What’s Your Home Say About You?
Throughout every design job I do and when I’m working with my clients I am constantly thinking and asking them “what does this room say about you?” Take the latest office I renovated. My client is a financial advisor so her office had to speak to the elevated level of their business, but she, as the President of the company, isn’t stuffy or over-the-top fancy, so as we designed the space we aimed for each room to be accessible elegance. I brought in plush velvets and fancy tress, but we kept the walls white and only accessorized with simple, elegant photos. To add personalization to the space, the photography used was taken by her son on his iPhone. We simply framed them beautifully and hung them as a grouping to make them feel cohesive with the space.
As I walk through my apartment I am always asking myself “What does our apartment say about Dil and me?” Though Dil might say it speaks more to me than it does to him…the joys of living with a designer who constantly changes things…our home is a direct representation of us. I’d like to think our apartment says that we have a love of luxury but we’re not spending thousands on Hermes blankets and expensive art. I’d also like to think our apartment tells the story of our life together. You’ll see pictures of our family and friends, trinkets from our travels together, and quilts that I’ve sewn in my downtime. You’ll smell great food coming from the kitchen, sweets in fancy candy dishes, and lots of alcohol to get the party started at a moments notice.
My advice is to always keep that thought in your mind as your decorate, renovate, or shop for a new a home. How does each room add the story that your house is trying to tell. What does your home say about you? Do the pieces in your home speak to each other? Are they one cohesive story or do they need to be edited down to really paint the picture of your life.
Kitchen:
If you’re familiar with me at all, you’ll know that my kitchen is the heart of my home. And if you’ve ever been to my apartment, you know that, like many New York City kitchens, mine is extremely small and removed from the living area - which makes it just about the worst place to entertain in my home. If you’re lucky enough to have a big kitchen
Living Room:
Bar:
I recently read an article about people who don’t feel that a bar is the representative of what they want their apartment to say about them and I couldn’t disagree more. I want my apartment to say to people “I’d rather spend money on classy alcohol than art, collectables, or a regular cleaning service because I’m stressed the hell out and at the end of most days Matty needs a strong cocktail to get to tomorrow.” It’s not that I’m the biggest drinker in the world, but I love to display my cocktail pantry as a representation of my travels and experiences. I have decor from London and alcohol from Nashville. I have a set of coasters from my late, beloved Grandmother that I treasure more than anything else and I have a framed drawing of Dil and myself from a filming of the Real Housewives of New York City. When we first put in the bar I decided to put a huge focal clock above it and set it to five o’clock. The clock works perfectly fine, but regardless of the time, our guests know we’re always ready for cocktail hour and in our house, it’s always five o’clock here!
Bathroom :
Im a strong believer that your hand soap tells so much about you. Don’t think I’m crazy, but when I tell you that on the list of things that I invest in in my apartment, hand soap is at the forefront. I am a huge fan of Molton Brown. The scents are unrivaled by anything and I can’t begin to tell you how many compliments that I get from everyone that uses it. even though we rarely have friends to our home anymore, I go weak in the knees every time I wash my hands with the Rhubarb and Rose scent. The second thing that I invest in in my bathroom is bath salts and essential oils. There is nothing like soaking in a hot tub with some bath salts and lavender oil after a long arduous day. Now, even though I say that I “invest” in them, I really just buy a 16 pound bag and keep a stockpile of it in my apartment. A scoop of epsom salts with a couple drops of lavender or chamomile essential oils really tell my guests I’m a queen that loves to be pampered.