Finding Your Vibe

Hey guys,

How do you find your interior ‘vibe’? Your ‘aesthetic’?

You won’t be happy with how your home feels until you do.

You’re looking around and feeling like everybody just has their style nailed, but you don’t even know where to start. It feels like you have to hit pause and start from scratch when you really should be making progress. It kind of feels like… an identity crisis.

Let me get to the point. It is an identity crisis.

Figuring your vibe is very intentional. You have to actively put yourself in new places and see new things. You need to read a bit, and discover alot.

You have to be real with yourself about how you’ve changed and how your space needs to change with you. No short cuts.

You won’t get there through Pinterest boards or randomly collecting items for your home, throwing them together and hoping for the best. You definitely won’t get there by drenching your space in COAT’s ‘Sweatpants’ and calling it a day (although - nice choice.)

Sometimes I meet clients and I just know that the time has come for them to find their vibe.

Natalie dropped into my inbox with her new build lounge and some firm disclaimers:

• The TV bench disappoints her

• The rug is too small and she’s owning it

• The B3 has to stay and I shouldn’t ask questions

When I look at this space, it feels nearly there. A few uncertain statements and ‘nearly-but-not-quite’ moments. It’s not bad, but it definitely doesn’t make me feel anything.

So where do we start?

1. We start with the strongest elements. The B3.

We have a retro undertone to this aesthetic, and it’s one of the strongest aesthetic elements in the space. The chrome detailing, the leather sofa and the vintage timber pieces I can see at different angles are definitely doing something here. Keep them.

What do they say about the sandwich method…

2. The strip back

   Now let’s please immediately remove that rug, those new-build vertical blinds and the clunky sideboard behind the sofa. Your intentions are good but they are killing your vibe.

3. Lean in

   Curating a vibe means that we lean into the things that we’re sure about, and away from the things that don’t make us feel anything. If you can’t get rid of that grey laminate floor then we need to cover it as much as possible.

   For you, I would go for something that feels classic and nostalgic, but not vintage. I think a soft jute would work well to pull this together.

4. Be bold (and show off)

   We have to switch out that heavy black sideboard behind your sofa. You were right to place something there - but this is not the thing to place. Try this instead:

You have no open space to display personal or interesting items. I think that if we’re going to cover the back of a sofa, we should make it interesting. Breaking up all of those black finishes will also make your space feel more balanced. I’d love this more if it were another stand out vintage piece. Be bold.

5. We need more lighting.

   We’ll add some cordless lamps onto the back of the console (I’ll share my favourites below). However, for this layout and ceiling height, let’s explore something off-centred so that it won’t take over, but still adds interest.

We end up leaning into elements that feel the most interesting to a create a vibe that feels more ‘you’.

I promised…

I think that’s it for today. Takeaways:

1. Start strong

2. Strip the ‘new build’ out of your new build

3. Rely on a good rug

4. Opportunities to show off

5. Lighting

Was that helpful? Let me know.

Thanks for being a part of my little newsletter community and remember you can send me your space for some home truths. Safe space.

Who’s next?