Interior Styling. People ask me what that means and the best way I’ve been able to describe it thus far is, I come to your house and I move your stuff around. I still get the puzzled look so then I go ahead and say, it’s like a decorator only it sounds cooler saying Interior Stylist.
Styling basically means, picture ready. I come stile like it’s ready to photograph. It’s the icing on the cake or the salsa on your taco, the way I see it. It’s what comes after the design concept has been finalized and executed.
I often find that clients have the right accessories, they’re just not being displayed optimally. Whether it be for bookcases, entry consoles, coffee tables or nightstands, people are stuck on how to accessorize. I live for accessories because I think they are the jewel of the home. They’re what personalize your space and they’re the easiest to hoard. I mean, move around. My favorite part about consulting at someone’s house is creating different options for their trouble areas.
I did this recently for a young couple who needed help styling their apartment. They had the big furniture pieces but were still not fully happy with the overall look of their place. A trouble area was their entry console. I get the, “What should I put here” question and have found out that demonstration is the best way to exemplify.
Below are three distinct examples of restyling the same area.
Flower prints and rustic table were picked up while road tripping through Solvang. I say always bring home something you can decorate with on your travels. Look for unique textiles, pretty bowls, accessories other than refrigerator magnets and t-shirts you’ll only wear to bed.
Table stayed the same and then I just came with three different stiled options, most of them just brought in from different areas of the apartment.
A lamp propped up on books for added height, the flower print is now leaning to create a layered look, and a dish atop a decorative box to place keys when coming home.
Here it’s about color and pattern. The layered look is now created by double-ing up on the rugs. I used the basket to hold old records, but it can easily be used to place other personal belongings, or toys for kids or dogs, if you have kids or dogs. Baskets are great for anything, really.
In this last option I used a mirror. I like the idea of having a mirror near the entry because most of us rush out the door and a quick glimpse at yourself before you leave can help point out some hair or wardrobe mishaps.
I showed these images to TH and he didn’t even notice it was the same area! I swear, I could come home with a purple sofa and he’d be like, did you get a haircut?
There you have it, three different looks, minimal money spent.
Happy Thursday!
You did a great job, as usual! I agree about needing a mirror to check yo self out!
GREAT explanation and examples of your work! You really know how to change the feel of someone’s home just by moving a few things around. This is totally where you shine. I love it!
I like these looks but when did style become more important than comfort and function? These days, when would you ever see a typewriter (overly trendy prop), much less one placed on a chair, which totally renders the chair useless. Are our homes really supposed to look like overly designed impractical spaces full of meaningless props? Isn’t that like saying we’re all supposed to look like the models in the glossy mags?
I do still think style can coexist with comfort and function. Perhaps if I would have placed the typewriter on, say, the sofa, that would be less plausible. In this case, the spare chair functions as a place to hold the typewriter – trendy or not, it’s a very personal accessory gifted to client by her now fiance that she wanted to display – the same way this chair functions as a place to hold these books and plant: https://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/550x/a7/ba/8c/a7ba8c10d55431c7482d6d9331013347.jpg
Placing the typewriter on the entry table seemed like the typical choice. I guess it’s a good thing I also presented two other options.