Every so often I fall in love with a designer’s aesthetic. Usually when I do, there’s something that resonates with my own style, while also elevating my own design thinking. I stumbled on Mark D. Sikes’ home that was featured in an article on the new traditional in House Beautiful, which did just that. One of the things that resonated with me in the article was that Mark mentioned that “the interior is almost a literal translation of my wardrobe.” This spoke to me on a number of levels. First, my own design thinking comes out of my experience of working in a retail environment. When I worked in a retail store, and first started blogging about style, I realized I had the formula all wrong. I had always bought things I loved, but there was no consistency or common thread that ran through what I was buying. One day it might be bohemian, and the next lady-like and formal. I soon learned that while disparate elements were a part of creating a great style, they could not be the only elements — these disparate elements needed a base, something to hold on to. While most people view classic, traditional style as something your grandmother might aspire to, I see it as something else. I see it as creating a home base from where you can work. If the bones of your wardrobe or your room are simple, classic, and understated than you can easily incorporate elements of the exotic, bohemian, or lady-like without it appearing like you are wearing a costume or designing a theme house. As Mark says it’s all about the formula. The formula that I see in Mark’s work is classic bones, suffused with common threads, and adorned with unique, personal objects. It is this layered approach that creates a stylish wardrobe or interior.