Good Morning everyone (or should I say afternoon)!  I hope you all had a great weekend.

Today I wanted to share a little bit about the design workshop I conducted on Saturday. I’ve been partnering with a local retail store called Smith’s for several years now and have conducted seasonal design workshops for their customers.  Smith’s is located in Duluth, GA on Main Street which has lots gift and decor stores, restaurants and art galleries.

Over the years my workshop topic centered around home decor since that was the primary product focus of the store.  However, Smith’s recently made a change to their product mix and in addition to carrying decorative accessories and gifts, they now sell clothing, accessories and footwear.  They have also co-branded their store as Smith’s and BoCo Girl which is the fashion side of the business.

  So, what’s a designing girl like me to do when it’s time to come up with a workshop theme and it has to include fashion? Well, I tapped into my fashion experience and created a workshop that focused on how your fashion style can influence and define your home decor style.

I thought you’d enjoy the presentation here on the blog so here’s my cliff note version of the fashion and design tips I shared with the group.

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♥  Fashion and home decor and directly related since many of the trends you see in home decor as spun from the colors, patterns, textures and materials you see in clothing.

♥  A great way to define your design style is to look in the closet and identify the colors and patterns you wear most.  Use what you love in fashion to help build a design theme for your home.

♥  Sometime fashion only inspires and design trend and in some cases home decor patterns and colors are a direct interpretation of a fashion statement.

♥  Understanding your clothing style (loose and layered or streamline and structured) can relate to how you’d like to style your home and how each room needs to function for you.

♥   Fun patterns in clothing can add personality to your wardrobe just like patterns in your decor can help define the personality of your home.

♥  Your fashion style should play up your best physical assets and the way you decorate your home should highlight the best features of your home (tall ceilings, windows, trim etc)

♥  A favorite wardrobe piece like a classic denim jacket can be the inspiration for the decor in your home.

♥  And if you have a signature look when it comes to fashion like Diane Keaton, use that to determine your design formula.

via style at home

via my domaine

♥  The style of jewelry and accessories you wear can inspire the types of items and the way your accessorize around your house.

necklace available from Smith’s

via the teacher diva

shoes available from Smith’s

♥  Because fashion is such a personal statement that ties into our emotions, it’s very likely that the elements you like in fashion are also elements you’ll like as decor in your home.

♥  Create a style identity that reflected in your wardrobe and in your home.

Ralph Lauren via Macy’s

via from the right bank

♥  Fashion and decor are so inter-connected, it’s a great idea to use use fashion accessories to decorate your home.

Bracelets as napkin rings via cocokelley

So you see, #fashion and #design really are one in the same.  You should dress in clothing that makes you feel good and the best version of yourself and the way you decorate your home should bring  you that same joy.

Style Yourself, Style Your Home!