August 26, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode of Boulevard Beat, Meghan and Krissa unpack the journey of developing your own personal style. Drawing on their experiences in the design world as designer and editor, they share how style is built over time—through trial and error, collecting meaningful pieces, and allowing your home to tell your story. The conversation moves from finding inspiration in everyday life to editing what doesn’t fit, and the importance of creating spaces that feel both livable and timeless. With humor, honesty, and practical wisdom, they remind listeners that style isn’t about following rules—it’s about discovering what feels authentic.
Street Style Takeaways:
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Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Street Style Takeaways:
- Style evolves with life — as your lifestyle shifts, your interiors should adapt to reflect who you are in that moment.
- Editing is as important as collecting — knowing what to leave out is often what makes a room feel intentional.
- Trends can inspire but shouldn’t dictate — use them as seasoning, not the whole recipe.
- Personal pieces matter — art, heirlooms, or travel finds are what bring depth and authenticity.
- Confidence is key — the best style is the one you believe in and live comfortably with.
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15!
Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast we're life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom, along with my co hosts, editor
Chrissa Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Logit. This podcast focuses
on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with
taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style.
You can stroll one street at a time. Boulevard Beat
(00:29):
prooves the one you should take, all right, Chris, Today
we're digging into something that we both talk about all
the time, personal style, not just in fashion, but in
our homes and the way we live. It's really at
the core of great design, don't you think.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's so important for a number of reasons. First of all,
it helps you edit as you are going along. I think,
you know, we're all so inundated with product and styles
and so much inventory out there of great design, but
we can't bring it all home with us. And I
think that once you develop a style and really adhere
(01:09):
to it, that it's so much easier. It makes the
process a little better.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
That's so true because we're constantly surrounded by trends, social media,
design magazines, you know even what our friends are doing,
so it's easy to be persuaded and to get caught
up in what's in versus what is really just your style.
So I think it's really important to step back and
really figure out who you are, what you love, and
(01:33):
what makes you feel authentic.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, and it's funny because you mentioned you know how
many influences are being shot at us today to identify
what that personal style is. And you know, if you
go back far enough in the backs of magazines would
be these quizzes sort of to you. You could pick one,
you know, are you French Country or are you under
the Tuscan Sun back when that movie was big? Or
(01:57):
do you like more modern style? And it really I
think sort of pigeonholed people because it's like, well, what
if I don't like any of those? So I think
we're so much more savvy as a society about design
and how it works and the exposure that we have
that I think it's a little easier for people to
understand how design works and to sort of pull out
(02:20):
those things that they love and then identify things that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
They don't well, and certainly and I think personal style
in their home, like you mentioned, it's more about things
that just look pretty. It's about how you feel that comfort,
the connection of longevity of spaces that look beautiful and
feel good for you.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Absolutely, and I think one of the problems and oh gosh,
for twenty years we've been saying this at Traditional Home
at the magazine, that there's an epidemic of good taste
that's happened for probably the last twenty five years, thirty years.
If you want to credit Martha Stewart, we can certainly
do that for bringing home to the forefront of people's minds.
But what's happened in that time, and it's it's sort
(03:02):
of good and bad. There's you know, good bad with
everything in life, and when it comes to design, we've
sort of been overexposed. And the problem with that is
is everything looks very, very polished and as people, I mean,
you can, I'm sure speak to this with your with
your clients, but I think where people really find themselves,
(03:24):
you know, at a roadblock, is because there are too
many good things. And I question sometimes when people who
aren't in the industry say, oh, I don't like modern
or I don't like traditional or whatever the style is,
it's like, well, you don't like it in the version
(03:45):
that you think it is under this very broad scope
slash umbrella of a style, and it's it's like saying
that you don't you know, my best friend she'll she'll
kill me for saying this online, but she doesn't like fish.
It's like, that's because all you ate is a it.
We're fish sticks. Like you know, you can, you know
you can have salmon with a wonderful love and butter sauce,
(04:06):
and all of a sudden it's different. So I think
there's so much education that also comes from design to
develop your eye and to look at a lot of
things and not only figure out what you're attracted to,
but as so many things in life, figure out what
you don't love, because sometimes that's the easier piece to
(04:28):
figure out what you don't love. And as far as
you know, when I say everything looks so polished right now,
it's easy, I think, to be attracted to anything that's done.
I think that happens to a lot of homeowners. It's
like I like this, I like that, I like that. Well,
I think the end knowing that design, renovations, design facelifts,
(04:50):
whatever it is, requires so much time, energy, money, that.
I think we're all attracted to anything that's done and finished,
but is it something that we really love long term?
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Well, And I think that brings up such a good
point too, of just you know, sometimes you go through
your life or your home and your design of just
doing what makes sense at the time and the next
right step. And sometimes it takes doing one of those,
like really large projects, a completely new home or remodel
or a new house, to really kind of hone in
(05:22):
on that style and kind of really figure that out,
and like you said, kind of study it to kind
of know, if I had any option out there, what
would I do? You know, what style would I make
this house? Am I going to build a modern house?
Or am I going to build a traditional one or
a beachy one? You know, just you have that opportunity
when doors open up to do big projects like that
(05:43):
that then you can kind of maybe change your style
and develop it and hone in on what makes sense
for you.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
That's an interesting point. I hadn't really thought of that,
but you're right. I think that a lot of times
we live life in an autopilot, and you're absolutely right.
It's when you are probably starting a project that you
really start to think about those things well.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And I think people get so wrapped up just in
following a trend or you know, how many times do
we get asked that question, what's trendy right now? And
so it just because it's trendy doesn't mean it's your
personal style, because I think personal style is lasting to
some degree. You know, evolves obviously, but I think style
is truly timeless. It's individual, it's anchored in your personal
(06:26):
taste and evolves slowly versus just jumping the bandwagon and
doing a trend that's you know, it can be fleeting
in an external right.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And unlike fashion, where you can buy the next wash
of denim next year for one hundred dollars and it's
probably not a big deal, when it comes to the
home space, things are far more costly, far more difficult
to change. And so you even if you're a young couple,
say in your in your thirties, and you're building your
first home and knowing you know, oh, this isn't going
(06:56):
to be our only home, and we're going to do
this process a few more times in our life, you
have to understand that when you make a decision for
a home, it's still permanent for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, I mean those fixtures, your countertops, all the big pieces.
It's not easy to change often, so it's you know,
being trendy is not always the best option for that.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Even when you're in the mood for a renovation or
there's still the thought of it is just inundating and
just kind of awful. I mean exciting. It's exciting to
always get something new and fresh, but you know, nobody
likes to think about the mess and the and the
demo and all of that. But I think just tap
(07:38):
into a trend lightly and not in an expensive way.
You know. I received really good information from a fashion
influencer online a few years ago, and she said that
before she invests in a luxury piece of anything, let's
say a red shoe, she buys an inexpensive version of
(08:00):
it first to see if it's something that she would
really wear. So if she needs a red pair of shoes,
she would buy the inexpensive version of that and see
over the course of six months, Okay, did I wear
these once or did I go to these four times
a week? And I thought that that was really wise advice.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I kind of always like the tip well, I love
this in five years, you know, or ten years, and
if it's something that you still really enjoy, it's going
to still make sense in your home and to just
buy with integrity that way and knowing that they're pieces
that will stand the.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Test of time. Trends are really about here today, gone tomorrow,
because trends are based on marketing and what purpose of
a trend is to be here today, gone tomorrow buy
something new that's you know, it's retail driven so well.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I think, especially in the home world, which we've talked
about before too, is the things like I think about
the things, the projects I'm working on right now will
probably get photographed in a year or two years. Like
the cycle is just so different than you know, just
like showing that I'm wearing these cute jeans and their
trendy versus in your home that you know, projects take
(09:07):
years to build and make and then you know, like
I said, get photographed.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Absolutely, I'll just say it. Alexa Hampton said that a
few years ago on a podcast that I heard her on.
By the time let's say the newest finish in cabinetry
is actually shown in a magazine or a book, it's
probably five years old because it was first introduced at
some sort of trade fair, and then it takes a
(09:32):
while for a designer an architect to sell that to
the perfect client, and then the house is built, are renovated,
and then it's photographed, and then maybe a year from
that it is picked up by a magazine and a
year from that it's published. So you're talking about several
years before specific design elements are actually presented to the consumer,
(09:56):
and you know at that point they are they still
lasting or will they be on?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Well, I find it really interesting too how I've developed
my own personal style and how it has evolved as
well too. I'd love to just like hear a little
bit about your personal style, Chris, and what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Well, my personal style is pretty how do I say
this nicely? I don't like modern I just don't like it.
It's not my thing. Now I will there are some
caveats there. I love modern artwork, and so my home
is a mix of very traditional furniture with modern artwork
(10:35):
because I do really love that combination and that design
tension that comes from objects that are very clear, that
have clarity and what they are, and then wonderful abstracts
that allow you to sort of make the story up
about what the subject may be for that piece of artwork.
I love things that are very classic. It's almost impossible
(10:57):
to find anything trendy in my house. I just don't
as a rule. I'm sort of a I can be
a little bit of a snob about it. If I'm
being honest, I'm like, no, I don't do trends, and
I run far in the other direction, even if it's
something I actually like. I probably just don't do anything
trendy just as a rule, but I have to love it.
(11:17):
I don't buy anything that's sort of of the moment,
even if everybody else loves an aesthetic, I have to
personally love it. And oh gosh, my style. I love
things that are French. I never jumped in. I mean,
we talked about this in another episode, but I never
jumped into the whole mid century modern, specifically under the
(11:39):
modern umbrella. That was never my thing. Everybody raved about it,
and the whole mad Men phenomena. I think, you know,
really springboarded that passion, but it was never a passion
of mine. I really am a traditionalist through and through,
and yeah, I just I love things that are classic
(11:59):
and tailored, and I don't love a fussy floral. I
love a floral that is sort of more more artistic,
more with a watercolor sort of hand to it. How
about you, what is your style?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You know? My style, I think is one that it's,
like I mentioned earlier, kind of involved over time, but
again kind of always buying what you love. And it's
interesting how it kind of transitioned into it. It's rooted
and timeless, classic at heart, I would say, you know,
like you mentioned even just tailored upholstery, you know, the
appreciation of enduring beauty, of antiques, craftsmanship and just balance
(12:36):
of that way. But I also like a little bit
of edge. I think while the foundation's classic, I like
to have that little bit a moment of surprise, you know,
a bold piece of art is one of my favorite
ways to do that. Or even just kind of a
more modern light fixture in a spot or fashion forward
silhouette you know that maybe has a really traditional bones
(12:56):
and then we put a really more modern so it's
feeling fresh and a little bit unexpected. And it's been
fun too, just because I'm exposed to so much. I
mean you are as well, that you can see things
that you like or that you've used in projects and
they worked really well, and it's like, Okay, I want
to bring that home. I think that belongs here too.
(13:17):
And I think just that idea of having layers and intentional,
meaningful objects is really important, kind of tugging back to
like having your home tell your story. And I think
that that's part of my personal style too, that I
think it wants to talk about who I am, the
type of family I have, the ages of my kids,
(13:37):
how we use our home, and just you know, how
we're using it, not just for the sake of filling
space in there too.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Well sure, and I think that there is a nice
ratio and balance when it comes to design. I mean, yes,
you want to love your furniture, but they are really providing,
especially when you're talking about upholstery. That's those are really
foundational pieces. Then it's all of your accessories that are
really telling you know, as you just alluded to, who
(14:03):
you are your family is. I do love the return
of all of the dressmaker details and the skirts on
upholster pieces, and I really do love that. But I
don't like a ruffle. I don't like a foofy ruffle.
I like a tailored pleat, So you know, just going
back to defining what you love, what you like, and
what you don't.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
You know, it's very nuanced, and I think that's that's
probably why I'm so passionate about what I do and
get to do, is I get to to do so
many different styles because I do appreciate. I love it
when I get to work on a modern project just
because I don't do them all the time. They're fun
and they bring another element to make your mind think
in different ways. So I am drawn to a lot
(14:46):
of different styles. So it's why it's so good to
do what I do that I get to create that
for other people, because I couldn't be changing my home
all the time like that either.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
And you know what, I think that one of the
reasons that I and see I don't dislike modern it's
just not my style. I think a lot of that
has to do of where we live in the midst,
where it's already cold for several months. I want that
grit around me. I want the warmth and the textures
(15:18):
and I want things around me because those are those layers.
It's you know, like a blanket when you're layered in
your bed at night. It's another layer, and I think
that that provides that comfort and that warmth. I do
like where modern style is going right now. In fact,
we are just finishing a special edition of Traditional Home
that's called Modern Classic Style. It's just it's a one
(15:41):
off news stand only, but it's sort of approaching and
addressing the new version of modern, which I think is
a little more layered. Has those textures, is warm. It's
not sort of the cooler stones of modern. It's the
warmer versions of gray. It's the warmer verse versions of brown,
(16:01):
those sorts of things. And people love it really minimalist modern,
or they don't. And I think that for those who don't,
there is that nice bridge in between right now that
gives a little more warmth.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah, I think that that's a really wonderful look. I
feel like we have several projects that are wanting kind
of that look. Your bigger windows with the really clean
steel frame around them, and more modern fireplaces, but then
get layered in like you mentioned, with textures and the
upholstery and the rugs. Might maybe the rugs more traditional,
but yet is in a very clean envelope of a space.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
That's a lot of that organic feel to it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit more metal and different materials too,
So you know, and we talked about this a little
bit too. I think culture where you live, the part
of the country you live in. But I think it's
really important to understand lifestyle as well when you're developing
your personal style. You know, your style should serve your life,
not the other way around. It should start with the function.
(16:57):
Who lives in your home? How do you live? You know,
what are those daily routines look like? Are you an
avid cook? You know, they all make a difference in
how the home functions and how then you can develop
your style in that too. You know, if you work
from home, your environment should support that focus and the
calmness that you need in there too.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Absolutely, And I think you know, again, in this industry,
when people decide, oh, it's time to renovate our home
or we're moving to a new home, and you know,
how are we going to approach the design? They flip
through magazines, they go online and they see projects that
are new and finished, and all of a sudden, they're
attracted to that and it may not work for their lifestyle.
(17:37):
Like maybe if you're scrolling through Pinterest and you keep
finding yourself landing on rooms that are all light colored.
That may not work if you have three big dogs
and three big children or small children. You know, it
just it may not be practical. Even with all of
the performance fabrics, even with all of those finishes that
(17:58):
can weather fingerprints and spills and stains and dog stains
and that sort of thing, it still may not be practical.
So you have to, as you said, really assess that
lifestyle and understand is this going to work for our
family and our living situation, not only right now but
five years from now.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yeah, important to think in the future, like you mentioned,
just that you're not just designing for right now. You
know you're not going to have little babies forever. That
sort of a thing too, So it's super important too
that you don't force a style that doesn't work for
your homes bones. You know, if you're trying to create
a modern mountain in the middle of Iowa, like, that's
just harder to achieve it just you don't have the views.
(18:38):
You don't have all of that either. There's ways to
create that warmth and different things too, definitely, but the
natural light, the style it has to feel authentic for
the space that it is too.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
It's funny that you mentioned mountains because we've gone through
this exercise before at the magazine where we look at
these images and it's like, oh my gosh, that's so beautiful,
that's so beautiful, and then we talk about it and
it's like, wait a minute before we say yes to this,
what is it that we love? And it's like, we
love the mountain range in the back. It's like, Okay,
that has nothing to do with the kitchen or the
(19:09):
house inside. And so those exterior elements. Certainly, if you
have a mountain views, that's really special. And what is
also important about that, Megan, is sometimes when you have
a spectacular view like that, like a mountain range, sometimes
the interior design needs to, you know, take a secondary role,
(19:30):
not be the star. You know, environment certainly plays a
role and has to be a consideration in design as well.
You and I live here in the flatlands of America,
so we don't have mountains or water. But similarly, if
you live in you know, a city sort of environment,
you may not have those natural scapes all around you
(19:53):
to look at, and so you can kind of do
anything you can do colonial if you want, and you
can do modern farmhouse if you want, But when you
have something so beautiful as another mother nature right outside
your window, then it's that has to be a consideration
and a major one.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
And you know, just as you're thinking through lifestyle too,
it's important you know, as you're decorating and designing your
house too, that you're thinking about things that you enjoy
that surround yourself. If you've got a huge art collection
but have a house with all windows and no walls
or lots of wainscotting, that makes a difference too, that
there's no room to hang those things. So lifestyle and
(20:31):
how you want the house to look too.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
You hear people say, oh, I wish my house had
more wall space because they don't have enough places to
hang artwork. And yes, those you know Florida ceiling windows
are fabulous until you want to hang something that you've
bought and then you know you're struggling to find the
right spot for it.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Well, I think too, as you're kind of just finding
your personal style, one of the things that I think
is super important is just that visual research. We all
know that we're super overwhelmed with Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok. You know,
design blogs. They're all great sources, but they're also overwhelming,
and I think they can really help people have design
(21:12):
fatigue or not be able to figure out what they like.
You know, often clients will come to me when they
start a project and they share their Pinterest boards or
different things, and a lot of times there's a lot
of cohesion and what they're they're selecting, Like, you can
really get a quick feel they love color, or they're
traditional or transitional or all those sorts of things. But
(21:35):
also can be challenging when you have those clients that
come with a million different styles and then we kind
of have to hone in on what is the one
direction are we going to take this?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, design fatigue and design overload is a huge problem
online because it can create what I call sort of
formula design, and you see a lot of the same
thing over and over and over online and that can
pluck away the creativity. And we want designed to be
(22:07):
creative and we want designed to be personal, and that
goes back to that question. I'm sure that you have
the gamut of clients, those people who maybe want something
that's super creative and what's never been seen before, and
then those people who just want their house done, they
just want to complete, They don't want to think about it.
And when it comes to Pinterest or Instagram or any
(22:29):
of the sources that we have online, it's easy to
just stay to a designer. Let's let's copy this. It's like, well,
where's the creativity here? And is this really personal to you?
And again, why are you attracted to this? Are you
attracted to this because you love the toall that they've
used on the walls, or are you attracted to it
just because it's done and it's pretty in a photograph.
(22:50):
And you know, people want hire a designer and architect
for very different reasons. And I think that for anybody
who's considering hiring professional help to assist with these matters,
they really need to think about that before they're going in.
You know, I've always thought it was unfortunate that in school,
(23:12):
we because art programs are the first to get asked,
usually we're never taught to use our eyes for design.
And I think it would be so much better if
from a very young age, kids were not only given
art projects because that's what we think of art in school,
(23:32):
of being you know, draw a self portrait of yourself
in third grade. By the way, mine was terrible looking,
not like me. But I think the problem with that
is maybe instead of those creative projects, those are certainly
important as well, but at some point having discussions about
teaching kids how to look at objects, how to look
(23:55):
at things, because it affects when they buy a car,
when they buy a house, all of those big ticket
purchase items that we spend money on as adults, but
we're never really taught how to look at things. And
I think that that's super unfortunate, and that's you know,
this generation. When you look at kids now, oh my gosh,
(24:16):
they have all sorts of apps, and any ten year
old can already has a Pinterest board of their dream home,
which is so funny to me because you know, I
didn't have that. I imagined what my dream home would look like. Maybe,
but now they do have that resource. And I think
when we're talking about people developing their own style, the
sooner that the conversations are had about it is better
(24:40):
not to talk about, you know, pillows, but for reasons
that I stated, because you spend so much money as
an adult picking out things for the way they look,
and we don't. We're never taught how to look at things.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah, that's a really good point, just to have a
discerning eye as you are enjoying things. And it can
even as simple as just you know, the beauty of
nature around you and looking at five beautiful things that
you see right now when you open your eyes. I
do that with my kids sometimes and just like having
them taken the moment of enjoying beauty all around them.
But that's a good way to just kind of form too,
of like seeing things that you like and why you
(25:13):
like them and kind of figuring that out too. And
you know, kind of to go back to even some
of those tools and things that you've mentioned, some of
them too are misleading because the filters might look different
or just how AI distorts things, both color and appearance,
and so sometimes you're trying to duplicate something and it's
(25:34):
not even realistically able to duplicate, you know. But like
I'm with you too, I think you need to use
tech for inspiration and not duplication, you know, avoiding falling
into the trap of replicating. I think it's really important
to do too.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Right. Personal style isn't personal if it's not your site. Yes,
your personal style.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
And I also think I always really enjoy when I'm
getting to know new clients too. Is just like kind
to keep in an eye on what is their fashion,
what do they like to wear, and how are they
expressing their personal style with that? And it is amazing
quite often how they do correlate together.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Oh, I think so, I absolutely think so. I mean
I just like I like a tailored sofa with a
tailored pleat. I also like a tailored garment, I mean
fitted a suit. I know suits are people like sort
of roll their eyes when they think about suits because
they're maybe not as comfortable, But I do think they're
(26:33):
making it come back and a lot better colors than
navy blue and black and courtroom colors, if you will.
And so I do love that look anything that's super tailored,
and that's what my wardrobe is.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
So yeah, And I think just you know, analyzing your inspiration,
what does that look like? Are you constantly gravitating to
warmer tones or clean lines or vintage pieces? You know,
do your furniture pieces? Are they liking curved pieces or
more straight lined? And you can kind of as you
kind of analyze that, you can kind of help develop
your personal style too on what that feels like. I
always love that actionable tip of just, you know, opening
(27:08):
your camera roll and scroll through your saved images that
you screenshot or that you've taken pictures of, and that
can
Welcome to boulevard Beat, a podcast we're life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom, along with my co hosts, editor
Chrissa Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Logit. This podcast focuses
on the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with
taste makers, and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style.
You can stroll one street at a time. Boulevard Beat
(00:29):
prooves the one you should take, all right, Chris, Today
we're digging into something that we both talk about all
the time, personal style, not just in fashion, but in
our homes and the way we live. It's really at
the core of great design, don't you think.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's so important for a number of reasons. First of all,
it helps you edit as you are going along. I think,
you know, we're all so inundated with product and styles
and so much inventory out there of great design, but
we can't bring it all home with us. And I
think that once you develop a style and really adhere
(01:09):
to it, that it's so much easier. It makes the
process a little better.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
That's so true because we're constantly surrounded by trends, social media,
design magazines, you know even what our friends are doing,
so it's easy to be persuaded and to get caught
up in what's in versus what is really just your style.
So I think it's really important to step back and
really figure out who you are, what you love, and
(01:33):
what makes you feel authentic.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Well, and it's funny because you mentioned you know how
many influences are being shot at us today to identify
what that personal style is. And you know, if you
go back far enough in the backs of magazines would
be these quizzes sort of to you. You could pick one,
you know, are you French Country or are you under
the Tuscan Sun back when that movie was big? Or
(01:57):
do you like more modern style? And it really I
think sort of pigeonholed people because it's like, well, what
if I don't like any of those? So I think
we're so much more savvy as a society about design
and how it works and the exposure that we have
that I think it's a little easier for people to
understand how design works and to sort of pull out
(02:20):
those things that they love and then identify things that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
They don't well, and certainly and I think personal style
in their home, like you mentioned, it's more about things
that just look pretty. It's about how you feel that comfort,
the connection of longevity of spaces that look beautiful and
feel good for you.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Absolutely, and I think one of the problems and oh gosh,
for twenty years we've been saying this at Traditional Home
at the magazine, that there's an epidemic of good taste
that's happened for probably the last twenty five years, thirty years.
If you want to credit Martha Stewart, we can certainly
do that for bringing home to the forefront of people's minds.
But what's happened in that time, and it's it's sort
(03:02):
of good and bad. There's you know, good bad with
everything in life, and when it comes to design, we've
sort of been overexposed. And the problem with that is
is everything looks very, very polished and as people, I mean,
you can, I'm sure speak to this with your with
your clients, but I think where people really find themselves,
(03:24):
you know, at a roadblock, is because there are too
many good things. And I question sometimes when people who
aren't in the industry say, oh, I don't like modern
or I don't like traditional or whatever the style is,
it's like, well, you don't like it in the version
(03:45):
that you think it is under this very broad scope
slash umbrella of a style, and it's it's like saying
that you don't you know, my best friend she'll she'll
kill me for saying this online, but she doesn't like fish.
It's like, that's because all you ate is a it.
We're fish sticks. Like you know, you can, you know
you can have salmon with a wonderful love and butter sauce,
(04:06):
and all of a sudden it's different. So I think
there's so much education that also comes from design to
develop your eye and to look at a lot of
things and not only figure out what you're attracted to,
but as so many things in life, figure out what
you don't love, because sometimes that's the easier piece to
(04:28):
figure out what you don't love. And as far as
you know, when I say everything looks so polished right now,
it's easy, I think, to be attracted to anything that's done.
I think that happens to a lot of homeowners. It's
like I like this, I like that, I like that. Well,
I think the end knowing that design, renovations, design facelifts,
(04:50):
whatever it is, requires so much time, energy, money, that.
I think we're all attracted to anything that's done and finished,
but is it something that we really love long term?
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Well, And I think that brings up such a good
point too, of just you know, sometimes you go through
your life or your home and your design of just
doing what makes sense at the time and the next
right step. And sometimes it takes doing one of those,
like really large projects, a completely new home or remodel
or a new house, to really kind of hone in
(05:22):
on that style and kind of really figure that out,
and like you said, kind of study it to kind
of know, if I had any option out there, what
would I do? You know, what style would I make
this house? Am I going to build a modern house?
Or am I going to build a traditional one or
a beachy one? You know, just you have that opportunity
when doors open up to do big projects like that
(05:43):
that then you can kind of maybe change your style
and develop it and hone in on what makes sense
for you.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
That's an interesting point. I hadn't really thought of that,
but you're right. I think that a lot of times
we live life in an autopilot, and you're absolutely right.
It's when you are probably starting a project that you
really start to think about those things well.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And I think people get so wrapped up just in
following a trend or you know, how many times do
we get asked that question, what's trendy right now? And
so it just because it's trendy doesn't mean it's your
personal style, because I think personal style is lasting to
some degree. You know, evolves obviously, but I think style
is truly timeless. It's individual, it's anchored in your personal
(06:26):
taste and evolves slowly versus just jumping the bandwagon and
doing a trend that's you know, it can be fleeting
in an external right.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And unlike fashion, where you can buy the next wash
of denim next year for one hundred dollars and it's
probably not a big deal, when it comes to the
home space, things are far more costly, far more difficult
to change. And so you even if you're a young couple,
say in your in your thirties, and you're building your
first home and knowing you know, oh, this isn't going
(06:56):
to be our only home, and we're going to do
this process a few more times in our life, you
have to understand that when you make a decision for
a home, it's still permanent for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, I mean those fixtures, your countertops, all the big pieces.
It's not easy to change often, so it's you know,
being trendy is not always the best option for that.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Even when you're in the mood for a renovation or
there's still the thought of it is just inundating and
just kind of awful. I mean exciting. It's exciting to
always get something new and fresh, but you know, nobody
likes to think about the mess and the and the
demo and all of that. But I think just tap
(07:38):
into a trend lightly and not in an expensive way.
You know. I received really good information from a fashion
influencer online a few years ago, and she said that
before she invests in a luxury piece of anything, let's
say a red shoe, she buys an inexpensive version of
(08:00):
it first to see if it's something that she would
really wear. So if she needs a red pair of shoes,
she would buy the inexpensive version of that and see
over the course of six months, Okay, did I wear
these once or did I go to these four times
a week? And I thought that that was really wise advice.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I kind of always like the tip well, I love
this in five years, you know, or ten years, and
if it's something that you still really enjoy, it's going
to still make sense in your home and to just
buy with integrity that way and knowing that they're pieces
that will stand the.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Test of time. Trends are really about here today, gone tomorrow,
because trends are based on marketing and what purpose of
a trend is to be here today, gone tomorrow buy
something new that's you know, it's retail driven so well.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I think, especially in the home world, which we've talked
about before too, is the things like I think about
the things, the projects I'm working on right now will
probably get photographed in a year or two years. Like
the cycle is just so different than you know, just
like showing that I'm wearing these cute jeans and their
trendy versus in your home that you know, projects take
(09:07):
years to build and make and then you know, like
I said, get photographed.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Absolutely, I'll just say it. Alexa Hampton said that a
few years ago on a podcast that I heard her on.
By the time let's say the newest finish in cabinetry
is actually shown in a magazine or a book, it's
probably five years old because it was first introduced at
some sort of trade fair, and then it takes a
(09:32):
while for a designer an architect to sell that to
the perfect client, and then the house is built, are renovated,
and then it's photographed, and then maybe a year from
that it is picked up by a magazine and a
year from that it's published. So you're talking about several
years before specific design elements are actually presented to the consumer,
(09:56):
and you know at that point they are they still
lasting or will they be on?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Well, I find it really interesting too how I've developed
my own personal style and how it has evolved as
well too. I'd love to just like hear a little
bit about your personal style, Chris, and what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Well, my personal style is pretty how do I say
this nicely? I don't like modern I just don't like it.
It's not my thing. Now I will there are some
caveats there. I love modern artwork, and so my home
is a mix of very traditional furniture with modern artwork
(10:35):
because I do really love that combination and that design
tension that comes from objects that are very clear, that
have clarity and what they are, and then wonderful abstracts
that allow you to sort of make the story up
about what the subject may be for that piece of artwork.
I love things that are very classic. It's almost impossible
(10:57):
to find anything trendy in my house. I just don't
as a rule. I'm sort of a I can be
a little bit of a snob about it. If I'm
being honest, I'm like, no, I don't do trends, and
I run far in the other direction, even if it's
something I actually like. I probably just don't do anything
trendy just as a rule, but I have to love it.
(11:17):
I don't buy anything that's sort of of the moment,
even if everybody else loves an aesthetic, I have to
personally love it. And oh gosh, my style. I love
things that are French. I never jumped in. I mean,
we talked about this in another episode, but I never
jumped into the whole mid century modern, specifically under the
(11:39):
modern umbrella. That was never my thing. Everybody raved about it,
and the whole mad Men phenomena. I think, you know,
really springboarded that passion, but it was never a passion
of mine. I really am a traditionalist through and through,
and yeah, I just I love things that are classic
(11:59):
and tailored, and I don't love a fussy floral. I
love a floral that is sort of more more artistic,
more with a watercolor sort of hand to it. How
about you, what is your style?
Speaker 1 (12:15):
You know? My style, I think is one that it's,
like I mentioned earlier, kind of involved over time, but
again kind of always buying what you love. And it's
interesting how it kind of transitioned into it. It's rooted
and timeless, classic at heart, I would say, you know,
like you mentioned even just tailored upholstery, you know, the
appreciation of enduring beauty, of antiques, craftsmanship and just balance
(12:36):
of that way. But I also like a little bit
of edge. I think while the foundation's classic, I like
to have that little bit a moment of surprise, you know,
a bold piece of art is one of my favorite
ways to do that. Or even just kind of a
more modern light fixture in a spot or fashion forward
silhouette you know that maybe has a really traditional bones
(12:56):
and then we put a really more modern so it's
feeling fresh and a little bit unexpected. And it's been
fun too, just because I'm exposed to so much. I
mean you are as well, that you can see things
that you like or that you've used in projects and
they worked really well, and it's like, Okay, I want
to bring that home. I think that belongs here too.
(13:17):
And I think just that idea of having layers and intentional,
meaningful objects is really important, kind of tugging back to
like having your home tell your story. And I think
that that's part of my personal style too, that I
think it wants to talk about who I am, the
type of family I have, the ages of my kids,
(13:37):
how we use our home, and just you know, how
we're using it, not just for the sake of filling
space in there too.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Well sure, and I think that there is a nice
ratio and balance when it comes to design. I mean, yes,
you want to love your furniture, but they are really providing,
especially when you're talking about upholstery. That's those are really
foundational pieces. Then it's all of your accessories that are
really telling you know, as you just alluded to, who
(14:03):
you are your family is. I do love the return
of all of the dressmaker details and the skirts on
upholster pieces, and I really do love that. But I
don't like a ruffle. I don't like a foofy ruffle.
I like a tailored pleat, So you know, just going
back to defining what you love, what you like, and
what you don't.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
You know, it's very nuanced, and I think that's that's
probably why I'm so passionate about what I do and
get to do, is I get to to do so
many different styles because I do appreciate. I love it
when I get to work on a modern project just
because I don't do them all the time. They're fun
and they bring another element to make your mind think
in different ways. So I am drawn to a lot
(14:46):
of different styles. So it's why it's so good to
do what I do that I get to create that
for other people, because I couldn't be changing my home
all the time like that either.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
And you know what, I think that one of the
reasons that I and see I don't dislike modern it's
just not my style. I think a lot of that
has to do of where we live in the midst,
where it's already cold for several months. I want that
grit around me. I want the warmth and the textures
(15:18):
and I want things around me because those are those layers.
It's you know, like a blanket when you're layered in
your bed at night. It's another layer, and I think
that that provides that comfort and that warmth. I do
like where modern style is going right now. In fact,
we are just finishing a special edition of Traditional Home
that's called Modern Classic Style. It's just it's a one
(15:41):
off news stand only, but it's sort of approaching and
addressing the new version of modern, which I think is
a little more layered. Has those textures, is warm. It's
not sort of the cooler stones of modern. It's the
warmer versions of gray. It's the warmer verse versions of brown,
(16:01):
those sorts of things. And people love it really minimalist modern,
or they don't. And I think that for those who don't,
there is that nice bridge in between right now that
gives a little more warmth.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah, I think that that's a really wonderful look. I
feel like we have several projects that are wanting kind
of that look. Your bigger windows with the really clean
steel frame around them, and more modern fireplaces, but then
get layered in like you mentioned, with textures and the
upholstery and the rugs. Might maybe the rugs more traditional,
but yet is in a very clean envelope of a space.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
That's a lot of that organic feel to it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit more metal and different materials too,
So you know, and we talked about this a little
bit too. I think culture where you live, the part
of the country you live in. But I think it's
really important to understand lifestyle as well when you're developing
your personal style. You know, your style should serve your life,
not the other way around. It should start with the function.
(16:57):
Who lives in your home? How do you live? You know,
what are those daily routines look like? Are you an
avid cook? You know, they all make a difference in
how the home functions and how then you can develop
your style in that too. You know, if you work
from home, your environment should support that focus and the
calmness that you need in there too.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Absolutely, And I think you know, again, in this industry,
when people decide, oh, it's time to renovate our home
or we're moving to a new home, and you know,
how are we going to approach the design? They flip
through magazines, they go online and they see projects that
are new and finished, and all of a sudden, they're
attracted to that and it may not work for their lifestyle.
(17:37):
Like maybe if you're scrolling through Pinterest and you keep
finding yourself landing on rooms that are all light colored.
That may not work if you have three big dogs
and three big children or small children. You know, it
just it may not be practical. Even with all of
the performance fabrics, even with all of those finishes that
(17:58):
can weather fingerprints and spills and stains and dog stains
and that sort of thing, it still may not be practical.
So you have to, as you said, really assess that
lifestyle and understand is this going to work for our
family and our living situation, not only right now but
five years from now.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Yeah, important to think in the future, like you mentioned,
just that you're not just designing for right now. You
know you're not going to have little babies forever. That
sort of a thing too, So it's super important too
that you don't force a style that doesn't work for
your homes bones. You know, if you're trying to create
a modern mountain in the middle of Iowa, like, that's
just harder to achieve it just you don't have the views.
(18:38):
You don't have all of that either. There's ways to
create that warmth and different things too, definitely, but the
natural light, the style it has to feel authentic for
the space that it is too.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
It's funny that you mentioned mountains because we've gone through
this exercise before at the magazine where we look at
these images and it's like, oh my gosh, that's so beautiful,
that's so beautiful, and then we talk about it and
it's like, wait a minute before we say yes to this,
what is it that we love? And it's like, we
love the mountain range in the back. It's like, Okay,
that has nothing to do with the kitchen or the
(19:09):
house inside. And so those exterior elements. Certainly, if you
have a mountain views, that's really special. And what is
also important about that, Megan, is sometimes when you have
a spectacular view like that, like a mountain range, sometimes
the interior design needs to, you know, take a secondary role,
(19:30):
not be the star. You know, environment certainly plays a
role and has to be a consideration in design as well.
You and I live here in the flatlands of America,
so we don't have mountains or water. But similarly, if
you live in you know, a city sort of environment,
you may not have those natural scapes all around you
(19:53):
to look at, and so you can kind of do
anything you can do colonial if you want, and you
can do modern farmhouse if you want, But when you
have something so beautiful as another mother nature right outside
your window, then it's that has to be a consideration
and a major one.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
And you know, just as you're thinking through lifestyle too,
it's important you know, as you're decorating and designing your
house too, that you're thinking about things that you enjoy
that surround yourself. If you've got a huge art collection
but have a house with all windows and no walls
or lots of wainscotting, that makes a difference too, that
there's no room to hang those things. So lifestyle and
(20:31):
how you want the house to look too.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
You hear people say, oh, I wish my house had
more wall space because they don't have enough places to
hang artwork. And yes, those you know Florida ceiling windows
are fabulous until you want to hang something that you've
bought and then you know you're struggling to find the
right spot for it.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Well, I think too, as you're kind of just finding
your personal style, one of the things that I think
is super important is just that visual research. We all
know that we're super overwhelmed with Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok. You know,
design blogs. They're all great sources, but they're also overwhelming,
and I think they can really help people have design
(21:12):
fatigue or not be able to figure out what they like.
You know, often clients will come to me when they
start a project and they share their Pinterest boards or
different things, and a lot of times there's a lot
of cohesion and what they're they're selecting, Like, you can
really get a quick feel they love color, or they're
traditional or transitional or all those sorts of things. But
(21:35):
also can be challenging when you have those clients that
come with a million different styles and then we kind
of have to hone in on what is the one
direction are we going to take this?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, design fatigue and design overload is a huge problem
online because it can create what I call sort of
formula design, and you see a lot of the same
thing over and over and over online and that can
pluck away the creativity. And we want designed to be
(22:07):
creative and we want designed to be personal, and that
goes back to that question. I'm sure that you have
the gamut of clients, those people who maybe want something
that's super creative and what's never been seen before, and
then those people who just want their house done, they
just want to complete, They don't want to think about it.
And when it comes to Pinterest or Instagram or any
(22:29):
of the sources that we have online, it's easy to
just stay to a designer. Let's let's copy this. It's like, well,
where's the creativity here? And is this really personal to you?
And again, why are you attracted to this? Are you
attracted to this because you love the toall that they've
used on the walls, or are you attracted to it
just because it's done and it's pretty in a photograph.
(22:50):
And you know, people want hire a designer and architect
for very different reasons. And I think that for anybody
who's considering hiring professional help to assist with these matters,
they really need to think about that before they're going in.
You know, I've always thought it was unfortunate that in school,
(23:12):
we because art programs are the first to get asked,
usually we're never taught to use our eyes for design.
And I think it would be so much better if
from a very young age, kids were not only given
art projects because that's what we think of art in school,
(23:32):
of being you know, draw a self portrait of yourself
in third grade. By the way, mine was terrible looking,
not like me. But I think the problem with that
is maybe instead of those creative projects, those are certainly
important as well, but at some point having discussions about
teaching kids how to look at objects, how to look
(23:55):
at things, because it affects when they buy a car,
when they buy a house, all of those big ticket
purchase items that we spend money on as adults, but
we're never really taught how to look at things. And
I think that that's super unfortunate, and that's you know,
this generation. When you look at kids now, oh my gosh,
(24:16):
they have all sorts of apps, and any ten year
old can already has a Pinterest board of their dream home,
which is so funny to me because you know, I
didn't have that. I imagined what my dream home would look like. Maybe,
but now they do have that resource. And I think
when we're talking about people developing their own style, the
sooner that the conversations are had about it is better
(24:40):
not to talk about, you know, pillows, but for reasons
that I stated, because you spend so much money as
an adult picking out things for the way they look,
and we don't. We're never taught how to look at things.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Yeah, that's a really good point, just to have a
discerning eye as you are enjoying things. And it can
even as simple as just you know, the beauty of
nature around you and looking at five beautiful things that
you see right now when you open your eyes. I
do that with my kids sometimes and just like having
them taken the moment of enjoying beauty all around them.
But that's a good way to just kind of form too,
of like seeing things that you like and why you
(25:13):
like them and kind of figuring that out too. And
you know, kind of to go back to even some
of those tools and things that you've mentioned, some of
them too are misleading because the filters might look different
or just how AI distorts things, both color and appearance,
and so sometimes you're trying to duplicate something and it's
(25:34):
not even realistically able to duplicate, you know. But like
I'm with you too, I think you need to use
tech for inspiration and not duplication, you know, avoiding falling
into the trap of replicating. I think it's really important
to do too.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Right. Personal style isn't personal if it's not your site. Yes,
your personal style.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
And I also think I always really enjoy when I'm
getting to know new clients too. Is just like kind
to keep in an eye on what is their fashion,
what do they like to wear, and how are they
expressing their personal style with that? And it is amazing
quite often how they do correlate together.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Oh, I think so, I absolutely think so. I mean
I just like I like a tailored sofa with a
tailored pleat. I also like a tailored garment, I mean
fitted a suit. I know suits are people like sort
of roll their eyes when they think about suits because
they're maybe not as comfortable, But I do think they're
(26:33):
making it come back and a lot better colors than
navy blue and black and courtroom colors, if you will.
And so I do love that look anything that's super tailored,
and that's what my wardrobe is.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
So yeah, And I think just you know, analyzing your inspiration,
what does that look like? Are you constantly gravitating to
warmer tones or clean lines or vintage pieces? You know,
do your furniture pieces? Are they liking curved pieces or
more straight lined? And you can kind of as you
kind of analyze that, you can kind of help develop
your personal style too on what that feels like. I
always love that actionable tip of just, you know, opening
(27:08):
your camera roll and scroll through your saved images that
you screenshot or that you've taken pictures of, and that
can
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Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.