When you hear the word “FASHION” do images of gorgeous supermodels strutting the runways of New York and Paris pop to mind? When you tune in to see the E Fashion Police dissect celebrities on the Hollywood Red Carpet, or pour through the pages of Vogue and Cosmo do realize that eventually, those FASHIONS will wind up blanketing your beds or gracing your walls? Well, let me assure you, my friend, that the time span between the pages of Vogue Magazine and Traditional Home Magazine is getting shorter with each passing year.
As someone who enjoys Fabrics and Textiles, I also enjoy the carryover that I see between my Master Closet and what turns up on the shelves of my Interior Design studio in Nashville. Both my wardrobe and that of my wife, Ruthann often have similarities to the styles that I see on display at High Point Furniture Market.
Let’s take a look first at the Masculine influences on interior design and decorating
Mens’ fashion is slow to change (as are most men, myself included) and has carried on for decades with many classics…Houndstooth, Paisley, Stripes and Plaids just to name a few. Fashion icon Ralph Lauren built a menswear brand on Classic patterns, and Americana. Then being the true pioneer he carried these same looks over into his HOME collections and quickly others followed suit… Ha! Get it? “followed suit?”
Menswear fabrics used in the home offer warmth and a casual yet traditional feel. The durability of wool tartans and the timelessness of ticking stripes provide the perfect complements to leather and denim. When given the opportunity to create a gentlemen’s’ lounge or a man’s study, I am drawn to combinations of rich paisleys, wool plaids, and warm leathers. Now go to the Menswear department and you’ll see the same fabrics in ties and pockets squares, shirts, boots, and belts.
And so, as with everything of the female persuasion…Fashion is interpreted more loosely and is not nearly as literal as menswear. There are MANY diverse and rapidly changing fashion trends in interior decorating. Just as one season you have boot cut jeans, and the next you have skinny jeans, for the home you’ll see Chevron be replaced Quatrafoil faster than you can say “Dolce & Gabbana”. After all, it is a woman’s’ prerogative to change her mind. The abundance of color and pattern in women’s fashion plays out in just about every part of the home. Florals and geometrics partner together on the bed and the walls, and are offset by the “jewelry” of light fixtures, bath fixtures, and all other pieces of hardware in between.
The COLORS we see in Fashion often translate quickly into the latest Home décor trends. Sometimes before you can blink…. Let’s take Sea Foam Green for example…One minute it was the latest Essie Nail Color, the next minute every designer handbag, and before you could say “Easter Bunny” the bedding catalogs were a flood of Sea Foam Green. Okay, okay you get the point…the feminine fashion influences are MANY and quick
to change. Recently we’ve seen a huge resurgence of all things VINTAGE in home decorating and when you combine it with a color trend it’s even more powerful. Even stronger than Sea Foam Green has been the love affair with every shade of Gray. Can you tell I’m having fun? One minute Ruthann’s nails had turned “You don’t know Jacques” gray and the next every pillow in America seemed to be Gray and White Chevron and every stick of furniture in High Point Market had been “chalk painted” gray. One of the most popular bedrooms that I’ve done to date was a gray on gray on gray color story. Still LOVE it, but it started with FASHION.
Now let’s talk tile…
Not only have we seen a new love affair with all things vintage…and just to set the record straight Subway tile is a classic and never went out of style. But now we’re seeing many new fun things for the Kitchen and Bath…Mosaics, Glass, Irredesence…Bathrooms are a great place to put on the jewelry.
As shown here in this Master Bath there are elements taken straight from the runway. Loo
k at the straight lines of Mosaics on the center models blouse, or the tone on tone floral in the pants of the model on the right. Now, look at the Master Bath I created for my clients. By using straight lines of mosaic tiles on the shower and the floor and using a tailored trim on the window treatments this design stayed more masculine. But when we incorporated the subtle floral motif on the wallpaper and hung a crystal and pearl chandelier we helped to bring a feminine balance to this oasis.
There are also moments when I like to blend the tailored masculine lines with feminine softer color palettes and set it all off with accessories that serve as the “jewelry” providing metallics that shine and sparkle. Take this Master Suite, for example, Paisley and clean lines to these chairs add a Masculine touch, but the Sunburst mirrors and sparkling lamps help to lend a Feminine touch.
JUST when I’ve made my case that CLOTHING FASHION leads the way in determining HOME FASHION, I click on the website of Dolce & Gabbana and I see blue and white clothing that looks like it drew its inspiration straight from Tiles and Porcelain….SO, who knows which comes first…the chicken or the egg? Nonetheless….They influence and inspire one another. The End.
