How I Found My Home Aesthetic
Method or madness? I don't really know
DIY HOME RENOVATIONS
Rebecca Kelly
5/8/20245 min read
Your home is the one space in the world that exists entirely on your terms.
It should feel like a sigh of relief when you walk through the door — not like you're a guest in a showroom. Yet choosing an aesthetic can feel paralyzing: there are endless Pinterest boards, TikTok "apartment tours," and designer accounts pulling you in a hundred directions.
We focus so much on resale value and how our home can serve others who visit. I think we sometimes lose the plot and forget that our home can reflect who we are and how we live.
My home office
1 Started with how I actually live
Before choosing colors or furniture styles, assess your daily routines. Do you prepare complex meals, or is your kitchen mainly a coffee spot? Are kids and pets in charge? Do you work remotely? Your aesthetic should prioritize function—beauty that doesn't support your lifestyle will only cause frustration. List your top five daily habits and design with them in mind.
This was our kitchen mid-renovation, right after we installed the large white farmhouse sink. I was so excited for this because I really needed more space! Having my espresso bar right next to it is essential.
Flooring choices can feel overwhelming given the number of options out there. We went with white oak, finished on-site, because we have 2 large dogs and wanted it to last! Our selection, combined with a Bona water-based finish, made for an incredibly tough surface. It's beautiful, too!
We chose a pellet stove over a fireplace for better heating efficiency. Winter in New England can be brutal and unrelenting. This has made our home so cozy and much more energy-efficient!
Color is the fastest way to create cohesion or chaos. Pick one anchor color you genuinely love, not one that's trending, and treat it as the spine of your palette. From there, layer in one or two complementary tones and a neutral base. A deep terracotta wall can coexist with sage linen and warm cream to create a collected look, not a mismatched one. Let the anchor guide every future purchase decision.
We knew that much of our home would feature jewel tones and bold colors. So the base color we chose was White Dove by Benjamin Moore because it offered a warm, neutral white that goes with almost anything. Consider getting samples before you jump into painting! I would be absolutely lost without Samplize. They have several different paint brands so you can combine them to see what works!
2 Choose an anchor color and go from there
The homes in your favorite films are designed by professionals to evoke specific emotions — and that's exactly what you want your own space to do. Loved the warm, sun-soaked interiors of Call Me by Your Name? The moody, rich library of Saltburn? The quiet Japanese minimalism of Midnight Diner? Screenshot any room that makes you feel something, then look for the common threads: lighting, textures, clutter levels, and color temperature.
3 Take inspiration from your favorite Books or Movies
One project we have coming up in the next year is our den. We have a projector and screen in this room, and we want to style it like a mid-century modern movie theater. We are going to go against the norm in this house by color-drenching the room in a dark color and installing recessed lighting with two light modes. My daughter is particularly excited to find movie posters for this space. You can see our inspiration here! I'm so excited to start and document the whole thing.
4 Pair Vintage Pieces With Modern Ones
The most interesting homes refuse to belong to a single era. A sleek Scandinavian sofa looks extraordinary next to a worn mid-century rattan chair. A contemporary flat-front kitchen becomes soulful when anchored by an antique butcher block. The trick is to let old and new share a common element, such as a finish, a proportion, or a material, so they feel curated rather than confused. Start thrift shopping with intention: one great vintage piece can define a whole room....
My absolute favorite pastime is going to an antique store and looking at everything. Because of this, my house is a mixed collection of different wood finishes and styles, and not a single piece of furniture matches. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but matching sets have become a thing of the past. So I am choosing to believe that I'm actually just ahead of interior design trends, not caught up in a chaotic frenzy of purchase choices. I love this mid-century-style green couch because it fits my style.
Though everything is mismatched, mid-century modern is a theme that runs throughout the house. I have built 2 live-edge black walnut tables with elegant matching hairpin legs. One is in my office, and the other is a coffee table. I love the organic nature of these tables because of their flaws and imperfections.
Your aesthetic isn't just visual; it's emotional. Think about the music you play when you feel most at home, or the visual artists who inspire you. An art lover may want to cover their walls with their favorite style. A jazz lover might unconsciously crave warm amber lighting and worn leather. Don't ignore these signals; they're pointing you toward an atmosphere that truly resonates.
5 Let Media Shape your Atmosphere
