This summer, I entered the Design Files Signature Style Showcase, a competition that asked designers to create a mood board for a space that showcased their signature style. I imagined a chic Manhattan pied-à-terre for a stylish young woman. The loft-like yet very feminine space I put together is more urban, and a little bolder in scale and color than what I typically get to do here in Northern Virginia.
Here’s a closer look at the individual pieces (which are all real products) that make up the room: a curvy sky-blue sofa, burgundy marble coffee tables with curves that echo the sofa, a vintage, Chinese Art Deco rug, the “pearl necklace” chandelier of my dreams, and a real taxidermy peacock – just to give the room some quirk and whimsy.
This is the exact rendering I submitted, and it took first place! I still can’t quite believe I never shared that here on the blog, so consider this a little overdue celebration.
It was so much fun to create a room that is so quintessentially “my style”. Curious what your own style actually is? Take the two minute quiz, What’s Your Signature Interior Design Style?, and find out. Take the quiz →
This is where it all started, the mood board I built first, before AI ever touched it. Same sofa, same rug, same overall bones, just without the polish of a fully rendered room.
To get from this to the photorealistic version above, I had to get specific. I asked for a pink lacquered ceiling, since I wanted something a little unexpected overhead, and ivory paint on the walls and millwork to keep the room feeling bright without being stark white. Beyond just asking for something photorealistic, I specifically prompted for a space that felt sunny, yet still cozy, since citified doesn’t have to mean cold.
It’s a strange kind of design work, translating your own vision into words precise enough for AI to understand, but it’s honestly not so different from what I do with clients every day.
Here’s the full board, every piece that made this room what it is, from the sofa down to the smallest vase.
Everything below is shoppable, and most of it links straight to the exact piece. A handful are close matches rather than the identical product, since not everything from the original board is sold on Amazon, but each one captures the same look.
Shop the Look
Manhattan Pied-à-Terre, Signature Style Showcase
Nearly Peach
Sherwin-Williams SW6336
These are genuinely pieces I'd use again. I'm not currently earning a commission on any of these links, just sharing what I loved.
If you've been shopping this board and thinking about what it would look like pulled together for your own space, that's exactly the kind of project I'd love to talk through. See how we work →
A quick, honest note before you go shopping: these are genuinely pieces I’d use again, not a sponsored list. I’m not currently earning a commission on any of these links, just sharing what I loved putting together.
If this kind of bolder, more layered style is something you’d want in your own home, even in a single room, I’d love to talk about it.
If a room in your home has been on your mind since spring, this is the season to finally say something about it. Lead times run longer than most people expect, and fall has a way of arriving before anyone feels ready.
Schedule a discovery call here, and let’s talk about what your space actually needs before the calendar fills up.
