The concept of “style” can mean many things. When something is “in style,” it can be current or trendy. Someone who is “stylish” is seen as polished and put together. Style can describe fashion, vehicles, hair, or a manner of speaking. Even with all these variables, the idea of style is difficult to pin down.
Sarah Pouliot of Blackbird Home Interiors sees style as being highly personal and individualized. “Style is very subjective—there’s no real definition—it’s a reflection of your personality and yourself. If someone has great style, they’re able to put together pieces that are aesthetically beautiful but that also represent their personality.”
Blackbird Home Interiors provides home design service from conceptual design to finished construction. Since opening the business in 2021, Sarah and her husband Joe have worked with many clients who struggle to define their style. But as she’s seen time and time again, people have preferences that drive design decisions and characterize an individual’s style.
“I have clients who tell me ‘I have no sense of style’ or no sense of design, but as we put things together, they know what they like. They just may not trust themselves to put it together,” says Sarah.
Style then becomes a reflection of the individual. “The reality is that styles will come in and go out all the time,” notes Sarah. When it comes to renovating a kitchen, bath, or other interior space, she recommends focusing on what you genuinely love. Trends constantly change, but if you create a space that incorporates things you love, you’ll still love it even after the trend has passed. For example, a certain color may be popular now, but if you have always loved that color, it will always be your color.
To give a redesign a longer lifespan, create a space that can be easily freshened with updated paint colors, textiles, and accessories. Sarah also recommends staying away from matched sets, instead mixing things up for a more timeless result. “Mixing styles gives you a lot more staying power,” she says. If things aren’t matched sets or themed, it’s easy to change pieces out. “We piece together lots of styles and designs, which makes your style not one thing or another and makes it go not out of style as quickly.”
Blackbird Home Interiors is based in Westfield and works primarily on kitchen and bath projects. Sarah is a licensed contractor, and the pair have the ability to change a house’s footprint as needed. Projects tend to evolve as the work progresses. “We’ve never had a project unfold exactly as the mood board we started with—design is a lot more of a slower, relational process—not a one-time thing,” says Sarah.
Sarah’s advice: choose things not because everyone loves it, but because you do.
Contact Blackbird Home Interiors at 413.437.3277 or blackbird.homeinteriors@gmail.com.
“We’ve never had a project unfold exactly as the mood board we started with—design is a lot more of a slower, relational process—not a one-time thing,” says Sarah.