The other day, while digging in my closet for something to wear to a party, I had an epiphany. My closet mirrors my decorating style almost exactly. The color palette veers to grays, blues and greens with the occasional pop of red. I favor, to an almost comical extent, stripes, plaids and polka dots. And I'm clearly crazy about crisp cotton, soft knits and nubby wool. Yet I was struck by a certain disconnect.
Sharing space with all those casual, often vintage styles: touches of luxury like silk, lace, and leather. A few frilly things, from an exquisite pink Prada bag in a quilted floral pattern to red suede Marc Jacobs heels with fuchsia sequined bows. And purple. Lots of purple, from pale orchid to the moodiest eggplant. All very feminine, right?
Yet there's little that's feminine about my home. I can attribute part of that to living with my fiancé. I know he wouldn't be pleased if I suddenly turned our cozy bedroom into a lavish boudoir. But studying my closet showed me that our interiors aren't accurately reflecting an important part of my personal style. If anything, I consistently over-consider my man when making decorating choices.
I've decided that our home needs a few more touches of luxury and femininity, be it a pair of silk pillows or a pop of girly color in the bedroom. Like my wardrobe, coming up with a decorating style that really suits me will take time. I'll probably have to purge some stuff, too, as I recently did with my closet, schlepping 14 overstuffed trash bags to the Goodwill. There's always room for refinement.
So, readers, I encourage you to take a look at your closets, especially if you're feeling stuck in your home design choices. Ignore the things you don't love or wear and focus on your favorites. Not only will you possibly find that your wardrobe mirrors your home design choices, you might also figure out what you're missing.
If you need any more closet-related inspiration, take a gander at the wonderful blog Closet Visit, where the women have more beautiful clothing and homes than I could ever even dream about.
Image: Closet Visit
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Interesting post. I actually don't find this holds true for me, if only because when decorating I LOVE warm tones (lots of wood, yellow, brown, even gold), which don't suit my complexion at all, so my clothes are more blue, grey, cranberry, etc. But I do love vintage silhouettes and an eclectic mix of prints in both clothing and home design.
My furnishing and clothing do not correlate. Mostly because I love almost every piece of furniture/decor I've collected and I'm only lukewarm (at best) about the things in my closet. If anything, I should use my decor as inspiration to update my wardrobe, not the other way around.
. I find this is very true for me. My apartment and closet are both filled with gray wool and black leather and If I could wear clothing made out of smoked glass I totally would.
My decor and clothing boths use pops of red for lovely accessories. I love it!
I remember a friend coming over and noticing a blue and green cardigan hanging on a peg. She said, astounded and delighted, "Your sweater matches your kitchen!" It's true: my wardrobe and my apartment are a pretty good match. Though through the years I've had to reconcile two things: if I decorated with as much black as I wear, my apartment would look like a goth teenager's bedroom; and if I wear anything white, it will last approximately one wearing, maybe two, and then I will have toasted it with some kind of unremovable stain. So for me, now, white is to decorating as black is to wardrobe.
Interesting post. Would be interested to see case studies where this is true.
Really interesting post! I'm afraid of color in my wardrobe (mostly black) and in my home (mostly white), but both would be 100% Anthropologie if I had my wish.
I can see some connection between my closet and my home, but it's probably more driven by principles than aesthetics. For example, I think a lot about "price per wear," so I'll spend more on a winter coat or a pair of boots that will last many years. Because I know they need to be enduring in terms of style, those items are likely to be classic.
The same holds for big furniture purchases or home decisions. I'll spend money on a mattress or a bureau I'll use forever, and choose pretty classic/versatile pieces. But if I want something a bit trendier I'm inclined to try to find it used (thrift store/eBay/Craigslist) or cheap (Forever 21/Ikea).
I have always heard that you should check out your closet for inspiration when decorating your home. I have a husband and two little boys, and I'm also trying to make my home more feminine now. :)
I agree with Lily_L that I can't wear rich red because of my complexion, but love it in my decor. I think I'm drawn to include these favourite colours in my interiors more so because I can't include them in my wardrobe.
My Mum can't wear white and so all her walls are Antique White.
Well, my clothes are all from the thrift store, and so are my furnishings! Lol?
There is no connection between the things in my closet and how I decorate. Like Lily_L, I gravitate [in decorating] towards colours that I avoid in clothing. I can't wear orange but I have quite a few things in orange throughout the house.
PS 14 bags worth of declutter? You're my new hero.
I get it and I do it! All of my base colours in my wardrobe are reflected in my decorating with punches of citrus yellows! -except for one colour-my violets, I have none to speak of in my home decor-except a large vintage glass elixar bottle. The interesting thing is ever since I moved into our apartment 11 months ago, I've had this urge to paint the kitchen walls a shade of soft lavender! By gosh I think I will do it!
Doesn't apply to me at all. Our home is very colourful, whereas my closet is full of neutrals.
Maybe I can always be sure to match my decor this way. :P
My partner and I both wear plenty of blues, turquoises, greens and dark gray - and our home reflects that. And if I protest that the pops of orange, yellow and red aren't found in the closet, I realize that each of those colors makes repeat appearances in our striped and Argyll socks.
Great post! I would definitely say that my home reflects the way I dress.
My house has more cream than I wear, but the accent colours are all colours which appear in my wardrobe. There are also quirky touches in my decorating and dress - a bowl of glass cherries on the coffee table vs a ceramic teapot broach.
There is definitely a connection between how I decorate and how I dress.
This is really an interesting comparison and also true of me - in the sense that my closet reflects the colour scheme of my home. Black, white, grey, brown - totally neutral. Although, I paint as well. And my paintings are usually bright colourful and vibrant. And if someone asked me what my favourite colour is, I would say RED! I think there may be a connection between the colours of a closet and a home, because these are colours we live in, ones we feel most comfortable in. So I think taking inspiration from the clothing we choose is totally valid and great advice. But interestingly, they may not be our favourite colours...
This is interesting for me. I wear a lot of colors, and I find myself WISHING that I used color in my home decoration scheme, but I chicken out at the last moment. As a result of this, my house is mostly black and white and grey.
that's the style idea i got from Emily Henderson on her design show. Look in your closet, find what you love to wear and mirror your rooms after that, because you obviously feel comfortable with that look.
mine mostly mirrors my closet, except i lean towards red/rust/mustard in my throw pillows because i find awesome vintage ones at thrift stores that happen to be in those colors. otherwise all my rooms are painted greens/blues/plums.
I love red. Lipstick red, stop light red. The brighter the better (but no yellow, it needs to be a pure red or lean towards the blue). I can wear it and it looks really really nice with my complexion. But just like in my house- I like to wear it as an accent with neutrals. Red coats, red scarfs, red gloves, red shoes... Red pillows, red throws, red in my art, one red accent wall.
But I also use taupes, browns, and greys in decorating that completely wash me out in person- Black is the only neutral that works in my closet and you can't decorate heavily in black. I can't wear walnut or beige. But my husband can! It looks amazing on him.
Our house is a lovely mix of what looks good on him and what looks good on me :) But this article does make me think I need some dark teal in the house- it's the one color that I love in my closet but have never bothered to bring into the house.
Very true. I guess that's why I always want to paint my walls gray. There are studies that say we feel more comfortable in rooms with colors that compliment us. It would make sense to decorate in the colors you love to wear. You'll be more relaxed at home.
black cardigan
HBC blankets are so much a part of Canada and I guess I don't see the political connection to the same degree as scarletdog's other examples. I love the small ottoman and I love that you are posting about lots of Canadian things - thanks Regina.