By Blake Herzog
Have you ever had a color, texture or pattern you loved take over the fashion world and your own wardrobe, only for it to lose its luster and end up on the clearance rack? That trend may also have infiltrated the world of interior design, where trends cycle in and out more slowly.
As it turns out, these two industries have been aesthetically shaping each other for decades, with concepts borrowed and expanded as they’re traded back and forth. Read on to learn about how styles migrate from the closet to the couch and vice versa.
Statement pieces
Humans have been creating show-stopping garments and furniture since time immemorial, but the term “fashion statement” came into use about a century ago. It could be as personal as choosing your favorite color or as political as wearing pants during the feminist revolution.
The concept of a statement “piece” becoming the focal point of an outfit evolved from there and made the jump to interior designers and the rooms they craft.
These days, statement pieces can be chandeliers or chandelier earrings. They add a pop of saturated color to a neutral background as a throw pillow or a scarf, tie you back to your heritage with a necklace or a rug.
They’re best when heightening the reality of their surroundings, not working against it.
Sculpture and whimsy
You know those outrageously exaggerated runway dresses, hats and other insane ensembles that you simply can’t imagine seeing on the street? Maybe they could work in your living room! Use the bell-shaped skirts, dramatic and asymmetrical draping and opulent jewel tones that took over the fall fashionscape and brought new spectacle to the design houses.
Irregularly shaped mirrors and wall art, floral-shaped pendant lamps and curved and rounded furniture all inject the whimsicality often seen in a designer’s more fantastical creations into your home in a way that will entertain everyone inside long after the last crazy costume has been paraded down the catwalk.
Equestrian sense
Ralph Lauren and other design houses embraced the “horse girl” aesthetic in their most recent fall collections, using the clean look of riding coats and boots, classic plaid patterns and bolo ties as English country chic and rugged Western ranch inspirations merge.
These vibes have begun slinking into the interior decorating world as checkered upholstery, pillows and even wallpaper brings an approachable country club undertone to living rooms, dens and bedrooms.
Equestrian theming can be taken in a more literal direction by framing or shadowboxing accessories like bridles, bits, lassos and the like, or more subtly through adopting natural materials like wood, leather and suede and earthy colors like olive, tobacco, hunter green and dusky navy blue.
Maximalist extravagance
Minimalism and maximalism are the extremes between which the pendulum swings in both the fashion and décor universes.
Minimalism has had the upper hand for most of the last decade, but whenever it becomes too dominant the vibrancy, experimentation and drama of maximalism surges back in at least some corners. On the home front this means mixing materials, colors, patterns and textures with confidence while stopping short (sometimes) of excess — so it’s often trickier to nail down.
There aren’t as many rules to follow when the design ethos is “more is more,” but you need to show some restraint for things to come together. If you have three or four “loud” elements in one room, you should probably tone the rest down. Or you can stay within a fairly narrow palette while experimenting with prints and textures.
These are just a couple of examples; the real answer comes from you and your “stuff,” whether it’s been collected over the course of decades or being curated as we speak, one thrift store or boutique at a time.
