Fashion At Home

After spending the last three years living in a charming little carriage house that amazingly fits two very tall individuals, my husband and I have started thinking about spreading our wings-- and have thus begun the dreaded...apartment hunt.

On the one hand, the very thought of moving causes panic and dread to wash over me: all the boxes, how to fit the furniture back down that tiny staircase, getting to know a new place...

Yet, on the other hand, I can't help smile as I imagine how every little inch of our yet-to-be-discovered new home (albeit, rental) will come together. So I was relieved to be nudged away from dread--and towards excitement--when I received an email from Sarah B, one of my favorite NYC fashion insiders who, despite the demands of her busy high-power-business-woman life, somehow finds the time to stay on the up-and-up when it comes to fashion forward styles and home interior fabulousity.

Sarah's email highlighted the posh pad of London stylist and interior designer Abigail Ahern--as in Atelier Abigail Ahern, which is "one of the most definitive, hottest places to shop in the UK," according to Elle Decoration magazine. Located 40 miles outside London, Abigail's home is actually owned by her sister, Gemma, and the Ahern sisters recently joined forces to give the space a total makeover. The result, clearly, is nothing short of amazing.

I love the way the space pairs down a more traditional style (cool gray walls and floor, overstuffed bookshelves, bead boarding, pristine crown molding) and then infuses the classic look with contemporary pops of color and funky decor (hot pink coffee table, low-hanging yellow lamp, furry and metallic throw pillows). The effect is a home that looks completely livable while remaining positively chic.

The aesthetic of this space inspires the home decor diva that I never knew was inside of me! Fashionista? Yes.... So why not bring my work home with me? The fact that I'm still in the rental stage of life slightly limits my options; I mean, I can't go knocking down walls or anything craaaazy. But the possibilities really are endless, and can be accomplished through the details--colorful home furnishings and accessories to contrast yet accentuate the clean, simple structure of any rental.

Coco Chanel once said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Mademoiselle Chanel had it exactly right (do I sound surprised?): fashion is the way we live. The moral of the story? If you put your mind to it, you can have fashion at home.

Images and inspiration from Sneak Peek: Gemma Ahern, article from Design Sponge, www.designspongeonline.com.