Linda Horn: Creating Your Own Style

The world has become so homogenized. The people we come across all look alike – dressed in jeans and a T-shirt or exercise clothes – it doesn’t identify much about the person or their personality. So, I thought, what about our environment… it can speak about you now as your wardrobe used to.

Your home – where you spend quite a bit of time and now since the epidemic, a lot more time – can reflect a lot about you and what you like, what you dislike, and how you’re comfortable. What colors you relate to and what comfort level is important to you. Years ago, many homes just had the same couch and chairs and whatever for decades and decades, but now in our rapidly changing world we find ourselves taking more of an interest in our home and our environment. We want it to reflect who we are and what we are about. Our surroundings make a statement about ourselves. A while ago, when I began to see the impact that new objects – literally re-creations of old ideas – were starting to have on our society, I decided to take a big chance.

So, on one of my buying trips to Europe, I bought a tremendous amount of new things that were inspired by very old things, being very careful that the quality and patinas were up to a standard that made them special and reminiscent of their forefathers. Arriving home, I worried about when this very large container of new things arrived if its contents would harmonize with so many of the antiques that I had purchased over the years… but I was truly surprised and fascinated by how well it all blended and certainly created a new and fresh look that said a lot about my personality and hopefully would be enjoyed by my clients. You see, I’m all about old and new. Take a skirt and soft droopy blouse that you may have gotten a long time ago (or even very recently in one of the big chain stores for a few bucks), and mix it with an old jacket, maybe created 100 years ago and you decided the cost was worth having something that no one else had… and you now brought your simple underpinnings up to an outstanding creation. This is what I think you can do in your home and this is what I think will give you pleasure when someone walks in and compliments your surroundings and enjoys your ability to put all these things together and understands immediately more about who you are.

So many of us have inherited our mother’s or grandmother’s old furniture and we don’t really know what to do with it. You can paint it or bleach it. Cover the seats in exciting patterns and mix it with something very new and very streamlined and totally unexpected. That way you’re creating and you’re making a very strong statement about yourself and your abilities. If you like color, don’t be afraid to mix it all up together and put patterns side-by-side. If you like monochromatic and feel that it gives you a peaceful quiet environment then pick all kinds of textures and patterns, but no color, and put it all together with pale furniture and Lucite. The bottom line is that it should give you great pleasure. And at this point in our lives – as complicated and difficult as they can be – anything that can bring a smile to your face and make you feel happy and good about yourself is certainly worth it. Give it a try… what do you have to lose?