Your Interior Style Is: Museum Bookstore

Cristina Cleveland
Aug 7, 2023
3 min read

Updated: Oct 12, 2023

Intrigue lies around every nook and corner in a Museum Bookstore.

WARM ● CONTEMPORARY ● GRAPHIC

Design Influences

You draw inspiration from Mid-Century modern, Scandinavian, and Japanese design with graphic accent pieces from a range of time periods. And, of course, museum gift shops!

ree — Photo from the Creative Spaces book

ree — Design by MH.AP Studio Photo by Luis Diaz Diaz in Design-Milk

ree — Design by Commune Design for Ace Hotel Tokyo

ree — Home of Sue and Alan Ravitz for Vitsoe

Your color palette

You reach for tans and warm wood colors accented with saturated colors like yellow, blue, and orange.

Shapes

Your dream home is full of repetitive linear shapes and angular furniture.

Materials

You’re drawn to tactile materials like walnut, concrete, books, plywood, worn leather and plain weave fabrics.

You love materials with understated texture, not high gloss.

Your Challenge

You are drawn to Mid-century design, but you don’t want your home to feel dated or too one-note.

You may have a base of Mid-century shapes and linear forms, but the key is to layer your unique and personal touches on top of this base to give your home more depth. If you have a lot of angular lines, you can help the eye move across the space with curved accent pieces. This can be in the form of artwork, plants, sculptural pieces, pillows or blankets and lighting. And throw in antiques from other eras or new pieces from today’s makers.

If your home doesn't match your Museum Bookstore style...

I created this quiz because so many of my design clients feel overwhelmed by their Pinterest boards and stuck in the analysis paralysis of investing in furniture and art. They say "I don't like this, it doesn't fit but I spent money on it so I have to keep it."

I'm here to help you stop making mistake purchases and start expressing your Museum Bookstore style more cohesively in your home.

LET'S TALK

If you are Museum Bookstore and another style...

Or you and your partner love Museum Bookstore and another style, then consider this Style Profile for areas where you work or entertain, like the home office or dining area.

This look is ideal for zones in your home where you go to feel productive and inspired.

ree — Home of Sandra Benhamou, photo by Vincent Leroux

When you're shopping...

A great starting point is to invest in great shelving. This will be the base that you can build the look of being in an actual Museum Bookstore, and is a hallmark of this Style Profile.

You’re a collector, and you want your belongings to feel artful, not cluttered.

Over time you may rearrange and re-style the objects, books and photos on your shelves. Think of this feature as a key mode of expressing your interests and personality.

What's next?

Your quiz results have given you the language to describe what styles of furniture and decor you’re drawn to, and a list of colors, shapes, and materials to get the look. So you can shop and style your home with an editor’s eye to figure out which pieces truly represent your personal style - and what might be missing the mark.

Book a call with me if you need help closing the gap between your home right now and the personal style you want to be expressing. You can show me your space and ask all of your design questions, from awkward layouts to filling your Big Blank Walls

BOOK A CALL

I want you to get the most out of our call! Here is a handy FAQ guide on What to Expect.

More free resources

Follow me on Instagram @CRISTINACLEVELAND for doable design advice to express your personal style more cohesively in your home.

Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL to watch Home School - my series dedicated to helping you develop your personal style at home. Because I believe home design is for everyone, whether we work together or not, no matter your budget.