The Objects of Her Affection

As I got deeper into the decorating process, it became difficult to pinpoint a single inspiration. Initially, the ideas swirled in my head, but they eventually flowed into one another other organically, just as each stage of life transitions to the next. While the dark wood blinds that dress the living-room window are unabashedly tropical, I don't know if I chose shocking pink for accent walls because I have a fascination with Elsa Schiaparelli, the 1930s surrealist couturiere who made the color her trademark, or because it's the same shade as the hibiscus flowers that bloomed outside my bedroom in Jamaica, where I spent part of my childhood.

I tried to go minimal, but it was a little like going outside without wearing makeup.