Discovering The Right Style for Your Home

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Before we get together again on May 28^th, I wanted to share some tips I’ve learned to help people find the style that works best for them…

I’ve always been interested in style. Even though I grew up in a very modest home in N Long Beach, CA, my mother loved fashion and style. She did what she could to always encourage my sense of style. My grandmother, Myrtle, was my role model for a take-charge woman but she came from a farm area; her home was simple and comfortable. What I remember most from her home is the smell of peach pie!

When my husband Frank and I started to build a life together, he, too, had come from a modest home. They decorated with family pictures but not much else. Frank became a very well known Creative Director in Advertising (think MAD MEN). Together we built a life together. I responded to traditional, Frank liked cleaner lines but he also loved rich colors and drama. In our first apartment, we combined our styles and found out where our tastes came together. You can do the same. Whether you’re starting from scratch or re-doing, invest some time in finding what you really love.

Start by getting stacks of home magazines – they can be current or old. Start looking through the pages to find the things you respond to. You’ll find that the pages you’re accumulated start to make a pattern of your personal style. That’s your roadmap to making your home reflect who you are!

The people you live with might not love exactly what you love. That’s why they invented eclectic – it means a mix of things. To make eclectic work for everyone, you need to find colors that work with all the styles…when I say color, I don’t mean WHITE.

Putting a beautiful home together requires discipline. Stay true to your style; limit your use of color to three colors. When selecting furniture stick to the basics and add interest with pillows, accessories, window treatments and rugs.