Many Shades of Shabby: Do You Decorate In Colors You Love or Colors That Make You Look Your Best?

I spied this auction on eBay... Joan Collin's Dynasty Wedding Dress (in silver) . It nudged a nagging memory of the school of thought that we should consider our home our personal setting, our personal backdrop, our personal stage and that we should select our color scheme for our home the same way we select our clothing and accessories - to flatter us personally. Instead, we often select color schemes we love to see or what is currently in style. Is that a huge mistake? Could be.

There's lots of buzz about staging these days. Staging to sell a home; staging to photograph a home - So how do we look on our
own stage?

By this measure, my home should be in whites, pearl, rich corals or hot pink (even red) accented with ebony blacks and a splash of turquoise enhanced with the sparkle of crystal, lots of silver and glass. I know that because my coloring is similar to Joan Collins, one of the sirens of the glamorous Dynasty series. That series, more than any other, created settings for each of their characters -backgrounds that couldn't have been more flattering if a fashion designer had selected the colors just for each character. Remember Joan's office? The colors and styles reflected the drama of her character personality and her coloring and she looked stunning in it. But no more stunning than Linda Evan's character, Krystal, looked in her setting of cool creams with lots of icy pastels and golds.

Perhaps I should think about a few changes. When someone visits - shouldn't they leave with the subliminal impression that my home is me? Perhaps the easiest way to find out if your home flatters YOU would be to take several snapshots of yourself in your home. So how do you look - washed-out or terrific? Or check your closet - does your clothing clash with your surroundings? I like to think my jeans look great with anything - but my tops?

Would creating a home that is a better setting/backdrop for yourself be the height of vanity? If we believe our homes should be the most personal retreat in our lives; then the answer is a resounding no. I wouldn't have to change styles of decor to do this - thinking lots of white with accents of jewel tones and seashells- still decorating with what I love in flattering colors that I feel good in because I wear them constantly. Perhaps mercury glass should become my next collectible. Hmmm, after all, there are many shades of shabby....