There are certain questions I’ve been asked for years as a designer and book author, but two come up again and again:
How would you describe your style?
How do I find my style?
The funny thing is, I’ve never been very good at answering either of them because I don’t think in boxes or recipes. I’ve never wanted to fit neatly into Scandinavian or farmhouse or modern organic or any other category. Those words have always felt too specific to describe something that has taken an entire lifetime to develop.
If I had to answer those questions today, I’d simply say this:
My style is a reflection of how I want to feel. Calm, inspired, creative, artsy, comfortable, warm, at home. I want my rooms to feel like I can move them around and play and have fun. I want to have fun at home.
Your style is the how you want to feel in the rooms where you live combined with what you wish to do there.
It’s that simple.
When I first moved to northern Germany from Boston, I remember walking into homes that felt so different from the ones I had known in back home. They weren’t trying to impress anyone, first of all. They weren’t perfect. They felt collected, lived in, layered over years instead of weekends. There were old pieces sitting beside new ones, family heirlooms mixed with flea market finds, handmade ceramics on centuries-old wooden tables, and linen curtains gently moving in the breeze. Some were filled with a lot of IKEA but layered with personal things like children’s games, artwork, a crochet in the works. Large plants by the windows. Handmade pottery on a shelf. A framed poster from a local art exhibition. Nothing screamed expensive, or for attention, yet every room seemed to have a quiet confidence about it. As I traveled outside of Germany to shoot my four books, I saw the pattern repeated in Denmark, The Netherlands, etc. This very clear feeling that Europeans lead most of their home design very personally and with feeling - not with showing off. Of course, the wealthy Europeans are not unlike wealthy Americans - It’s all for show. But for the average folks - like you and me - European homes are deeply personal and lived-in.
I don’t think Europe gave me a new style. I think it gave me permission to slow down enough to discover the one that had been there all along.
That’s probably why my work has changed over the years, too. I’m far less interested in trends than I used to be. Trends are fun, and I still enjoy seeing what’s new, but they don’t guide my decisions anymore. I’m much more interested in materials, craftsmanship, texture, and the feeling a room leaves behind after you’ve spent time in it. I want homes that make people exhale. Homes where you instinctively take off your shoes, curl up with a cup of tea, and stay longer than you planned. Those are the rooms I remember. Those are the rooms I want to create, and the rooms that I do create, here in Hannover, online for clients, and beyond.
In fact, that philosophy became the foundation for PURIST, my rug collection, which launches next month at Formex in Stockholm. This rug collection feels deeply personal to me. It isn’t just something I designed on a whim. It feels like I took everything I believe about decorating and wove it into wool with the exceptional team at Tisca. The textures, the softness, the understated colors, the simplicity - just beautiful. They exist to make everything else feel better - warmer, richer, more grounded. That’s exactly what I believe a great rug should do.
I’ve always believed that the foundation of a room deserves your greatest attention. Not because I think every home needs expensive things, but because I think the things we live with every single day should be made well and chosen with care. A beautiful rug, comfortable sofa, an aged wooden table with a ring or two from a coffee mug. These pieces support our lives every day, they’re a backdrop to birthdays, morning coffee, late-night conversations, holiday dinners, homework, naps, and ordinary Mondays.
One of my favorite parts of decorating has always been the layering. The painting you finally bring home after thinking about it for six months or the handmade bowl you discover on vacation. The stack of books you’ve carried from house to house for years and that little retro lamp from the flea market that somehow ends up being your favorite thing in the room. None of those pieces can be rushed. They arrive when they’re supposed to arrive, and all work together to tell your story in a way that no home makeover show or shopping spree ever could.
Maybe that’s why I never feel pressure to finish a room anymore. I don’t think beautiful homes are ever truly finished. They’re living, breathing spaces that evolve alongside us. They collect memories, tell stories, reflect our changing tastes, and quietly mark the seasons of our lives. Every layer adds something and each object that earns its place deepens the story.
I’ve noticed something else, too. Whenever my life feels especially scattered, my home usually does, too. It’s as though my surroundings are gently reminding me that I need to slow down, clear my mind, and find my footing again. That’s simply been my experience. My rooms have always mirrored me in some way. They’ve never been perfect, and honestly, neither have I. They’ll probably always be a little unfinished, very artsy and creative, a little messy around the edges. And that’s okay, I love this about myself and my home.
Maybe that’s what personal style really is.
Not decorating until everything looks perfect.
Not buying all the “right” things.
But creating a home that feels more and more like you with every passing month. A home you grow into, and that somehow grows into you, too. One that shifts and bends and changes as your life does.
It’s funny, but I think a home is a lot like a fresh haircut. The day you leave the salon, it looks beautiful, but it doesn’t quite feel like you yet. Then a few weeks pass. It softens. It settles. You stop noticing the haircut and simply feel like yourself again.
Homes are the same. Give them time and live in them. Let them become part of your story as each room slowly reveals what it wants to become. That's when the real magic begins. Growing together - you and your home.
Love,
Holly
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