I love interior design. The recent attention on Nancy Myers, coastal grandma and country club grandpa really hit a chord in fashion and homes. A chord that feels timeless and like its always been there and always will be there, not a trendy chord that's going to change when the trends change.
Growing up my favorite hotels were always extremely old, charming and maybe even a little worn. My mom loves a warm but modern hotel, and anytime we went somewhere special but a little dusty she always knew I'd love it. The thick curtains at the Nemacolin, the worn stairs in the lobby at The Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawaha Island, the grounds at The Hershey Hotel and the clawfoot tub and herringbone floors at The Villa Cora (along with hot pink hotel slippers) are all burned in my brain in the best way. My parents always said if we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for a few days then the fancy hotel for a few special days 'evened out' - and looking back I really appreciate their hotel math and all of the beautiful spaces they brought our family.
Interior design is something so personal. As "Miranda Priestly" once said about fashion, "what they created was greater than art - because you live your life in it." I think that applies so deeply to interiors as well.
A few of my very most favorite design firms are Studio McGee, Pierce & Ward and Heidi Caillier. None of these align fully with the old hotel aesthetic or Nancy Myers movies, but they each hit home for me in different ways. I love the moodier, more layered designs from Shea McGee. I am so thankful for all of the info that Studio McGee shared on the original McGee home design; like many others I used it like a guide for my own home remodel. Pierce & Ward's design for Lily Aldridge is one that wasn't as achievable to execute in my own home remodel, but padded fabric walls are definitely on my someday dream board in my brain.
The worlds of beauty and interior design feel very far apart to me. Brands I love in the cosmetics realm are millennial pink, black or neon. They rarely feel at home on a bathroom vanity, but better stashed in a drawer. Diptyque is one of the few beauty brands that feels at home in interior design, however few cosmetics or beauty focused brands land in this space. I see this as a large white space, and an area I wish existed. I'd love to leave my body butter or my face cream on my counter next to (or to be honest at the moment in place of) my perfume bottles on a beautiful silver tray.
All that to say I think there is room for interior design in beauty. Taking inspiration from heritage wallpapers for product boxes, reeded glass for body butter packaging, and unlacquered brass faucets for mascara tubes. What are some of your favorite interior elements you could imagine filling your countertop?
xx
Aubree