooden elements and generous cushioning.
