A ‘room of your own’ can be large or tiny. What makes it special is that it is a space you create with your personal style.

Darlings, my definition of style is: the composition of your entire self.

Obviously style includes how you dress, but you shouldn’t over look that style defines how you choose to decorate your home, your manner of entertaining, the shops that turn your eye, the recipes you adore and how you adorn them, how you love, your personality, and even your outlook on life.

Style is the total YOU.

So now that I have shared with you my opinion on what I believe constitutes the style of a woman, let’s get back to the drawing board.

If you do not have a private niche or you have the desire to change your space, please first and foremost carve out a nook in your style. It is a marvelous feeling to occupy a space where you can gaze and take delight in your keepsakes, conquer your to do notes and papers; pay the bills, run your business, make your phone calls to the kids and girlfriends and feel extraordinary because you are in tune with your surroundings.

Some Ideas to Consider

Carve out a space in your living room or bedroom.

When I lived in a small space I visited a resale shop and found a beautiful, folding French screen (part of my style, darlings!) that blended with the décor in my small living room. I placed the screen in the corner of the room. Behind it I had my French desk with several drawers and my desk chair. I created this because there was a window facing South which enlarged my space and allowed me to look outdoors as I sat at my desk! I kept fresh flowers on my desk at all times, along with my papers and keepsakes. With so little space I had no choice but to try and stay neat. When I had company, I moved the screen to another area allowing my desk and chair to become part of the entire room. Over the years I have had other spaces of my own but this remains my favorite.

Turn a closet into an office.

My girlfriend converted a tiny closet into a room of her own. Her office is very small, but everything in her space is her style. It has a built-in desk and a chair, shelves and walls adorned with family photos, keepsakes and books. It is only meant for one person. In fact, I could barely squeeze in with her!

A kitchen desk.

Many of my friends have ‘their space’ right in their kitchen. A few have made them creative. One had some of the lower cabinets removed, giving her ‘a niche of her own’ because she placed the desk within that space. Another girlfriend of mine placed her desk against a wall with a colorful and unique board over her desk that makes her space personal.

A room of my own in our California home.

It was my closet! When we built our home years ago, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to create what I desired. I decided my room would be a combination closet and office.

My walls were wallpapered in a pure willow green background color with several Asian women dressed in different gorgeous clothing, all in the color lavender. My carpet was the same willowy green and so are my drawers, shelves and cabinets. The open space in my closet had a tread mill with a small built-in TV facing me, a Lucite desk and a chair to keep the space airy. It also had shelves for my keepsakes and books, a chaise wrapped in fabric matching my wallpaper where I read, blog or looked out onto my small private patio. My patio matched my space with my favorite purple impatient flowers, beautiful, green boxwood hedges and my favorite tree, a dwarf Olive (the first tree to grow in the Holy Lands).

My room of my own always encompasses my love of nature, serenity, my favorite colors and beauty. It is part of my style composition.

Some of you will feel inspired to embark on updating a space of your own. Some of you are content. The main lesson of this story is to acquire a greater appreciate of your style. Style is not just how you look; style is the representation of everything about you, darlings. How special is that?

What Does Your Favorite Space Look Like?