Tuesday 26 February 2013

Closet Decorator: Coral & Navy

This post was inspired by my younger sister, Erin.  Since the day Erin was born she has  loved fashion.  She would ask for shoes and clothes for Christmas instead of toys, much like my oldest daughter Tayah. She always looks fantastic and has no problem pulling an outfit together. She isn't afraid to take risks but when it comes to her house she's stumped. She knows what she likes but she's never quite sure whether or not something is really "her". 

We've been getting dressed and making choices about what we wear almost everyday of our lives and decorating a home for only a small fraction of that, so it makes sense that most of us would feel more confident in our clothing choices. If you are one of these people this post is for you. I'm going to show you how to turn your favorite outfit into a space that can't help but reflect your taste.

First choose your favorite outfit. It doesn't have to be one you own, just something that you know is you 100%. After a little pinterest browsing I came across this prettyiness...


Next you'll want to identify what exactly it is you like about your outfit. In this case, I love the updated 50's vibe and the colors. It's has a structured look to it and classic porportions but the fabrics aren't fussy and theres a casualness to it. If done properly I should be able to say all the same things about my finished room.

Now let's get down to decorating. It's bussiness time (side bar: if you haven't seen it, check out this Flight of the Choncords video, I think it's funny, you might too). Start with the color foundation. The three main colors in this room are going to be white, charcoal, and coral. These colors will be the colors of the major pieces in the room.

I chose white walls, because I love white walls. This skirt was dying to be reinvented as romantic draperey so coral curtains it is. Charcoal for the sofa, because as much as I love a dramtic colored sofa or even a bold patterened one, the wiser long term choice is to use something more neautral for the most expensive items in the room.

The style of the pieces you choose is also important. I chose a sofa that reminded me of the retro vibe I liked about the outfit and the buttons on the couch were inspired by the buttons on the skirt. Along those same lines the woven rug reminded me of the strap of the purse. A good start but boring, unfortunately this is where a lot of people quit and are left frustrated wondering why there space still doesn't quite feel right.

Time for some secondary furniture pieces. We could use some more pieces in white, coral, or gray but I wanted to make things a little more interesting. Since there are no visible shoes in the picture I decided that if I was wearing this outfit I would want to where some cute navy flats with it. With that in mind this is where I ended up in phase 2...




Don't navy and coral look great together? Yum. I chose the leather safari chair because it's classic and casual and the leather ties in with the belt in the outfit. The amazing chandelier is gold like the earrings. I think a room could be empty with only that Jonathan Adler chandelier and still look gorgeous. It's been a long time favorite of mine and in my dreams it hangs happily in my home. 

The room is starting to take shape but still a little lifeless, let's take it one step farther and add in some accessories...

(sofa, ottomans, chair, chandelier, rug,  picture frames, pillows)
Personal photos in black and white (shirt and cardigan), white and coral cushions and another hit of gold. 


I think this girl could happily live here...


 What do you think? Are there other Flight of the Conchord fans out there?

I had so much fun putting this post together I'm thinking of making Closet Decorator a regular feature. If you have an outfit you'd like to see turned into a room send me a link.






2 comments:

  1. I love this, I totally agree that you can really get insight into a persons style by looking at how they dress. I definitely think you should make this a regular feature. Love flight of the conchords by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this! Such a happy, springy room - glad I could inspire you! The accessories really complete the room. I know you're always telling me to draw inspiration from my favourite clothes, but it's neat to see an outfit actually turned into a room; you should definitely do more of these posts!

    ReplyDelete