Finding (and Growing) Your Personal Taste

I love nothing more than stepping into someone's home and feeling them… the style, the color palette, the pieces they fill it with, all of it. But in a time of trends and the next big box "hauls," how do you find (and grow) personal taste in your home without being influenced? Before I touch on a few points, I feel like I need to orient you a bit more to my journey with vintage and antiques...

Back in 2020 is when I really started to hone my style. The world was in an interesting place, we were 2 years into living in our home, freshly into motherhood with 2 under 2 and I decided to join an online platform called Thrift Club to bring me some much needed inspiration. Thrift Club is essentially a fantastic group of women all over the globe, that like creating home and finding any and all things secondhand. I'm still part of the club today and love seeing what fellow members post in the Facebook group and of course following along with Gwen, the Founder, on Instagram. This is the place where I started to learn more about antiques and vintage, training my eye for quality and time periods, materials and craftsmanship, and in turn, helping me learn what my style actually was. In this, I found that I appreciate a lot of things so I'm never going to give myself a style profile or box to fit in, but I can tell you this: I love traditional style, clean lines, neutral palettes but also rich colors, and the imperfect one-of-a kind pieces that make a statement. I want walking into my home to feel like an exhale, an easy on the eyes moment, with views I can't get enough of sitting and staring at. But how do you get here? I'm sharing a few guiding principals that have helped me nail it down and pivot back to whenever I stray…  

Escape digital. Pick up books and magazines and open them. Sure, I love the stacks of books that adorn my coffee table, but opening them unlocks inspiration you didn't know you needed. When I was flipping through Beautiful by designer, Mark D. Sikes one evening, I landed on a page that showed a fireplace filled with coral and shells, and a light bulb went off. I had been trying for years to figure out what I could display in my non-functioning fireplace to add interest, that wasn't wood or candles. I enjoy coastal touches in my home, so I figured why not try it? And so I did. Without actually flipping through that book, I'm not sure that inspiration would have found me.

Expand your exposure. If you're on social media, follow accounts that speak to and inspire you. This can be interiors, lifestyle, designers, artists. If you limit yourself to one kind of account or style, you'll limit your exposure. Off of social media, visit museums, attend house walks, and most importantly, make time to travel. This gets you out of your own head and I find that exposing myself to different perspectives helps me pick up new, unexpected elements that grow my personal taste. 

Mix and try new styles. I believe the magic of homes is in the mix of things that you love. The fresh, easy feeling we all crave comes from a mix of styles, periods, textures, and color. I do this so often in my home, moving pieces around, adding to my collection, usually seasonally, but also as the editing spirit moves me. This is one reason why you'll find such an eclectic mix of styles in my shop, because we shouldn't limit ourselves. You heard what I said up top, right? I do not put my style in a box, because I appreciate a lot of things and when you buy what you love, trust me, it just works. 

Sit with it. When trying new styles, it's easy to make the swap and then immediately think that it's not right. Allow yourself to sit with it and see if you adjust. Sometimes the most impactful changes we didn't like right away, actually grow on us. Currently, there's a dark wood arched mirror above our mantle because I just felt like a change from the arched gold one. I'm not sure yet if it's staying, but I'm going to sit with it and see what other changes I might want to make in the room that will flow with the revised vision. 

Finally, take it slow. I know how hard this one is, which is why I'm ending with it. I'm pleading with you to take it slow. Your home does not need to be perfect by a certain date before you host friends and family for a gathering. You will not delve into complete growth overnight, or in your lifetime even. Personal taste, like us, is intended to evolve, based on what you're seeking out and what is seeking you out. If you allow it to happen in time, it's the no regret formula for building a classic, collected home. 

Thank you for reading, friends. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if you're looking to collect your next vintage or antique piece for your home, I welcome you to explore my curated edit.

This blog post was not written by AI. All of these thoughts are my own based on observations and personal experience.