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laughablemoments

Does your decor match your wardrobe?

laughablemoments
9 years ago

In different places I see suggestions to start with looking at the clothes you own to see what colors you are comfortable with, and use these as a jumping off point for your decorating scheme. So...does your decor reflect the same colors and styles that you wear?

Comments (28)

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    My decor style is traditional with a lean toward casual.

    My clothing style in terms of what I like is classic with a lean toward casual.

    What I wear is casual with a lean toward classic when I get dressed up.

    Color wise, though, I like to live with warm colors, but will wear lighter colors and pastels with dark neutrals like black and navy.

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  • amck2
    9 years ago

    In terms of the overall look, Yes. No one who knew me outside my home - work colleagues/casual acquaintances - would be at all surprised with its style and furnishings. Not like if they walked in and found a very formal or Victorian or bohemian or ultra modern space.

    I do tend to use some colors in some rooms that I probably wouldn't choose in clothing. Thank goodness, or most of my rooms would be done in black, white, charcoal, cream & navy ;)

  • LynnNM
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My go-to style in clothes, as well as furnishings, has always been Classic. Although I like pastels on others, I don't usually wear them myself and don't decorate with them. I do have some soft rose in our MBR, but it doesn't come across as a pastel bedroom. I don't like cute or frilly things in either my clothes or decorations. You'll never see me in a tee shirt with a design or words on it. In Summer I tend to wear a lot of white, with accent colors and jewelry in black, khaki, or turquoise. Green, too. So yes, this definitely sounds like the decor in my home, as well. I do love the color Red, but I don't look very good in it, so I own practically no clothes in that color. But you will see pops of red accents in our home here. That color looks great out here in New Mexico. I always have to have terra-cotta pots filled with red geraniums in my kitchen and out on my portals.

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago

    Well, I wear a lot of black, and there's not a lot of black in my house. Other than that, yes, lots of blue in all shades and white/cream, some red, casual/classic, non-frilly, both in my wardrobe and house. And virtually no green, other than plants.


  • debrak_2008
    9 years ago

    I have seen that advice too but always thought it was odd.

    I like arts n crafts, flw styles. I have a lot of earth tones that look good with natural woodwork. Not like the clothes I like. I wear a lot of black and do like to have some black in every room. I also really like gray and the kitchen is gray. Now that I think about it. The kitchen is the only room in the house and that has colors I would actually wear. Black, white, gray. The cabinets are a little purplish in the right light and I definitely like to wear purple.

    I LOVE green and wood (tan/brown) in home decor but never wear those colors and I would never drive a green or tan car.



  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    I like living in warm colors with cream-colored walls. I wear mostly red and black with denim on the bottom. Ever since my hair turned silver, colors have been a b&*$# to wear. I could never wear the color of my walls, but I can live within them.

    Style-wise, everything's casual and comfortable.

  • blfenton
    9 years ago

    Nope, cause then my house would be decorated in blue-jean denim and DH would not go for that.

    Having said that, my t-shirts that I wear with my jeans are very colourful. When we gutted our house we redid it in the neutrals of the day and brought interest in by using "textures". What a lot of hooey, For the past 4 years I have been working on bringing my t-shirt colours back into the decorating of my home.

    It's been a long hard process. My grandmother was an amateur artist and painted floralscapes in oil that are a riot of colour. She loved colour and I have a couple of her paintings in our sitting area. I have used the colours in them as my jumping off point for window treatments and accessories and it's finally getting there.


  • mudhouse
    9 years ago

    I think I would use my clothing preferences as a jumping off point for decor if I lived alone, but my DH is one who enjoys (and has) an equal voice in decorating decisions. Denim rules here too, as does the casual/relaxed style of decor.

    I do have favorite clothing items I enjoy with pattern and rich colors, and he's fine with that...but picking out a bold patterned rug or very rich colors takes a lot more convincing...just because it's not his own personal style. So I can be goofy with clothing, but have to be calm with decor. It works out OK...so far!


  • outsideplaying_gw
    9 years ago

    Not totally. If I used my clothing preferences in color, our home would be mostly black, white and grey, with touches of color (red, sapphire blue, fuschia). I do have some touches of black and red in almost all of our rooms though it's not the primary color in any of them.

    In style though it is similar - transitional to casual with some arts and crafts influence. Depending on the environment I'm dressing for (business, social, travel for business or pleasure or going to the grocery/gym/Target) I might be really dressed up or really dressed down. I don't think I have anything beige in my wardrobe, but I do have several beige-toned walls.

  • Yayagal
    9 years ago

    I wear black, taupe, brown and olivey shades and once in a while a hint of turquoise or purple. I wear gold and silver jewelry and have several pairs of jeans.
    My home is grounded with oriental rugs and then all other colors are taupe and shades of browns and pops of dark orange or rust. My drapes are a taupe print on warm cream . The one room I differ is in my sunroom which is also my studio so there's lots of color there yet the seating is all taupe.
    Now, at the lakehouse, I have six shades of white for the walls an ceilings and then orientals and creamy shades with the punch in the art work and antiques.
    These changes came later in life, in my earlier homes I was prone to more color but we evolve.


  • Nothing Left to Say
    9 years ago

    No, my fashion and my decorating do not match up. I wear a ton of black. Virtually no black in my house. I love yellow walls. I never wear yellow. My house is more formal than my clothes. I do tend to avoid orange in both though--it's my least favorite color much to my baseball Giant's obsessed eleven year old's dismay.

  • amck2
    9 years ago

    Something struck me along these lines while I was putting on a brown and cream tweed wool coat to run errands. The pattern and fabric are similar to the sectional we have in our TV room. That made me realize that both my wardrobe and my home furnishings reflect New England sensibilities. I have a creamy throw in my LR that I got in the same shop where I bought a similar traditional fisherman knit sweater. I wear plaid scarves through the cold months and use tartan plaid throw pillows and table runners in winter. So I guess I do dress more like my home decor than I originally thought.

    My friends in Florida wear brighter, lighter colors and decorate with sheerer fabrics, rattan and shell accents, etc. Visiting DS & Fam in Denmark, I have never once seen a Dane wearing a pastel print, nor have I seen one used in any Danish home. Perhaps, more than color preferences, our geographical regions steer many choices in our clothing and decorating styles.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Somewhat. I'd say they're both more on the serious side. I wear mainly black, charcoals, navy, white, red. Denim. My house is decorated in deeper tones. I have some patterned things, but the color seems to be a more important factor for me. It's not that I necessarily dislike all other styles, but they don't feel like me; especially in regards to clothing. A boho outfit would wear me and I would feel uncomfortable.

  • rockybird
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Initially, I thought this does not apply to me at all. My house is mcm primarily and I do not wear midcentury clothing.

    But then again...I like to purchase furniture/decorating items where I know the designer and /or maker - George Nelson, Knoll, Bojesen, Evelyn Ackerman, etc. I also like finding unique one of a kind items for the house of unknown designers. I guess I am the same with clothes. I like certain designers, but I also like one of a kind items. LOL although this can backfire.

    While paying for a new bike, I saw some cute girlie tee shirts with what I thought was a squirrel on the front hanging by the register. How cute and unique, I thought. They gave me a discount on them, since I was buying a bike (another unique item - jim deere green Spot frame). I bought two of them. I got home and realized it was a beaver on the front of the shirts! I never wore them in public.

  • zorroslw1
    9 years ago

    Yes, it does. Traditional in colors of Forrest green, burgandy, navy, of course black but not in the house. I read an article once where a woman could not decide on colors for her house. Her designer told her to look in her closet!

  • daisychain01
    9 years ago

    Not only matches my wardrobe, but also matches my cat (it's like she's camouflaged when she's in our living room).

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    However, I can see pulling colors out of a favorite blouse, scarf, or color combo as inspiration for a room....

  • OllieJane
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, casual/classic all-white walls and trim-dark stained beams with pops of orange and aqua ever so often. I have to admit, I cannot commit to just one style-sometimes I imagine I live in a Hollywood Glam type of house and dress accordingly!

  • selcier
    9 years ago

    Oh yes! Prints and patterns and colors galore! Lots of pinks and oranges, greens and blues. Leopard print and geometrical florals. Purses in every color but always nude or black heels. High waisted pencil skits and midi full flowing skirts.


    The guest bedroom is black with touches of gold, grey and turqouise. The master is green-on-a-summer-day. The living room is grey with that never-finished mural, Victorian red and black slate fire place with a every-color persian in the floor. Entryway and hallway are a bright teal-blue currently with a yellow dresser. Love colors!

  • lolauren
    9 years ago

    " So...does your decor reflect the same colors and styles that you wear?"

    My wardrobe has much more variety, colorful choices and changes with the seasons (eg, tartan in winter.. bright colors in spring.) My home is fairly neutral and earth-toned. I try to buy pieces for my home that will stand the test of time and are more permanent in nature. For most clothing, I don't need that level of commitment.

    However, generally speaking, I do trend towards classic looks in both. I think, perhaps, my home reflects my winter wardrobe best.


  • Lars
    9 years ago

    Not any more, although it used to. I think that was a trend back in the 1980s or early 90s when things used to match more. I even called an airline in 80s to ask what color the plane interiors were decorated in so that I would know what to wear. That was after having been on an Alaska Air LInes flight from Seattle to San Francisco in 1982, in which the plane was decorated in horrible earth tones (looked like dirt to me), and I was wearing turquoise, magenta, and purple. I felt very much out of place on hideous brown upholstery, although I felt very much at home in Vancouver, where I spent most of August before going down to Seattle on my way home. I'm very suspicious of AAL any more and have tended to avoid Seattle since then. In Portland, I was happy to find coffee houses decorated in colors that complemented my outfits, and so I had a much better time there than in Seattle.

    These days (as I am much older), I am decorating in earth colors that I used to hate, but only because I find them in tribal objects/textiles that I collect, but I still do not wear brown or any earth colors. I do not wear bright colors the way I used to either. I do not have earth colors in my bedroom, however, but I do in the living room and a bit in the kitchen because I decided to live with natural maple cabinets rather than change them. If they had been oak, it would have been a different story.

    Lars


  • laughablemoments
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow this is interesting. I feel like the answers are all over the place. That makes it fun. : ) Thanks for doing a comparison of your wardrobe and decor, everyone!

    In terms of style, I think my decorating is pretty close to what I wear: comfortable and dressy casual. I love wearing long, flowy, ultra-comfy skirts. No heels for me. The last pair I wore (almost wrote war, and nearly left it...) was nearly 20 years ago when my mom insisted I wear them with my wedding dress. No more! LOL (I dearly love my mom, but if I'd have had my way, I would have worn some cute little sneakers!)

    I also like some feminine touches in my decorating: florals, battenberg lace trim on curtains, eyelet, anything to give a soft, pretty touch without it being overkill. But, I also like plaids and will use those occasionally, too. I enjoy quilts, and see them as artwork as much as blankets. I have enjoyed hanging a variety of quilts on display, and I've flopped them over the backs of couches through the years because they are so much fun to look at.

    Color is where it gets trickier. I have many deep toned colors in my closet. Deep purple, rich turquoise, wine red, russet and chocolate browns, a few khakis, navy, black, and very.little.white (it makes me look ill.) I have red hair, and try to pick items that work well with it. I also love wearing pale aqua, and almost any shade of green, (well...except Kermit the frog green--it makes me look like I'm about to...croak. Seriously.)

    When I was making artwork, pre-kiddos, I also loved working with deep jewel tones. They were vibrant and delicious! I'm not sure how I'd feel living in walls covered in those vibrant colors though. I wish there were a paint display house, where I could go and sit in different colored rooms and just "feel" the colors for a while. That would be wonderful. Or they could be distracting, since I'd be staring and evaluating the whole time.

    I guess it's good that we don't dress exactly like our surroundings, or we'd blend in too much, just like some of our pets.

  • jlc712
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, there are definite parallels. I think there's some truth to the theory. I don't like bright colors, wild patterns, or anything fussy, flashy or trendy in either my clothing or home. I like high quality beautiful things, but rarely can afford them :-) so I'm always hunting for those elusive items that look great, and are good quality and good value. It makes shopping for my house and for myself much more challenging!

    I do wear a lot of black, and have very little black in my home. But blues, browns, greens and yellows are consistent in both clothing and decor.

    I have red hair, and I never ever wear red, pink, or orange. It was interesting to realize I don't have any of those colors in my house, other than a little burgundy in my DR rug!

    Also, my wardrobe is very casual, aside from work clothes, and my house is similar-- one formal room, everything else very informal.

    Both my clothing and my home could probably benefit from some risk-taking and changes. Food for thought!!

  • User
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No, not really. Although I used to have a pair of slacks in blue toile that I wore tiresomely often, usually to ladies lunches and meetings, does that count?

  • decordummy_gw
    9 years ago

    I am currently a redhead and like to wear blues, teals, and some purples. When I was a brunette I sometimes wore red (but I don't look good in it now). Years ago in my blonde phase I wore other colours (lighter blues and pastels).

    In my mind I sometimes plan a bedroom with water shades (blues, acqua), I love summer and these are my favourite colours. In reality my home is fall colours (brown, camel, grey, burgundy, burnt orange).

    Style of clothing and décor are probably the same - both old fogey.

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    Short answer: no. We travel a lot on business, so to keep luggage light, I have lots of mix & match neutrals. My interior decor, though, is unfashionably colorful -- haven't jumped on the greige bandwagon yet.


  • roarah
    9 years ago

    My house decor matches my younger and thinner fashion style, I think. Now that I am a bit rounder and older I dress accordingly, but I still decorate with a flare of colorful youth and fun. I am glad my house can still get away with what my body no longer does.