Designing Our Spaces to Reflect Our Tastes
Our homes and office spaces serve as outward reflections of ourselves. They can and should tell others aspects of who are we, what we like, and what interests and engages us. Yet for many of us, we don’t know the most effective way to tell this story about ourselves and instead say very little–bare walls, for instance–or furnishings and decor that have no individual style or flair.
The first key is knowing what you like and then finding ways to demonstrate this externally through artwork, items picked up traveling, photographs, books, collections of things you’ve saved along the way. Do you love travel to exotic locations and gathering pieces from locals? Are you a sports fan? Do you love color? Do you have family mementos or items of historical value that you treasure? These are the things you want to show and share so guests can visually see who you are.
Be Selective. Most of us have limited to space to share all of ourselves so picking out the best pieces to represent you is key. Many of us have photographs galore and not the wall space to accommodate them. And rather than spreading them all over a room on any/all horizontal surfaces, a photo wall of key pictures creates a story and interesting relationship between the photos. Choosing frames that relate as well as contrast adds to the storyline. If you have traveled extensively and feel compelled to purchase art and artifacts, then pick the best works for display. Also, don’t be afraid to rotate pieces and keep the look fresh and interesting. Many people set things in place and never consider revisiting them and changing what they have.
Clear the clutter. I find too often, too much stuff piled and layered on top of each other so nothing can be seen or appreciated. Grouping like things together creates a story, like a collection of vintage perfume bottles, or a wall of antique egg beaters or a shelf of Buddha heads in varying shapes, colors and sizes. These items speak about you and tell others what interests you. When you have photos, vases, wind up toys and what have you, the uniqueness gets lost and you can’t appreciate what’s there.
Not everything has to match. Too often we feel compelled to match our furnishings, floors, wall colors and artwork so it all “blends” together. Mixing things up by varying textures, contrasting colors, sizes, shapes and materials, creates a far more engaging visual palette while having items relate and interact with one another.
Think of a room as a piece of artwork that you want to reveal about yourself. Show off the interesting aspects of yourself by using things you love and treasure. And if you don’t have anything that does this? Then start looking and collecting these items so you can have the space that reflects your unique taste. If you should need help with this, call Creative Space Organizing & Design at 510.501.1213