Have you ever entered a building and felt a wave of energy bubble up inside you because it just felt right?

I experience this at most Anthropologie storefronts, when I’m hit with the aroma of their signature candles, and feel hugged by the calming, artful interiors.

This is the feeling a heroine should capture in her own home. Our homes should stimulate all of our senses in a way that is unique to each of us. 

How to do this? The first step is to identify what we like. 

You can get started right away by making a home interiors board on Pinterest. Go on. Have fun. After a while you will start to notice trends on what captures your eye. I love how Kitty Cavalier describes falling in love with this process on her podcast with Sarah Starrs: at first she was pinning things like sofas, but was advised to think less literally. She gained insight by pinning a picture of a yacht and a woman emerging from the water while smoking a cigarette. Save the images that captures the spirit of what you want to feel, what you want to be immersed in – not just cute lamps. 

Very few of us fit into one aesthetic category.

If you can happily sum up your aesthetic as ‘boho’ or ‘preppy’ or ‘luxe’, then well, you’re lucky. But for those of us with apparent split personalities when it comes to design, this can be more difficult. I love vintage and modern, minimalism and colour. So when I enter a room where I feel exactly at home, I take a moment to figure out why.

Find the places that make you feel at home – and take note.

One of my favourite thing about Britain is pubs. Nice, cosy, warm pubs with roaring fires and yummy food. And tartan pillows, preferably. I love the Sheep Heid Inn, Scotland’s oldest pub, for its rustic chic. Situated on the far side of Arthur’s Seat, our local mountain, it is suitable for a post-hike hot chocolate as much as it serves as a fine location for a birthday dinner. As I balance my free time between rock climbing and watching Gossip Girl reruns, this is an ideal aesthetic for me. Refined and fit for a princess, but not so delicate that trekking hiking boots indoors stresses me out. For Miu Mius and mountain boots alike.

Mix the cosy interior of The Sheep Heid (which I recently found out is pronounced “sheep heed”. which only makes it more lovable. sheepied! sheepied! sheepied!) with the adorable simplicity of Wild Wood Café: white walls with nature-inspired illustrations, pillows with geometric mountain peaks, hardwood tables and floors, with matching tea sets. This look is what dominates my Pinterest page, and yes I realise that most of those pictures are from nurseries and no I do not have children, nor am I one, as I am constantly reminded – important lesson I’ve learned recently: “kids of all ages” does not actually mean “all ages”.

The point of decluttering:

I’m reading Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy, and she recommends having this ideal aesthetic in mind as we remove the clutter from our homes. This is the end goal. This is why we declutter and call ourselves minimalists. I want to live in my ideal setting, my cosy fairytale home. Don’t you? ;)

P.S. Style Education: Why you need a style icon