Looking For Home Inspiration? Look No Further Than Michael Kors' NYC Apartment
Sometimes, when I feel myself coming to creative roadblocks in my wardrobe, home decor, recipe repertoire, or writing, I look on YouTube for channels that will give me the inspiration and excitement to revamp things to suit a liking that I may have just discovered that day.
Recently, I’ve been spending so much time trying to change up my wardrobe, that I realized I’ve been neglecting the decor aspect of my home.
Once we filled our apartment with all the necessary furniture and supplies, we were quite satisfied. But after a while, things started to feel a bit stagnant Our apartment, while luxurious and beautiful, is quite small and awkwardly shaped. So we felt like once we were done decorating, we had done all we possibly could with the space. And something in me felt like if I wanted to get that incredible feeling from decorating and filling my home, I’d have to wait for the next apartment, condo or even full fledged house we get down the line.
But then, while watching Architectural Digest’s incredible series, “Open Door: Inside Celebrity Homes,” I stumbled across a home that piqued my interest: The New York City apartment of fashion designer and former Project Runway judge, Michael Kors.
For those who don’t know, Michael Kors is an American fashion designer who specializes in men’s and women’s ready-to-wear from clothing to handbags to fragrances. And in 2004, he joined the fashion design reality competition show Project Runway, as one of its main judges. And in his 10 years judging for the show, he made a huge impression on millions of watchers who weren’t necessarily well-versed on who he was. His sense of humor, and savage honesty brought many viewers back each week, whether they agreed with him or not. He was well-known during his roasts for being able to easily tell the quality of a garment’s construction from far away, and having a rolodex of fashion and cultural references to be able to tell the designers what he truly thought of their creations. Check out the best of Michael Kors quotes from his 10 seasons on the show if you don’t believe me.
And after years of watching the show, while I admired him greatly, I had every reason to believe that Michael Kors would be an incredibly intimidating and serious person in real life. But my view of him changed after watching his home tour. Not just because of the aesthetic (although I personally find that to die for also,) but for the sense of purpose everything serves and the thoughtfulness he has put into his home.
At first glance, it just looks like a beautiful model home with mid-century and modern elements playing their own roles. But when you hear him talk about it, you realize that each piece is hand-picked by him and his husband to reflect something very important in the room. For instance, since his fireplace doesn’t burn wood, and is missing a firewood holder and other fireplace accessories that give the place a more homey feel, he has placed sculptural wall piece made from a real tree on the wall above the fireplace, to give it the essence of some organic material.
And that’s just an aesthetic choice. We haven’t even gotten into the beauty of his sentimental pieces. A huge passion of his that I would have never guessed from watching small snippets of him on Project Runway, is collecting photography. He has an beautifully curated collection of framed pieces from his favorite photographers, and understands the story and sentiment behind each and every photograph he hangs up. He also has them organized by theme in each room, and has a long stretch of hallway in his house dedicated to colorful photography, and photographs related to smoking. His photographs give him a warm reminder of everything from the Studio 54 days, to his favorite music artists, to the time he met the one and only Elizabeth Taylor.
And each sculptural object and decorative piece in his home reminds him of strong memories as well. From his collection of bowls, vases and other vessels, which remind him of his travels around the globe with his husband, to the beautiful bust created by a college roommate of his who tragically passed away from AIDS at a young age, there is a beautiful value to what he not only collects, but keeps around him to look at on a daily basis.
“I like things in the house to sort of remind me of people and places and things…That’s the greatest thing you can have in your house.”
HOW DID THIS INSPIRE US SO GREATLY?
In a world where hastily designed and crafted fast fashion fills the clothing racks at every store and many home decor excursions require trips to places like Target, Ikea and Wayfair.com, (heck, we filled our home with plenty of Wayfair furniture to save time and money,) it’s easy to get uninspired or feel like the only options are only what’s in front of you when you’re actively looking for pieces.
But if you look past the generic framed art on Amazon and the brass pineapples and galvanized buckets the industry is trying to push on those of us who don’t have Michael Kors’ home decor budget, you will find that what your home really needs is a touch of you in every corner.
We are constantly bombarded with photographs of generically beautiful homes that have such great attention to detail in its aesthetic, its color scheme and the way it plays with light, texture and volume. So we often forget that beyond this perfect looking image of a home, it’s missing something immense: A personality.
So Steven and I have become inspired by this video to stop buying generic vases to fill spots and stop scrolling through art pieces and pillows online trying to find what will suck the least in our home. We have decided to focus our design attention on creating an environment that truly represents us. Because in turn, that feeling of being represented in your own home will allow you to feel comfortable and excited to further thrive in that space. Whether its framing an article from a publication that you love, hanging up a painting a friend of yours created, or displaying a piece of jewelry or unique object you found while traveling, making your space feel more like you can only help you to feel more at home.
I am actively getting rid of generic pieces I bought for convenience sake and replacing them with things that make me feel like you could walk into the apartment and immediately know it’s our place.
I encourage you to take the journey through Michael Kors’ apartment. Regardless of how you feel about him as a fashion designer or a Project Runway judge, I can guarantee you you will find the depth of his passion for his space and belongings very moving, and will want to incorporate that sort of love into your own place.