Fashion Inspiration: Designing with Your Wardrobe in Mind
One of the things I'll miss most about the late, great Domino magazine is the feature in which they design a room inspired by an outfit. I always thought that was such a cool idea - and so logical, too. After all, if we like to wear it, why wouldn't we like to live in it?
Color, pattern, fabric - there are tons of ways that fashion can inform our home design choices. Here are some spaces that I love, inspired by designers that I also love:
Color, pattern, fabric - there are tons of ways that fashion can inform our home design choices. Here are some spaces that I love, inspired by designers that I also love:
Pucci is prints, fun, and energy - it's never boring. With a giant Pucci-inspired wall-hanging, this patio makes the most of the fashion brand's lively aesthetic. Without it, the outdoor space would be just another yard, but with it, it's a fun party patio.
This room's gorgeous white and glamorous mirrored surfaces have just a touch of Edith Head in them (Old Hollywood's favorite costumer). But thanks to the quilted headboard, the room really belongs to Ms. Coco Chanel.
I can imagine an even more Chanel space, too. One with touches of nautical navy and maybe even a gold rope chain or two. And a big bottle of No. 5 on the bureau, bien sur.
I can imagine an even more Chanel space, too. One with touches of nautical navy and maybe even a gold rope chain or two. And a big bottle of No. 5 on the bureau, bien sur.
This space is actually in a London home, but to me it epitomizes the best of that classic designer of all things Americana, Ralph Lauren. I love the masculine colors and the deep wood, but my favorite part of this space is the collection. It's cohesive, but interesting and suggests that the person who's amassed it has lived a pretty great life.
(Most notably, I can't get enough of that headless glass bust. It's fantastic.)
(Most notably, I can't get enough of that headless glass bust. It's fantastic.)
Nurseries are an ideal place to go crazy with color. I love this bright orange and the fun, basic shapes that go with it. It's got all the best elements of a great Marc Jacobs show - fun, bold lines, great color and the exact right amount of quirk to make it enticing, not annoying.
Zac Posen is one of those young designers that starlets love, in large part because he understands how to design really great clothes that are feminine but not overly saccharine. I think of him as a designer for the modern garden party.
This space captures that same feeling. I love the soft colors - and those flowers are gorgeous - but the room is saved from looking like great aunt Millie's sticky-sweet drawing room by a sophisticated side table and restraint when it comes to choosing accessories.
This space captures that same feeling. I love the soft colors - and those flowers are gorgeous - but the room is saved from looking like great aunt Millie's sticky-sweet drawing room by a sophisticated side table and restraint when it comes to choosing accessories.
Classic lines, neutral colors and a solid appreciation for that fine line between masculine and feminine - this is a fantastic bathroom and it is so reminiscent of what Calvin Klein does best. I love the minimal design of the space - there's nothing extraneous - and the fact that the deep taupe color is both neutral and interesting.
I have to admit, I love Kate Spade. In fact, I painted my master bathroom to match my favorite purse (it is a great shade of green). Her use of bold colors and retro lines is immensely appealing.
This space captures a lot of what I love most about the Kate Spade aesthetic. The red sofa's retro lines and bold color could be too much for the room as a whole, but they're neatly balanced by the bright green plant (exactly the same intensity as the red of the sofa) and the whole look is softened by the calming blue fireplace.
Plus, I love that wood table. It's right at home here, among modern lines, but would be equally perfect in a much more rustic space.
This space captures a lot of what I love most about the Kate Spade aesthetic. The red sofa's retro lines and bold color could be too much for the room as a whole, but they're neatly balanced by the bright green plant (exactly the same intensity as the red of the sofa) and the whole look is softened by the calming blue fireplace.
Plus, I love that wood table. It's right at home here, among modern lines, but would be equally perfect in a much more rustic space.
I have another confession - my love for Kate Spade is only challenged by my affection for all things Lilly Pulitzer. The Palm Beach look - bright floral patterns, monograms, pink and green - is beachy and preppy and I love it - and that is exactly why I love this space. The color scheme is pure Preppy Handbook and the striped walls are amazing. It's a room that has surely seen some gin and tonics.
The fantastic striped walls are a little over the top, but I think the use of nearly all white furniture brings the whole room back down to earth. Plus, the clean lines of the furniture give the room a slight edge - even with the pink stripe, it's not prissy.
The fantastic striped walls are a little over the top, but I think the use of nearly all white furniture brings the whole room back down to earth. Plus, the clean lines of the furniture give the room a slight edge - even with the pink stripe, it's not prissy.
Like Zac Posen, Nanette Lepore has a handle on how to design girlish clothes for grown-up women. She's not afraid of ruffles, but her clothes are somehow sophisticated. Just like this space. I love all of the feminine touches - the chandelier and the drapes, especially, but the cool silvers and grays keep the room from delving into little girl princess territory.
Vera Wang might be best known for her wedding gowns, but all of her designs share a similar sophisticated, classic aesthetic. This room, with its subtle colors and interesting pattern, has that same air of sophisticated femininity. It's clean and spare and complements, rather than dominates, its inhabitants.