I've had a friend since elementary school that would coincidentally end up at school in the exact same outfit. The worst was during seventh grade orientation, where you don't want to look like you planned such a thing. We laugh about it now, but still buy the same things unknowingly. Upon visiting a different friend recently, I realized that personal style coincidences can carry over to the world of interior design as well.
My friend is currently decorating her remodeled home. We were talking about her coffee table and what she would put on it as a "wow" piece. She wanted something casual but "awesome." As she started to mention some of her ideas, I recalled the perfect "awesome" object I had found earlier that day at Anthropologie- an earthenware elephant planter. When I started to describe it to her, she stopped me short. She knew the exact piece and had also stared at it wistfully the day before.
I recall similar experiences with old and new friends throughout my life. For instance, when I was in college I had a lot of fun scouring thrift shops for decor for my apartment. Upon inviting a new friend over, she walked in and stopped short. Her eyes were focused on my favorite new piece of art. When I started to gush over it, she laughed and said, "I painted that!" Sure enough, she had painted and given it away long before we met. I couldn't believe the coincidence at time, but now I realize that since we are attracted to people that share similar interests, why wouldn't be attracted to people with a similar sense of style?
Do you share similar design aesthetic with your friends too? Have you shown up at dinner parties and had design deja vu? Tell us more!
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I had a weird melange of the two with my friend Dayana -- whose wonderful apartment was featured on here a while back. I went to a thirft store near her ho use, then stopped over to see what I bought. My favorite item was a navy sundress I'd bought for 9 bucks. Turns out she dropped it off earlier that day. (I am 5' 10" and she is 5'2", maybe, and it remains my favorite, go-to summer dress.)
very strange syntax above. I stopped over to SHOW her what I bought.
I love the story about the art. You should type up a card and put it next to the piece with the "backstory", just like they do in galleries.
My college roommate posted pictures on facebook a few days ago. It has been many years since we've lived together, or even lived in the same state, but I noticed that we both have the same patterned rug in our living rooms.
I have kind of found it to be the other way around. My best friend loves 70's earth mother styles, comple with earthy greens and browns, which are incidentally the colors I dislike most! We lived together for several years after college and trying to decide on anything for the apartment was an amusing back and forth of "how about this?" "No, I hate that."
Ironically, my husband also prefers browns and dark rooms, whereas I like light-filled colorful affairs. Oh well.
This is slightly different, but the couple at Young House Love had so many things in their first house that I had in my condo at the time -- the yellow rug, the sheepskins, chairs, the couch...it was so strange to see all my stuff in someone else's house! Needless to say, I love that blog.
Gotta love Australian designer Fleur Wood, great image from her book above!
I got a friend, but it is a friendship with very loose knots. I've moved to different country and always see him when I' back home but don't keep in touch while away (it can be 2 years period). Every time I see him we are talking about books we have read, movies we've seen, art we like etc. You wouldn't believe how come someone can have a Proust and Joyce period in the same time, discover the same bands, buy the same things!
http://slowly--surely.blogspot.com/
Another anti- here: seems like all my friends are in...very different design spaces. One is pure thrift shop chic, and the other two are Pottery Barn right down to the rails! I will say, though, it makes them all *so* easy to shop for!
Yes! The 'Rooms and I constantly dress the same (even though he's a boy and I'm a lady). At our recent easter brunch, we looked at each other after getting ready and were both sporting polka dots... it couldn't be any more perfect if we planned it. It happens allllll the time. And don't even get started on our house. We can never not live together!
I found that just yesterday with my Mum. We were reading House and Garden (hey, everyone has traditions), and it tended to be the same sort of things that we were drawn to. Granted, we also have different tastes in some things (I like brighter colours and modern lines, she likes loads and loads of cushions), but there were quite a few similarities, too.
Oh yeah. I "blame" my best friend every day when I walk into my beloved kitchen. Whereas she favors yellow, and I orange, still our kitchens are related in the hodgepodge, it all works and it's all used aesthetic.