My Nora Ephron Apartment: Developing your unique, personal style

My Nora Ephron Apartment:

The pleasure of developing your own, unique personal style

I've been reminiscing on my little downtown safe-haven that I inhabited during 2024...

I realized this morning that my decorating-style that I intuitively followed when designing this apartment sort of resembles Nora Ephron's style. So that's what I'm naming it.

This apartment was my first time living completely alone -- I've lived on my own for five years, having moved to Chicago when I was just 19 -- But this apartment was the first time I lived ALONE, alone. It's interesting and makes sense then that during my first time living alone, I would be the most connected to what I love and my own personal style.

Personal style, to me, is so much more than what you might think -- Your own, unique personal style, whether its the items you choose to display in your home out of mere necessity or the clothes that make up your colorful wardrobe, develops after time spent alone, in boredom, putting and pondering. It slowly evolves over time when following personal interests and desires that ultimately lead you to developing a sense for what you like (or even need) around you.

I saw this development take place in my time putting and pondering in my second floor, sunny apartment. I listened to my intuition and it led me to things I like to look at and things I need near me. The people in my life felt this as well -- Anyone who entered my apartment that year muttered, "Everywhere I look this place just screams... Isabel!!" or something to that nature. When you surround yourself with the tings you love and follow the desires of your heart, THAT is how you fully express your own personal style.

Don't try to be like others and don't follow the temptation to decorate a new space all at once -- I challenge you to live there first. This is what people miss in interior design -- They miss the most important aspect of people. True designers know that when you are decorating a space you must first consider the people and how they live. With my first solo-space, for example, I started with a bed and a chair (what I had) and as I lived in the space I learned, "Oh..I like to have my coffee by the window in the morning, and I like to be facing the door when I'm sleeping in my bed. I like to work at my desk facing out into the room, entire apartment in view," and even little things like, "I like to have a basket near my 'reading chair' full of the books and magazines I'm currently reading or flipping through. Allow yourself to live in the space and gather things as you need/feel called to them -- This is how you'll make its style and feel most congruent with you.