Closet Meets Comfort Zone
- Jennifer DeWitt
- Aug 6
- 5 min read
Here’s what nobody tells you about having great style: it’s not just about what you wear or how you decorate. It’s about understanding that your closet and your living space are basically best friends who should definitely be texting each other daily.
A few months ago, I was helping a client redesign her bedroom, and she kept gravitating toward the same soft, textural pieces she stocks in her wardrobe. The woman who lives in cashmere cardigans and linen trousers wasn’t about to choose a velvet headboard in sapphire blue. Her space needed to feel like the three-dimensional version of her personal uniform.
I’ve known for years now that the most effortlessly chic women don’t compartmentalize their style. They let their aesthetic flow seamlessly from their morning coffee cup to their evening clutch to the way light hits their living room at 6 PM.
The Mirror Test
Stand in your bedroom and look at your outfit in the mirror. Now look around the room. Do they speak the same language? If your wardrobe whispers “minimalist sophistication” but your nightstand is screaming “maximalist chaos,” there’s a disconnect that’s probably making you feel unsettled in ways you can’t quite name.
This isn’t about matching your throw pillows to your handbag collection (please don’t). It’s about recognizing that both your closet and your home are extensions of how you want to move through the world.
Take the woman who gravitates toward structured blazers and clean lines in her clothing. Her home likely craves the same sense of order—think streamlined furniture, uncluttered surfaces, maybe a beautiful piece of architecture as the focal point rather than busy patterns competing for attention.
Meanwhile, someone who lives in flowing fabrics and mixed textures probably feels most at home surrounded by layered rugs, plants in interesting planters, and furniture that invites you to curl up and stay awhile.
The Color Psychology Connection
I’ve noticed something fascinating: women who consistently choose certain colors in their wardrobe are subconsciously drawn to those same tones in their living spaces, but they often fight it because they think it’s “too much.”
But here’s the thing. If emerald green makes you feel powerful and confident when you wear it, why wouldn’t you want that same energy in your home office? If you keep reaching for pieces in warm terracotta because they make your skin glow, that same warmth will make your living room feel more inviting.
The trick is varying the intensity and application. Maybe your emerald shows up as a lush velvet chair rather than painted walls, or your terracotta appears in handmade ceramics and woven baskets instead of bold accent walls.
Texture Tells the Truth
Pay attention to what your hands gravitate toward when you’re shopping for clothes. Are you always touching chunky knits, smooth silks, or structured cotton blends? Your tactile preferences are giving you a roadmap for how you want your space to feel.
If you’re drawn to soft, touchable fabrics, your home probably needs more texture—think woven throws, natural fiber rugs, maybe some grasscloth wallpaper (you know I love me some grasscloth!). If you prefer crisp, structured pieces, you might feel more at peace with sleek surfaces, minimal textiles, and clean architectural details.
The Lifestyle Reality Check
Here’s where it gets practical. Your closet already reflects how you actually live, not how you think you should live. I get so bored seeing the same whitewashed boxes all over social media, the same outfits, the same accessories - heck, even the same hair and makeup! Personal style in your wardrobe is not a one-size-looks-great-on-all approach, and the same principle applies to your home.
If your closet is full of comfortable, washable pieces because you’re in a phase of life where practicality rules, don’t design a living room around that gorgeous but high-maintenance white sofa (no matter how much you love it or how high performance the fabric is, if you’re not prepared to police that space like a K-9 unit, it is going to become the bane of your existence). If you’re someone who loves getting dressed up and appreciates the ritual of caring for beautiful things, then maybe that white sofa is exactly what will make you happy.
Your space should support the same lifestyle your wardrobe already acknowledges.
The Investment Piece Philosophy
Just like you probably have a few key pieces in your closet that you build outfits around—that perfect blazer, those jeans that fit like they were made for you—your home needs those same foundational elements.
If you’re someone who invests in classic, well-made clothing that transcends trends, apply that same philosophy to your furniture. Choose furnishings with good foundational elements that can evolve with you as your style shifts and seasons change.
If you’re more of a trendy accessories person who loves switching up your look with statement jewelry and fun bags, let your home’s personality come through in easily changeable elements like pillows, artwork, and decorative objects while keeping the big pieces more classic.
Making It Work in Real Life
Start small. The next time you put on an outfit you really love, take a mental snapshot. Why did you chose that particular combination? Can you borrow elements from it to create that same feeling in one corner of your home?
Maybe it’s as simple as adding a throw pillow in the same shade as your favorite lipstick, or switching out your lampshade for something with the same romantic femininity as that eyelet blouse you keep reaching for.
The goal isn’t to create a theme park version of your personal style. It’s to create a sense of flow and intention that makes both getting dressed and being at home feel like natural expressions of who you are. You might think I’m crazy for saying this, but I love my clothes. I live for putting on a cute outfit and pulling my whole look together everyday. Similarly, I love walking through my home and seeing how my personal style has made its way into each and every corner. My art collection mirrors my shoe collection in that it is varied in its style and color palette, and I just can’t get enough.
When your closet and your living space are in conversation with each other, everything feels a little more effortless. That is exactly the energy we’re going for.
Now, speaking of effortless style, I’ve curated some fashion pieces for this month’s Rachel’s Recs that embody this exact philosophy: items that feel equally at home in your closet and as inspiration for your living space. These picks are for women who’ve figured out that looking put-together shouldn’t require a strategy meeting every morning! Check them out below.
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