Week 4 of my ‘New Year’s Resetting your Life, Resetting your Home’ series: Last week we moved into the process I call – ‘Style meets Soul.’ It is a methodology for connecting with your unique ‘soul style,’ where we covered the two primary styles, Traditional and Modern. Today, part 2, we will cover the Practical and Sensual soul styles. I highly recommend you read part 1 if you’ve not done so already and also download the complimentary ‘Soul Style Compass,’ as it is a critical tool to help you deepen your understanding of how these styles overlap.
If you have not yet downloaded my complimentary Soul Style Compass pdf, please do so by clicking here so you can follow along as we discuss the first two (out of four) unique design styles.
To Recap…
What do I mean with, “When style meets soul?” Well, it’s what happens when you finally connect that design style with your soul (soul style). The experience awakens a knowing, where might say, “That’s me!” The style itself, and elements that organize it, uplift & inspire you while bringing you peace. It shifts your environment from a space you live in, to a home that nourishes you. And a deep part of you finally recognizes it.
As mentioned last week, when you look at the Soul Style Compass, you’ll notice I placed ‘Traditional and Modern’ soul styles (primary) on a North/South axis, with ‘Sensual and Practical’ soul styles (secondary) on East/West axis. There are certain characteristics of individuals who are moved to specific styles, and these are traits that in big part define the style. The following are characteristics one may exhibit if they are a Practicalist or a Sensualist.
Practical
A Practical style type usually knows they are practical and like to know what something is for, and that’s all that matters. A sofa is a sofa; a TV room is a TV room and a kitchen just needs to function. They tend to live in the here-and-now and they like to organize things — They like to get things done.
In the home, these people have a good feel for how they want their furniture to function. They may care how their kitchen is laid out in terms of functionality, but that’s all. The bathroom is, for them, just a place to shower and get ready for the day, thus not of great interest.
Sensual
The person with a sensual style can often be an artist or creative person of some type. They have a highly developed sense of color, pattern, and texture. They may be well-traveled and have a marvelous collection of art or artifacts from around the world.
But they could also be a hard-working mom who needs a hot, relaxing bath for her “Calgon moment” at the end of the day. Or, they may be a hard-working business executive who needs his bonus room complete with oversized leather recliners, a movie screen, surround-sound, and a real popcorn maker so he can relax after a long hard day in the corporate jungle.
Discovering Your Soul Styles
Unearthing your soul style happens through a process that is part of my Soulful Home methodology. This process is one of creating clarity, decluttering and practices for going within. It is a step by step systematic process that builds upon itself. It includes week 1, 2 and 3 of this series and I recommend reading back so that you can access as much clarity and soul inspiration from each step.
Magazine Inspiration Process.
Set aside fifteen minutes, pull out images that fit within the soul styles referenced above and in the soul style compass.
When multiple styles are represented in one photo, focus on what in the image speaks to you. Use the four characteristics in these styles to tease out any confusion on what each image is saying to you.
This part of ‘the magazine exercise’ can admittedly be somewhat confusing at first. What if you’re looking at a room that seems largely Traditional—cozy and vintage, yet which has a white, modern, minimally styled sofa over in the corner? This is where you lean in with this inquiry: “What do I particularly like about this room?” As you move through this process, you’ll know your soul style and understand your appeal to other elements, other styles… What comes next?
… Next week we will unpack how the four soul styles, primary and secondary, work together — soul style combinations –and how to do it with the magazine exercise.
