Who is your home? Sounds like a strange question but what it means is who does your home reflect? Yesterday I mentioned that the new modern should be rooted in personal style. But that is a difficult part of the equation if you don’t know what your personal style is. Once, when I had my furniture showroom on La Brea in Los Angeles, a seemingly stylish A-list actress bought a sofa from us. There happened to be a writer for a home magazine in the store at the same time. The writer asked if, when the sofa was delivered, I could find out if the actress would be interested in having her home photographed for the magazine. Not knowing exactly how to handle a possible invasion of the actress’ privacy, I called her assistant about the potential article. I will never forget what the assistant said: “I don’t think her house would be right for the magazine because she does not live like she dresses!” Later when I saw the house in person, I found out the assistant was right. It never occurred to me until then that someone that made millions for a movie and who was photographed for every fashion magazine would not have a house of equal style. A few years — and a few blockbuster films — later I saw the actress’ house in a magazine. It was beautiful but totally void of personality. Void, at least, of her personality.

The Dada of Design

When you are determining your personal style it helps to take a kind of Dada approach. Think like the Dada surrealists and take the idea of something that you know and transform it into something new. For instance, the actress from above could have taken her love and knowledge of fashion and translated it into her home. If you are a fashionista like her, look at the overall picture of your clothes. Is there a common color? An obvious love of texture? Are you drawn to a certain shape? Maybe there is an overall theme of tailored or embellished pieces or maybe things are more formal or casual. It isn’t hard to extrapolate the interior design connections that can be drawn here. I have a friend who is a true minimalist to the core. His home and wardrobe never deviate from a color pallet of black or charcoal. Another friend, photo stylist Leslie Landis (http://www.leslie-landis.com), who changes her personal style with the season. She even gives each change a name: Punk Rock Preppy, Art Deco Equestrian, and something to do with pearls and giraffes — I can’t remember them all but they all have an arty urban polish to them and her home is the same. My point is that you could be eclectic or have a laser like focus to your personal style but either way it will help guide the way you look at your home.

For example Diana Vreeland was as famous for her red drawing room as she was for her flamboyant fashion sense—the two were almost inseparable. As you can see from these photos she had enough personal style for more than one person.

(http://www.americaninteriordesign.com/DesignProfile/diana_vreeland.htm)

Sarah Jessica Parker channeling Vreeland for Harper’s Bazaar

If fashion isn’t your thing, take a tour of your bookshelves. Maybe you’re a fan of the romantics. Or you only read the classics. Do you love Bret Easton Ellis? If so you should look at the modern design movement of the Eighties. On second thought you might want to pick another author. How about Truman Capote? A man of an abundant style himself, his writing definitely helped establish the style of his own home. Although he traveled a great deal and had many homes including an apartment at the United Nations Plaza, the place he always returned to was his modest Sagaponack cottage. Much like his books (there were few and none rarely longer than a novella) the house was small and layered with a mix of formal, southern patterns, exotic finds and lots of whimsy.

Not much of a reader? If your library is too spare to get a good sense of style, there is always film. Some of the best design is on the screen – big and small. Be it Mad Men or Sex and the City, I have had more than one client reference a television show for ideas to design their house. Name the Wes Anderson movie and I have used a color palette, wallpaper or a style of fabric from it. Here is the home of Sophia Coppola (designed by Paul Fortune) and a group of images from her film Marie Antoinette. See if you can guess what here favorite colors might be.

Photos of Coppola’s home from House and Garden magazine.

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