Like:
Don't like:
I'm sorry - but no matter how many times I see it in good company, I still hate that chair.
It pains me when I see things that make my eyes bleed touted as the embodiment of taste and style. Not because I don't like my own taste being called into question - but because it makes me wonder who is driving the bus here... Are taste makers doing their job? Or have they gotten lazy and said, "okay sure - orange shag pillows on powder blue sofas...whatever."
But at least I'm smart enough to recognize how short sighted that is, and I really have tried to expand my decorating tunnel vision. Step one is knowing that you have a problem right?
And the immediate next step is to start appreciating the value in that which doesn't appeal to us personally. To see beyond the particular style and recognize well made furniture, quality materials and interesting ideas.
So this is where I am now. Since I started working on this project with Style Key West, I've done a lot of thinking about how style is influenced by surroundings. And I've realized that there is something to be said for putting aside biases and considering new things. In light of this, I now allow myself be inspired by the unexpected.
A perfect example would be the color purple. I hate purple. Maybe it's the result of growing up in the '80s - but for me, there is something about purple that brings to mind lowercase i's dotted with hearts, unicorns and Dynasty.
In my mind, purple has always been loud and overly dramatic. It tries too hard and its skirt it too short. It snaps its gum. It makes me wince.
But.
One of the great things about reading design blogs is that you are inundated by other points of view on a daily basis. You see things that may not be your usual style and you get a different perspective. And after a while, you make room for new ideas. You add new dimensions to your preferences, and you find middle ground.
While I would never want to have these rooms in my house...
...I would make myself quite comfortable in any of these:
Seems like a small thing really - to embrace a subdued version of a hated color. But, you know what they say: one small step for man...one giant leap for closed minded traditionalists...
Tune in next week when I slander orange. (Kidding!)
Images via: Brabourne Farm, Decor Pad, Lonny Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Amanda Nisbet Design, Jim Thompson Fabrics
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