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BRITISH COLONIAL: Personally, there has never been a style more indicative of my ancestry. I was home the first time I ever visited a National Trust property. It has nothing whatsoever to do with wealth, caste systems, global conquests, or anything Royal. Although my ancestry includes all of that! It has to do with collections of things that tell stories. Anyone who has ever watched Downton Abbey and read into the history of Highclere will understand this topic better. In those days, artists were hired to create oil paintings of nobility, and furnishings, art, and decor had a rich history behind them. Everything had a storyline. Some of the stories are beautiful, some are tales of struggle, and some are not worth mentioning. The same holds true today, but storytelling has been sacrificed on the altar of convenience. You do not have to live in a manor house to tell your stories. They should never be tucked away in seldom-opened photo albums. My personal art collection chronicles my creative journey from childhood to now. It will continue to evolve along with me across all destinations. It is a permanent fixture that will be a lifelong part of my style story. #behousedesign #findinghome #CuratedSpaces #ArtLife

GIDGET STYLE

July 6, 2025/by Tessa Wood

SURF’S UP PEEPS! Whenever a tropical storm hits the East Coast, the surfers hit the waves. However, the interiors here lack a certain vibe. This is a Malibu coast style vibe, straight out of Gidget, with millenial overtones. I personally love the energy of this interpretation! I have always been a doer, not a lay around on the beach lump. So this fits my recollections perfectly. I was learning to surf on a raft when I was about 11 or 12, and graduated to a borrowed surfboard in high school. Learned how to windsurf after college. But I still prefer traditional board surfing or body surfing. I think I gravitate towards spaces like this because I haven’t been in the ocean since 2008. I’ve almost forgotten what salt water feels like on my skin, but I haven’t forgotten what it does to my hair, which is a whole other kind of crazy! Climate change is destroying what I used to love about NC coastal towns. It’s reclaiming the beaches stolen by residential real estate. One of the reasons that I stopped visiting my beloved OBX was because I was deeply disturbed by the density of the buildings on a designated National Park that should be a Heritage Site, the litter on the beach, the lack of respect for the Graveyard of the Atlantic sites, and just the general misuse created by cashing out on ‘tourism.’ But overthinking aside, there is just something happy about this space. As soon as I saw it, I was smiling. The colours, the art, the focus on relaxation and entertainment, the illusion that there’s not a phone or a television in sight! You never see this level of design on the East Coast; it’s way more conservative. This is back-to-basics relaxation personified for me. I love the touches of a Mid-Century Modern, white-washed classic beach house style. It’s unfettered by materialistic decor, preferring a more collected, playful approach. If you could be anything, be this emotionally free with your design style, because it promises to put a big smile on anyone’s face! #behousedesign #findinghome #coastalstyle #WestCoastVibes #curatedstyle

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