As an interior designer, incorporating elements from fashion into your designs is a great way to experiment with style and create unique, high-impact designs. By drawing inspiration from fashion, haute couture, and traditional men’s tailoring, you can add new ideas and techniques to your work.
Let’s explore how interior designers can use fashion to experiment with their sense of style and create designs that stand out from the crowd.
6 Ways fashion inspires interior designers
- Fashion as inspiration for colour palettes
One of the simplest ways to be inspired by fashion is to use fashion collections as inspiration for colour palettes. It can be especially effective when working on projects that require a specific mood or atmosphere. For example, if you’re designing a room that needs to feel calming and serene, you might look to the soft, pastel colours used in a recent haute couture collection. On the other hand, if you’re working on a project that requires a bold, energetic look, you might look at the bright, vibrant colours used in a streetwear collection.
- Incorporate fashion-inspired elements
Utilise fashion-inspired elements such as statement lighting fixtures or sculptural furniture that has a resemblance to fashion accessories. It is a great way to add interest and depth to your designs and create a cohesive look that ties the fashion and interior design elements together.
Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself
Oscar de la Renta
- Use traditional men’s tailoring as inspiration
Don’t forget about the influence of traditional men’s tailoring. The clean lines, sharp angles, restricted colour palettes, and refined details used in men’s suits are great sources of inspiration for creating a polished, sophisticated look in your designs. For example, you might use the clean lines and tailored details of a men’s suit jacket as inspiration for a sleek, minimalist sofa or chair.
- Experiment with different textiles
One of the most important aspects of fashion is the use of textiles and this is an area where interior designers can experiment with their sense of style. By working with different fabrics, patterns, and textures, you can add interest and depth to your designs and create a high-impact look. For example, you might use a bold, graphic print inspired by a recent fashion collection on a statement wall or piece of furniture to add visual interest to a room.
Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening
Coco Chanel
- Use layering, styling, and accessorising
Study and use similar styling techniques in fashion photography like layering, styling and accessorising. This adds depth and interest to your designs and creates a cohesive look that ties the fashion and interior design elements together. For example, you might use layering techniques to create a cosy, comfortable look in a living room, or use styling techniques to create a polished, sophisticated look in a dining room.
- Collaborate with fashion designers
One of the best ways to incorporate elements of fashion into your interior designs is by collaborating with fashion designers. By working with a fashion designer, you can bring a fresh perspective to your work, and be exposed to new ideas, techniques, and materials that can help you to create truly unique, high-impact designs.
I think that the thing that I always say about interiors is that they should make you feel good. It’s not about fashion or what’s in, it’s about what you like
Kelly Wearstler
5 Questions to ask yourself
Challenge yourself with these 5 questions:
1. How can I incorporate current fashion trends into my interior designs to make them stand out?
2. How can I use fashion-inspired elements, such as textiles and patterns, to add interest and depth to my interior designs?
3. How can I draw inspiration from traditional men’s tailoring to create a polished and sophisticated look in my interior designs?
4. How can I experiment with layering, styling, and accessorising in my interior designs to create a cohesive look?
5. How can I collaborate with fashion designers to bring fresh perspectives and new ideas to my interior design projects?
Use both fields for inspiration
In conclusion, as an interior designer, there are many ways to incorporate elements of fashion into your designs and experiment with your sense of style. It’s important to remember that fashion and interior design are closely related and can often be mutually beneficial. By taking inspiration from both fields, you can create designs that are visually pleasing, practical and functional.
It’s also important to remember that every project and client is different, so it’s crucial to approach each one with an open mind and be willing to experiment with new techniques and styles. By pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you will evolve and refine your sense of style over time.
Further resources:
Here are a few resources that you may find helpful in exploring this topic further:
1. Online Design Schools
Some online design schools like Parsons School of Design and London College of Fashion offer short courses in Fashion and Interior design.
2. Pinterest
Pinterest is a great resource for finding inspiration for colour palettes, patterns, and textures and for discovering new ideas and techniques for merging fashion and interior design.
3. Fashion and Interior Design Blogs
Websites like Design Milk, Apartment Therapy and The Sartorialist are great resources for finding inspiration for new interior design projects.
4. Follow fashion and interior designers on social media
Follow top fashion and interior designers on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to stay up-to-date with their latest projects and designs.
5. Visit Museums and Exhibitions
Visit museums and exhibitions that focus on fashion and interior design such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute or the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Fashion Galleries. These exhibitions showcase the work of top fashion and interior designers and provide valuable insight into how these two fields intersect and influence each other.
6. Documentaries
Watch documentaries that explore the intersection of fashion and interior design such as “The First Monday in May” and “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel“.
7. Research historical connections
Research the historical connections between fashion and interior design to gain a deeper understanding of how these two fields have interacted throughout history.
8. Virtual tours
Many museums now offer virtual tours of their exhibitions, which allow you to explore the exhibits from the comfort of your own home.
By using these resources, readers can gain a deeper understanding of how to merge fashion and interior design to create unique, high-impact spaces and continue to evolve and refine their sense of style over time.
Share with us in the comments below how you use fashion as inspiration in your work, we’d love to hear.
