Colin King’s artistic expression began as a dancer in New York and LA. And now, his creative enthusiasm is fed by interior styling, editorial styling, creative direction, and product design. Anything he touches is a treasure. His moody yet simple approach to styling gets me every time.
Enjoy our conversation and a peak into the place he calls home.
What does home mean to you?
Home is a reflection of your story, and in that it constantly evolves, it is a powerful mirror that reveals us to ourselves. Every detail added or taken away is indicative of where we’re at in our lives. There’s so much meaning in experiencing change and becoming comfortable with it. Surrounded by it.
Your home should be…
A place that’s a host to memory. Time & patina, comfort, and an honest display of who you are and what you love. It should never be too perfect; home is the place we should celebrate ourselves the most.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to make their home more of a place that’s a host to memory?
Use objects you love. Don’t question their style. Place them in unexpected areas and then place them somewhere else; find the rhythm behind the things you like, and let your home keep in step.
Tell us about your childhood home. What do you remember most?
Aside from the endless chores! I remember the quirkiness of it all. It had the traditional layout of an 1830 farmhouse with no hallways; each room bleeds into the next. I remember having two front doors and only one full bathroom (with 5 of us at home). The home speaks to an age gone by, which I felt even as a kid.
What was your favorite home you’ve ever lived in, and why?
Definitely the 1830’s farmhouse. It held charm in its history. I can still hear the creaky original flooring and the little spiral staircase off the living room. To get to my brother’s room, you had to go through mine. To get to the only full bath, you had to go through my parent’s room. It was such an unusual style for modern-day life. It’s, in a way, sweet looking back at how the manners of the house totally shaped life.
What is the best part of being at home?
I think we all feel a real sense of familiarity and comfort when we’re around the things we love. Each collected object holds a different story. But together make a room into one feeling. When I get in and turn on the lights, I see an environment that’s as much of an echo as it is an independent sound. This is the best part for me.
How has your idea of home evolved over the years?
It’s funny. I was attracted to things that weren’t like my childhood home for years. Now I catch myself trying to find those traditional details and revert back. Somehow, it has taken me away from what I knew as home to find it again.
What are your top 5 must-haves in your home?
Lots of diverse lighting, candlelight, books, element(s) of nature, special objects… These are my top essentials tried and true over the years.
What, if any, rituals do you have at home?
Sometimes it feels like I’m not home long enough to have rituals, being on set styling all the time. But I do like to light candles around my space and turn on my lamps when the sun starts going down. Sunsets are the best time to play with light and watch the room change.
Describe your ideal day at home.
The best days at home are usually spent combing through art and design books and re-arranging objects here and there in my space. It’s the little things.
How do you approach decorating your own home?
Generally, I approach the decor elementally, looking at the balance of shape, line, texture… coupled with instinct. There are things you know you love, that you must have, that work in your space because of that factor alone. These are definitely my favorite moments throughout this apartment’s shelves, corners, and tabletops.
What is your favorite spot in your home?
Without a doubt, my bedroom corner with the LC4 Chaise by Corbusier. This piece strikes a chord between the clean lines of the Bauhaus and the traditional details of my pre-war apartment building.
What helps you achieve a work/life balance? What things help you transition from a workday to being at home?
It’s been amazing having a fireplace in the city pretty magical to come home and make a fire. Adding candles and low lighting helps slow my day down and creates a beautiful sense of place.
Have you made any recent changes in your home?
The Pandemic showed me how important it is to have a place to crash and be myself. It took me this period of slowing down to really create the space I wanted. It was only recently that I was able to bring in the major pieces at play that make the space function and come together.
If you could have a second home anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Somerset, England. I’m so inspired by the homes, villages, and nature that’s there. Everything about this place feels completely wrapped in a special kind of magic.
Thank you, Colin!
Check out Colin’s website to learn more and follow him on Instagram.
And if you want a little Colin King in your house you need this sculptural candle holder he designed for MENU.
Apartment photos by Adrian Grant
Portrait photos by Nicole Franzen
Branding and Initial Web Design
Nature
Web Design Production
Jane Reaction
Site Development
Alchemy + Aim
“find the rhythm behind the things you like, and let your home keep in step.” I love this. It reminds me of Auri in the Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss.