A few weeks ago, a saw a screenshot of a tweet that read: “Styling is a job that is so widely misunderstood while also being a job everyone thinks they know how to do.”
I agree. In this context the person was speaking of fashion styling. The same principle applies to interior styling/decoration.
It took over a year of learning about Interior design to call myself a designer. Even then, I still described myself as a stylist on this blog until late last year. A big part of the reason was that I lacked a measure of confidence in my skills. Another reason was a lot of design content I consumed made it clear that designers were not decorators/stylists. It is true. Design does have some more complexity; it requires technical, research and creative skills that are applied to space planning and and structural execution. Interior Styling (Decoration) focuses on space on a more surface level. It usually involves selecting a colour scheme, furniture and accessories.
Most design programs have modules on decoration because it is important to the look and feel of the space. But, because technical skills have a steeper learning curve, a lot more time and effort is put in that direction.
What I’m trying to express is, interior styling just like fashion styling is an art of its own right. Just like not all fashion designers are great stylists. Not all interior designers are great interior stylists. I think that as a designer you have to be at least a decent stylist, but not everyone is the best with the visual stuff.
I have come across a good number of spaces all which could have looked and worked better with a better styling. The errors range from over-styled rooms, poor fabric choices or confusing object compositions.
I think that it is important to lean in to your strengths. Being a good designer also means being able to decipher that your styling could use some help. You could take a rcourse or study well-styled spaces. An alternative is to hire an in house stylist or an interior decorator as a consultant.
In my usual fashion I will be listing 2 interior stylists I love. The first is Dabito, he is a designer but his styling is phenomenal. I’ve loved his work for years and his choices are so brilliant. You can find more of his work here.
Another is, Sarah De Beaumont, a 2022 discovery of mine. She does phenomenal work with Arch Digest and many other clients. You can find more of her work here.
That brings me to the end of this post. Do you think all designers have to be good stylists? I’d love to know!
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