My love for Interior design and decoration runs deep. I can still remember when I made the decision to become an Interior Designer. I was around 15 or 16 years old and in year nine or ten at school. I used to watch Better Homes and Gardens every Friday night with my Mum and I would either be appalled or excited by what the presenter had done decorating wise on the show. I used to also love looking through the decorating magazines at my local newsagent.
One particular day Mum had put something down on the coffee table, a vase of flowers I think, and I immediately said that it shouldn’t go there as the scale was wrong and that she should put it elsewhere. I suddenly felt a spark of an idea and blurted out to Mum, I’m going to be an Interior Decorator when I finish school.
From then on my decision was set. I did work experience in year ten at our local florist, the closest thing I could get that had something to do with my chosen profession. In year eleven or twelve Dad managed to get me a days work experience at an actual Interior Design firm in the city. I remember feeling so grown up, getting dressed up and going to ‘work’ in the big city.
I applied to study Interior Design at the Nepean Arts and Design center, a three year full time advanced diploma course. Around six months after graduating I landed my one and only design job at KW Interiors, where I worked for fifteen years.
I loved my job. I loved designing spaces, solving problems, choosing materials and creating concepts. Like all jobs there were the boring tasks, specification schedules, drafting, writing up tenders, but I loved that I was trusted to make design decisions and to come up with solutions that worked. I loved that I got to be creative everyday.
I wasn’t always able to design or decorate to the styles that I personally loved. We did a lot of commercial work and high end residential work that were more modern and contemporary. Studying design and working in the industry gave me an appreciation for all design styles and I enjoyed the challenge and creativity of them.
Sometimes it has been hard to narrow down the design styles and aesthetics that really speak to my soul. Now after twenty years I feel I have found where my interior style heart lies and what excites me the most; Vintage Floral, French Country, Granny Chic and Cottagecore.
My personal and home style incorporates little bits of these four aesthetics and they also inform my making and creating style as well as the fabrics and items I stock in The Maker’s Stash shop.
Vintage Floral
For me this style is all about flowers! In the words of Claude Monet, ‘I must have flowers, always, and always’. This rings very true to me. I love flowers. I love floral cushions, floral linens, floral blankets and quilts, floral artwork. I love when I can have fresh cut flowers in the house, but I am happy to also decorate with faux be they realistic or a little more kitschy.
I’m very drawn to vintage floral designs, with big blousy blooms and lots of colour. I find this aesthetic to be ultra feminine, and while I probably wouldn’t have initially called myself a girly girly, I think I probably am!
Vintage floral has a romantic feel to it. It’s soft but bright at the same time, its delicate and bold, it’s unashamedly pretty and completely joyful.
French Country
I have this dream to live in a crumbly French Farmhouse, with soft sandy coloured rendered walls and quintessential blue shutters, with a wild and sprawling garden, kitchen garden and a lavender field. Inside there a pale limewashed walls, old stone and timber floors and its decorating in soft hues of duck egg blue, mint green, ivory and lavender. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it?
It’s the cozy, simple charm of the French Country style that draws me in. I love the time worn surfaces that speak of age, and embody wisdom and tradition. I love the use of simple linens with soft florals, organic ceramic and porcelain crockery designed for purpose more than aesthetics.
This style is like a permanent embodiment of Spring and Summer with it’s relaxing aesthetic and no nonsense fuss. Perhaps I will get my Farmhouse one day, or at the very least have a holiday in one, or even host a stitchy retreat!
Granny Chic
Granny Chic is a cozy, nostalgic aesthetic that blends vintage charm with modern sensibility. It’s all about embracing the warm, homey feel of a grandmother’s house, floral prints, crochet blankets, embroidered linens, and thrifted treasures, while adding a stylish, curated twist.
This aesthetic is deeply personal and embraces the beauty of imperfection, and embraces slow living and traditional crafts like crochet, knitting, mending and slow stitching. It’s about creating a space that feels warm, nostalgic, and full of heart.
As a life-long collector of ‘things’, little Knick knacks and treasures, it is the nostalgic thrifted element of Granny Chic, as well as all the cozy crochet that draws me into this style. I love the make-do-and-mend sensibility of this style and taking things that might be discarded and turning them into something purposeful but also pretty.
Cottagecore
As a child I was a daydreamer. I imagined myself visiting the fairy realm, dancing among flowers and riding horses. I loved to go for bushwalks and imagine myself on wild adventures, seeking treasures and talking to animals.
Cottagecore is an aesthetic and lifestyle trend that idealizes a simple, rural life, often inspired by nature, traditional crafts, and cozy, vintage-inspired homes. It emphasizes self-sufficiency, romanticized countryside living, and a slower, more peaceful way of life.
The life romanticized notion of Cottagecore is what appeals to me most as I feel like I can be that little girl lost in her daydreams again. I enjoy making things beautiful around me as it brings me joy. I am inspired by this style to slow down, to give meaning and purpose to life’s more mundane chores.
I like the emphasis on returning to nature for inspiration, for decoration, for creativity and to heal. I like to imagine my house as a homestead, where we live in cozy comfort, tending to the garden and living in tune with the seasons.
I hope you have enjoyed taking a look into the design styles and aesthetics that I enjoy and that speak to my soul.
I think its’ important to create a place or home that ignites your passions and inspires you, that you feel comfortable in and that nurtures you.
Please tell me the design styles that appeal to you. Perhaps you are like me or different. Whatever the style is, it’s personal to you and that makes it special.
Happy Stitching, Thrifting and Decorating Friends,
Miss Leela xx
Beautiful Botanicals Fabric Bundle
Beautiful Botanicals Fabric Bundle
Embrace nature’s wild beauty with this stunning fabric collection. Featuring Liberty Lasenby Botanists Walk Lola Scatter, delicate florals, insects, and gingham in grass green, deep green, blush, and neutral tones, it’s perfect for spring patchwork, sewing, and slow stitching. Let your creativity bloom! 🌿✨
Quilters Cottage Bundle
Quilters Cottage is a soft, feminine fabric bundle featuring peach, sunshine yellow, and sky blue with delicate floral patterns. Perfect for adding a cozy, cottagecore charm to your quilt projects, it brings warmth, charm, and a light-hearted touch to every stitch!
Out of stock
Thank you for sharing the styles that speak to you and make your heart sing. I enjoyed learning about the different styles and realise I am similar in what makes me happy.