The Biggest Enemy of Style

I was preparing my answers for the interview for one of the Russian web magazine, where one of the questions made me really think. “The biggest enemy of style is…..”

While my answer to it was “fear. Fear to experiment with colours, patterns and express your individuality…”, I thought it will be really cool to ask other people from the industry what do they think about it. Here are some of the answers that I’ve got:

Ignorance – people settle for styles that are in the shops. They let the retailer dictate to them what style is, even if it doesn’t fit their lifestyle or needs. (Suzzy Smith, Suzanne Designs)

Picking from a variety of styles and not knowing how to put them together so they look like they belong together. Sometimes eclectic design veers off into “I put all this stuff in a room.” (Charlotte Ludwig Baldassari)

The biggest enemy of style is conformity. Style has its own voice. (Kathy Gunthorpe Ashdown, Bayview Redesign)

The biggest enemy of style is  when people can’t put together a room that “works” inclusive of mixing styles, colors, color balance and scale. Easy things to get wrong if your not in the design field. (Jessica Roth Friedman, Jessica Friedman Interiors)

Thinking you can do it yourself when you really can’t , but do it anyways without the guidance of a designer. (Cheryl Jost)

The biggest enemy of style is Distraction – Often clients feel they want to hire a professional but they need to shop and buy things on a whim. Clients are changing and as design professionals we need to collaborate with our clients so they can feel they have a guiding hand in their space. (Tanya Phillips, MyDoma Studio)

Inertia. So many ideas and desires, but not sure how to start somewhere. (Misha Hettie)

Laziness and procrastination will make you unproductive and indecisive, and being cheap can make you settle for less-which is the biggest enemy of style! (Chanda Kea, Kea Interiors)

Pinterest, HGTV, home improvement stores that have “you can do it” slogans. (Marsha Lucas Thrift, For Life Interiors)

Trends, because they both depersonalize and date a space. (Theresa Parsons)

Complacency. Stopping when it’s “good enough” instead of making it great. (Allyson Paris, Allyson Paris Design)

The biggest enemy of style is hanging on to too many things and living with clutter. If something in your home doesn’t have a meaning or purpose it is just taking up valuable space. Simplicity goes a long way. (Fernanda Bertrand, Fernanda Bertrand Interior Design)

Not listening to your soul. Style is within all of us. And then education. If we are not educated how are too grow our creativity. Then fear. I will also like to add Passion, without it there is no interest in style. (Ana Damaris Then, White Linen Interiors)

Not listening to the professional you hired of you have none. Style, that is. That person could help you define your style and help you get it right! (Claudia Clobes Yudis)

Resisting change. Refusal to let go of old things. (Nikki Krider Kraemer)

A husband (Mary Swinson)

Join the discussion! Tell us what you consider the biggest enemy of styles in the comments below.