My Garden is Full of Colour and Where I feel Most Comfortable
The simple answer of course is that there are many. Some obvious, some a little more subtle. A brief scroll through the interiors community on Instagram will give you many examples of people that are blending at least two of these niches/themes. (My Instagram handle is @claire_smithslife and your welcome to peruse those that I follow for examples). I will admit it is likely that each one of us will have strengths in one area and perhaps a passing interest or maybe dabble a little in the other two. Personally, my main area of expertise is the garden and my love of flowers. It's where I am most comfortable and where I will often default. I have kept it going right from our first house through to now, some - well admittedly, many years later; having learnt much from my Dad as child and by my keen reading on the subject. But, I have always had an interest in interiors stemming from styling my own room as a teen, to trying to personalise our first house on the tightest of budgets. Similarly, I have always been aware that I have quite a strong style or look of my own too. Both of these, interiors and personal style have taken a back seat over the last few decades when a full time career in education and family commitments came with it's own restrictions on choice and a significant lack of time to plan interiors projects. Now I find myself with more time to indulge the full trio of my interests - flowers, interiors and style. I might be feeling my way and getting to know what I like in these areas all over again but its a fascinating creative pathway to explore.
My Home Reflects my Love of Colour
Colour
The most obvious link between the trio of flowers, style and interiors is a love of colour. Whether you are the kind of person that loves a neutral and nothing but a neutral, or brights, or pastels, it's likely that your home, garden and personal style reflect your taste in colours.
My personal preference is toned bright colour and plenty of it and that is probably reflected most in the garden. Nature is very good at putting colours together and with the calming, neutralising affect of green in between it is difficult to go wrong. Personally, I think it is an ideal training ground. Start with looking, really looking, at what colours you like in the garden. Visit established gardens with borders of mixed flowers and make a note of what you like. Soon you'll be seeing the subtleties of petal and leaf colour and trying new things together. Summer pots are a fabulous first step - relatively cheap to make-up and generally, you empty them at the end of the season so if you get it wrong or don't like your creation, it's a temporary situation. There are so many different colours available in bedding plants in your local nurseries in May. Choose something you like and carry it around with you to find complementing or contrasting colours - whatever makes your heart sing.
A Deep Blue has Become the 'Red Thread' in our Home
It's taken me quite a while to transfer my love of colour into my home. Partly as I was stifled by the grey, 'griege' phase in interior fashion of the 90s and 00s. I didn't have time to research or experiment and so allowed myself to be taken in that direction. Getting my colour mojo back in home decorating has taken some time but now I'm there I love it! Don't get me wrong, I am not a colour at all costs kind of girl and they are out there in the interior world in force believe me and good for them - it's your home after all. Maybe because of living through 'the grey period' I am more cautious but there is certainly more colour creeping in to the house as my confidence grows again with my interior choices.
How would I describe my interior style? We're often asked to label it, I'm not sure it fits a box to be honest. 'Modern country' perhaps with some vintage, some modern but probably only because we live on the edge of village. You could probably find a little bit of everything or at least most styles somewhere in it.
As a Red Head I'm Enjoying the Return of 80s Electric Blue
And what about my personal style when it comes to colour? I've always been a fan of autumn colours being a red head. Pastels and beiges wash me out. Leaning towards a colour filled wardrobe has been inevitable. The return of 80s colours like electric blue, shocking pink and jade green is a boon time for me. Similarly, the return of the longer dress. They are the perfect vehicle for colour and at 5ft 8 longer dresses suit my frame too. I do wear trousers but I've always felt fully dressed up in a skirt or dress, even preferring a skirt suit in my working days.
Unusually Wearing Trousers but with Colour
Rules
There are rules in all three of these niches. Plenty of them. In style, 'red and green should never be seen' or is it blue and green? Who knows and frankly, who cares? Lockdown has given us carte blanche to throw away the style rule book. Anything goes with what we put on ourselves these days. It's so very freeing but at the same time can be a scary place. A good sense of self style is quite important to our self esteem, to make us feel good. Maybe the rules were there to help those of us who find the choice all a bit much? Or at least maybe that was why they endured for so long.
My Garden Side Table Full Of Seasonal Colour
In interiors and garden the rules are there but perhaps breaking them is not so public, unless we choose to make our homes public of course. But there is a cross over here. Take the rule of three. It is a known fact that three similar (or even different) items styled together is more pleasing on the eye, provides a balance in some way and therefore is a common feature in a styled home. Perhaps in the same way, we use odd numbers of the same type of stems in flower arrangements. Indeed, when planning a garden we are advised to plant in odd number groups to prevent a diluted affect or colour to be dotted rather than a drift. The reasoning in the garden might be slightly different, for impact rather than balance, yet we are not advised to plant in fours or sixes to create the same affect so balance and the human eye's love of the odd number must be at least part of the reason.
I think I should explore the 'repeat' rule. We are encouraged to have a 'red thread' that flows through our homes when we consider interiors. Often a colour, or a texture or possibly a pattern. The idea being it helps the eye connect each room throughout the house seamlessly, irrespective of a change of use or design scheme for that individual room. It brings about a continuity and sense of identity for the home. In the garden, we are encouraged to repeat plant. To use the same plant several times through a border or around the garden scheme as a whole. The reasons are similar to provide that continuity and thread to hold a scheme together. Something for the eye to seek out. In style, I suppose an example would be matching your handbag to your shoes or putting on an accessory or lipstick that picks out a colour in your dress. It provides the continuity and presents a pattern for the eye to seek out, something we seem to appreciate instinctively.
In Floristry, Odd Numbers of the same Flower Type are Used
The most obvious 'rule' that links the three areas is probably that of the colour wheel. Bringing me back to the first point. An understanding of colour, how to use it, how to balance it, provide contrast or to tone is a transferable skill between the three.
My point here is that an understanding of the rules in one of our niches, provides at least some understanding and instinct in the others. I feel myself slipping dangerously close into a debate of whether creativity can be taught or is simply developed, so I'll endeavour to get back to more frivolous matter.
Matching my Lipstick to my Bag (and the Flowers for Good Measure)
Social Media
Not Sure How to Describe my Home Style - A Bit of Everything?
Within social media we are advised to have a niche, home, garden, style, travel, food -whatever you are interested in, want to share and can maintain. In most of my social media accounts I have chosen to present all three of my favourite niches home, garden and style. Why? because for me they are inextricably linked together. The creativity flows from one to the other and back. The skill set I use in one area is replicated in another. It may not be what we are advised to do to succeed on social media but it's where I'm at anyway. Hopefully, after reading this, you'll see why.