The Dappered Space: Using your sense of style for Interior Design

The Dappered Space is a series designed to help guys apply the sense of personal style they’ve developed to the space they inhabit. Watch for articles on furniture and decor sales & picks, advice on how to style a room or work space, and tackling creating a space that reflects your own (and perhaps a significant other’s) personal tastes.

The majority of guys reading this site likely have a good sense of their personal style, or are on the way to developing it. Tailored dark denim, an OCBD, and a blazer that actually fits your frame can do wonders for the look of your person. And although it can seem like a daunting challenge when first changing your clothing style, once you have a few of the right pieces it’s surprisingly easy to dress well, every day. But what about your personal space, a.k.a. your home, or even your cubicle at work? Would someone seeing your space for the first time be surprised that you are the person who inhabits it, and not in a good way?

With this in mind, a simple way to start to change your space to match your personal style is to take cues from your wardrobe. Some guys can be overwhelmed by the thought of decorating a room, but if you decorate based on the clothes you typically style yourself in you’ll start to create a space that feels good to actually reside in. For example, take a very typical (but we think stylish) outfit seen on this site:

Nothing really earth shattering here. Lots of blues, greys, and browns. Yet the colors, textures, and patterns all play nicely off each other. There’s a balance between purpose and ease. For the style newbies, this can take practice. But for plenty of guys, putting an outfit together like the above is automatic. In terms of interior design, simply apply the same eye for color, texture, and patterns to possible additions to a room. One example is seen below, with descriptions of the individual picks below that.

 

 

Meticulously Woven Goole Rug (7’6 x 10’6) in Slate Grey – $199.99. Sold by Overstock.com, this rug features a herringbone pattern, which guys are familiar with as a weave typically seen in fall releases on sportcoats. 7’x10′ is a decent size to define a living space, you can arrange your furniture around it. This rug has flecks of orange to inject a little color. If a natural fiber is preferable, Target sells a cotton herringbone rug.

Serta® RTA Palisades 73″ Leather Sofa – $477.99. Not a bad price for a leather couch. YES… it’s “bonded” leather, and it’s not gonna last forever. But plenty of us have had decent luck with bonded leather furniture. Just don’t expect to hand it down to your kids. Leather is a great choice for a room that you prefer to lean masculine, and that can also be accomplished with an arm chair (so that’s what Peter Brady is up to now), if a leather sofa is outside your budget. Also offered in a few microfiber options (the Glacial Grey and Fawn Tan would work well in stylish room).  The leather option is not recommended for households with cats that like to scratch furniture. Bad kitty.

ACME Espresso Coffee Table – $99.99. This is a very affordable option from Target. Not heritage furniture, but it will get the job done for the guy on a budget.

BP Industries Mango Wood Cross Leg Side Table – $99.99. As with mixing your leathers (your boots and belt don’t have to match perfectly), mixing wood finishes is perfectly fine in a room, and can break up uniformity in a good way. The natural finish on this mango wood is neutral enough to work with a lot of furniture and decor.

Oxford Oceanside Accent Chair – $334.99. Clean and masculine, with a modern edge. This chair does fall on the pricier side, but it’s likely one that will stick around in your space for a long time. Another option that’s more affordable is this velvet swoop arm chair from Target.

Threshold Global Throw Pillow (2 pack) – $29.99. If you’ve never shopped throw pillows before, prepare to be shocked. They can be really expensive. But you can find some good deals at Target, and stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls can be great resources for cheaper pillows. Throw pillows are an easy way to add some color and pattern accents (think of them as the pocket square of the decorating world). If that particular pattern, shown above, leans a little busy or feminine for your tastes, you could always go with a basic stripe or check or even a solid.

Industrial Wood & Metal Tray – $34.99. A tray is a great way to add something extra visually to the top of a coffee table, plus it serves as a catch all for remotes, magazines, even a candle or two. If you don’t want it to scratch your table top, stick some felt furniture pads on the bottom of the tray, or find a placemat you like to put under it.

6″ LED Flameless Candle with Holder – $14. A flameless candle might not seem as romantic a notion as the real thing, but they actually create really nice mood lighting, plus you don’t run the risk the burning down your house if you forget to turn it off. Something to place in the tray that will add a simple decorative touch.

Sarah W. is a long time member of the Dappered team, typically working behind the scenes editing posts, taking some photos, and keeping the books in good standing. Occasionally she’ll come out from behind the curtain to offer her two cents.