Outfits, Rooms, Common Ground

I’ve always loved fashion. Long before I knew I wanted to work in design, I was paying attention to what people were wearing, how things were styled, what felt current and what somehow always looked good no matter the trend.

I love mixing textures, putting things together that might not be the obvious choice, and figuring out why one outfit just works while another feels like it’s trying too hard. Now that I’m working more in design, I’m realizing I look at a room in almost the exact same way.

I notice proportion, texture, layering, contrast and color. I don’t think everything in a room needs to match, just like I wouldn’t want everything I’m wearing to come from the same collection. Sometimes the thing that feels a little unexpected is what makes everything else more interesting.

Fashion has also made me think a lot about trends. There are things I love right now that I know I probably won’t love forever, and then there are pieces that always feel classic. I’m learning that homes work the same way, except the decisions are obviously a lot more permanent. Changing a handbag is easy. Changing an entire kitchen full of cabinetry because you were obsessed with a trend five years ago is a little different.

That’s something my mom and I talk about a lot. She usually pulls me back when I’m leaning too trendy, and I probably push her a little when I think something could feel younger or fresher. She’ll ask me if I’m still going to love something in ten years, and I’m learning that the answer doesn’t always have to be yes.

Some parts of a home should last for years. Other parts are exactly where you can have a little more fun and change things later. I think learning the difference between the two is one of the things I’m most interested in as I grow into design.

I’m still figuring out how everything I love about fashion translates into interiors, but I already know it influences the way I see a space.

Apparently my closet and a floor plan have more in common than I thought.