“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.”

— Fabienne Fredrickson

If you’ve been following along with our exploration of Soul Style, you know that your Soul Style isn’t simply an interior design style. It’s the unique expression of you in your home.

And we’ve been talking about how your Soul Style is made up of two things: your lifestyle and your aesthetic.

Your lifestyle is about how you actually live—the things you love to do, how you spend your time, and what you need from your home to support that life.

Now we’re turning to the other half: your aesthetic.

And here’s the shift:

Your aesthetic is not a style.
It’s not a label.
It’s not a “look” you choose.

Your aesthetic is made up of the things that make you feel alive.

It’s More Than Visual

We’ve been trained to think of style as visual.

The color of the walls.
The pattern on the rug.
The shape of the sofa.

But a true aesthetic goes much deeper than that.

It’s how you experience a space through all five senses:

• What you see
• What you touch
• What you hear
• What you smell
• Even what you taste in that environment

It’s the warmth of a room.
The softness of a fabric.
The scent of something cooking.
The sound of music, or quiet, or nature outside the window.

It’s the full sensory experience of being in your home.

And sometimes the best way to understand your own aesthetic is to look beyond your home altogether.

Notice Where You Feel Most Alive

I was reminded of this recently on a trip to Northern New Mexico, where I once lived and a place I have loved for many years.

One afternoon, I found myself sitting outside among adobe buildings, native grasses and weathered materials, under that enormous blue New Mexico sky. I remember thinking, This makes me feel so alive.

Then, visiting one of Santa Fe’s historic mission churches with David and Liam, I found myself equally captivated by the old plaster walls and the beautiful, timeworn colors of the retablo—creamy whites, aged golds, turquoise and blue-green, with dark natural wood.

These places don’t necessarily look like my home. But when I look more closely, I see the connection everywhere.

I love nature and being outdoors—hiking, yoga, indoor-outdoor living. I’m drawn to places where nature feels expansive and a little wild: the high desert beneath a huge sky, or a rugged natural beach. And over time, the things I love about those places have become part of my own aesthetic vocabulary.

I love natural materials - wood, metal and stone - and furniture and objects with sculptural forms. I love openness, natural light and a sense of connection to what’s happening outside.

And then I look at my own living room, and there they are.

The creamy neutrals and earthy browns. Turquoise and blue. Natural wood and dark metal. Tactile fabrics and sculptural shapes. And sunlight pouring through the windows, connecting the room to the trees and natural world just outside.

It isn’t a “New Mexico look.” I didn’t set out to recreate the high desert in my living room.

These are simply qualities I have been drawn to, over and over, because of how they make me feel.

And that is the thread we’re looking for.

Clues Are Everywhere

You’ve already begun to discover your aesthetic—you just may not have named it yet.

Go back to your Soul Style board, but also look beyond it.

Think about the places you love to immerse yourself in. A landscape you return to again and again. A hotel you never wanted to leave. A garden, a church, a restaurant, a favorite walk, a childhood memory.

Ask yourself:

What is it about this that makes me feel alive?

Is it:

• Rich, saturated color—or soft, serene neutrals?
• Clean lines and openness—or layers and detail?
• Smooth, minimal surfaces—or texture and depth?
• Lightness and air—or warmth and enclosure?
• Natural materials and organic forms—or polish and refinement?
• Quiet and solitude—or energy, music and conversation?

These are not random preferences.

They are signals—pointing you toward your own personal aesthetic language.

Your aesthetic is already out there—in the landscapes you love, the places you never want to leave, the colors that stop you in your tracks, the materials you instinctively reach out to touch.

The work is to begin noticing them.

Aesthetic Through the Lens of Soul Style

Each Soul Style carries an aesthetic sensibility:

• Traditional → warm, layered, rooted, often nostalgic
• Modern → light, open, minimal, connected to nature
• Practical → clean, organized, purposeful, uncluttered
• Sensual → rich, textural, atmospheric, deeply sensory

You are not just one of these—you are a combination.

And your aesthetic is your unique composition of these elements.

 

The Exercise: Name What Makes You Feel Alive

Now take this one step further.

Return to your images—and think about those places and experiences that make you feel especially alive—and begin to name what you’re responding to through the senses:

• Sight → What colors, light and forms draw me in?
• Touch → What textures do I want to feel? Soft, smooth, rough, structured?
• Sound → Is this space quiet, lively, musical, connected to nature?
• Smell → What scents belong here—fresh air, food, wood, candles?
• Taste → What kinds of experiences happen here—coffee in the morning, wine at night, shared meals?

Write these down. Be specific.

And then look for the thread.

What keeps appearing?

What colors, textures, sensations, materials, moods and experiences call to you again and again?

Because this is where your aesthetic becomes real.

 

Where This Is Going

When you begin to understand what makes you feel alive—and how you want to live—you are no longer guessing.

You’re no longer trying to “get the look right.”

You’re building something much more powerful:

A home that feels like you, that supports your life.  A home that, in every sense, brings you to life. 

And from here, we begin to shape it - starting with a timeless and classic base, and layering in the elements that express your aesthetic fully.