Understanding ‘lifestyle and aesthetic’ is very important in designing a soulful home. When most people talk about style in a home, they’re generally thinking about design trends and colors… But much confusion ensues when a person favors the ‘feel’ of a certain room which doesn’t look like their style. That feeling may be a deeper element of their style, their aesthetic, or it may be about how they feel called to live – their lifestyle.
It is very important to know that your unique ‘style’ is the combination of your own ‘aesthetic’ (style in everyday parlance) and your ‘lifestyle.’
What Aesthetic Means…
The word ‘Aesthetic’ has its origins in the 18th century, Germany. It originally meant ‘relating to the perception of the senses.’ Today, however, people often reduce it to the mere visual senses. But since we live our lives through all our senses, not only visual and feeling but also aromas, sounds, and taste, I favor the original definition.
In our homes, visual appeal is only an aspect of aesthetic. Other aspects are about what feels good to us, and what we feel good in. This means color, patterns, textures, and space, for instance.
The aesthetic of our home is also about a place that is well-loved and that evokes happiness. It is that element that makes you feel, such as, the sunshine, nature, a star-lit sky…
The aesthetic is the thing that makes you feel alive!
About Lifestyle…
Lifestyle is what hides in the background. Unlike aesthetic, lifestyle is all about the things you love to ‘do’. Do you love to cook, entertain, exercise, meditate, sports, travel — Enjoy alone time?
casual lifestyle
formal lifestyle
In my design work with clients, we ascertain lifestyle first by establishing how they want their rooms to function. By clarifying the functionality of a room, my client can have more fun exploring the texture of the linen or drapes and how the room needs to feel, the aesthetic.
Uncovering your Aesthetic and Lifestyle…
The tool we’ll use for discovering your unique aesthetic and lifestyle is the collage you have made of your Major and Minor ‘Soul Style’ (see When Style meets Soul and Soul Style Combination). Your aesthetic and lifestyle are there, in the images that you’ve already collected – They images speak volumes. The next step is to make two lists titled, ‘The things I like to do‘ and, ‘My own aesthetic.‘
If you downloaded the Soul Style Compass as I invited you to do, you can scroll to the bottom to see the characteristic of people that favor specific soul styles and their combinations. For each of the Primary and Secondary Soul Style, there are key phrases and descriptors that illuminate the aesthetic that exists within…
Next week: We move onto layering.
