Interior Design & Astrology Case Study
In this article, Chrissy Harrington of Little Chateau and I teamed up to talk about Interior Decorating and Design as it applies to Astrology and your Zodiac Sign. We are going to be looking at The Big Three (Sun, Moon and Rising) & 4th House Cusp (or the IC - opposite the MC), as well as, the elements and the design principles associated with them. Of course, 4th House Planets, Placements and your Venus sign are also a good indication of your home design sense. However, by focusing on The Big Three and 4th House Cusp, you can get an idea of your signs’ aesthetics! If you know your Venus Sign or Sign that the Planets in your 4th House are in, make sure you check those out too!
First, I am gong to start by breaking down the interior sensibilities based on each element/sign in the zodiac - and then we are going to see how that applies to Chrissy of Little Chateau’s space - and my space as well! Chrissy and I also worked up together to come up with ways that you could update your space based on your Astrological Big Three and 4th House Cusp! Read to find out below!
THE ELEMENTS
FIRE SIGNS
Aries, Leo & Sagittarius
Warm tones: red’s, orange’s, yellow’s
Design Aesthetic/Tastes: candles, an entertaining space - bar area, terra-cotta, bright sunlight, gold accents, eclectic taste - inspired by travels, succulents, open concept living, room for creativity, bringing the party home
EARTH SIGNS
Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn
Earth tones: neutral’s, green’s, muted colors
Design Aesthetic/Tastes: luxury feel - textures & natural fibers, light colors, plants, wood accents, personal collections & bringing nature indoors, crystals, food inspired - kitchens are important, magazine quality home style, homebodies - spending time in their space
AIR SIGNS
Gemini, Libra & Aquarius
Pastel tones: light jewel tones, soft purple’s, light blue’s, gray’s
Design Aesthetic/Tastes: airy feeling, minimal design, books & magazines, technology/smart appliances, good lighting, airy window treatments/lots of windows, music is always playing/background noise, easy to rearrange/open concept, metal accents, inspired by what they’ve seen online or in books, learning at home/working from home
WATER SIGNS
Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces
Cool tones - blue’s, soft colors, colors of the beach and ocean
Design Aesthetic/Taste: crystals, spa feel, shiny surfaces/reflective surfaces, good smells (candles, air fresheners), mood lighting, ritual tools, comfy bed, clean bathrooms, nurturing & nostalgic space, tropical & low light plants, making the home a sanctuary - homebodies
Chrissy Harrington’s Space
I did the Little Chateau’s Chrissy Harrington’s chart a while back, and we took a look at her Big Three and 4th House Cusp to see how her space aligns with these basic design sensibilities, and she was shocked! She could not believe how much she identified with the elements of design according to her Sun, Moon and Rising and Aries 4th House. Let me tell you, this girl is mostly FIRE! It’s no surprise that she started Little Chateau with all of her love for interior design and wanting to inspire others through the use of color, texture and harmony.
Chrissy’s Big Three & 4th house cusp
Virgo Sun (Earth)
Aries Moon (Fire)
Sagittarius Rising (Fire)
Aries 4th House Cusp (Fire)
Chrissy’s Design Aesthetic is all about Warm Tones & Earth Tones/Neutrals. She focuses on gold accents and candles to warm her space, as well as, rich and natural textures to add a sense of luxury. Bright oranges and reds really give her home life and energy - playing on all of that Fire in her chart. She loves to entertain at home before going out and has a style that is inspired by her passions and travels - in true Fire sign spirit. Her Earth energy comes in full force with the soft neutral back drop and those beautiful plants adding touches of green to her living space.
LIVING SPACE
Earth Sign Influence: Plants, Soft Neutrals, Pottery, Rich Textures, Organized Space, Natural Materials
Fire Sign Influence: Oranges and Reds, Warm Tones, Pops of Bright Color, Art Inspired by Passions and Travel, Entertaining Space, Open Concept
Chrissy’s Living Space reflects the combination of her Fire and Earth energy really well. In contrast to my space that you will see later, her’s is full of warm colors! The soft neutrals work as a canvas for her bright pops of color, really giving it a dynamic energy (Aries Moon and 4th House). Sources of Inspiration everywhere that ignite her passions really add personal touches (that Sag rising NEEDS to feel inspired). Of course, let’s not forget the perfect position of literally EVERYTHING in her space (Virgo Sun) and how comfort marries functionality. A need to entertain and bring the party home is also reflected in her open layout and her movable brass bar - the kitchen plays a key role allowing for her to host but still stay engaged in conversation. No Fire dominant wants to miss what’s going on! They love being in the know. Gold accents and bright, bright light help in making this space feel lively (Fire energy), while the fur and luxurious textures add a sense of refinement and class (Earth energy).
Bedroom
Earth Sign Influence: Neutral Palette, Rich Textures, Fur, Soft Light, Sheepskin Rugs, Refined, Classic and Chic
Fire Sign Influence: Candles, Sources of Inspiration, Travel Magazines and Art, Globe, Warm Accents
Chrissy’s Bedroom is quintessential Earth sign energy. The refined, posh and polished look oozes Virgo vibes. It’s an Earth signs dream to be covered in soft textures and rich linens. She focuses the design on the light and neutral color palette, but still has a few pops of warm colored accents - a nod to her Fire energy. A Chanel pillow is the definition of Earth sign decor, name brand, but make it comfortable. Like what Earth sign wouldn’t want that?! The use of plants in the room give it that homey vibe to this otherwise super hotel chic bedroom. Displays of her passion of beauty products (total Earth energy) are paired with her love of travel using the globe and European-inspired decor (straight up Sag rising coming through). I could literally go on for days about the luxury feel of her sweet bedroom sanctuary. This is what home decor magazines are made of - but seriously, who wants to move in?! My Libra energy and Virgo 4th House Cusp are living for this aesthetic right now.
Anthony Perrotta’s Space
I obviously know my chart like the back of my hand! In my chart, both Air and Water are very dominant with just a touch of Earth (literally almost no Fire), so I do garner a lot of inspiration for those elements. In addition, with my Venus in Aries (only Fire sign) and my 4th House Cusp falls in Virgo, I also have added touches of Fire and Earth elements in the space. Lastly, my partner and I focus a lot on some principles from Feng Shui in our space, helping to expand and magnify the energy and elements of every Bagua in our Home.
Anthony’s Big Three & 4th House cusp
Pisces Sun (Water)
Libra Moon (Air)
Cancer Rising (Water)
Virgo 4th House Cusp (Earth)
My Design Aesthetic is all about Bright Light Tones & Cool Tones with added Warmth for Balance (Libra Moon). I focus on more nostalgic energy (Cancer rising & Moon in the 4th House) by adding touches of Mid Century Modern and family possessions to give the space character. I also love the Spiritual Side of life (hello Pisces), so you are likely to find ritual tools in every room (and corner) in our home - plus I have a dedicated space for all of my ritual components and spiritual tools.
LIVING SPACE
Water Sign Influence: Mid Century (nostalgia), Family Crystal Stemware (nostalgia), Blue Accents, Tropical Plants
Air Sign Influence: Books, Smart Devices & Lighting, Gray’s, Modular Furniture, Metal Accents, Airy & Modern Space
Earth Sign Influence: PLANTS, Wood Accents, Soft Textures, Crystals, Terra Cotta and Natural Materials
This space is one that I always loving looking at and being in. It is the main artery of our home. It is bright, light and always has sun coming through one of the windows. I have grounded every corner of this space with different crystals, even hiding some on the tops of cabinets (told you). The plants add the right amount of warmth and liveliness to the space - including Rapunzel, our 40 ft long Pothos (we saved this girl from the trash over 5 years ago when she was a wee bit of a lass). I have always tried to cultivate a strong Aesthetic in my living spaces - re: the Libra Moon (I am also Libra dominant). The idea behind this space was to make it place where others felt comfortable, but really where my partner and I felt comfortable - we are both homebodies (Cancer Rising and he’s a Cancer Sun). Keeping the space clean is important to me, I can’t function unless my home is in order (Virgo 4th House Cusp & Libra Placements).
My favorite piece of furniture in my living room is my marble coffee table from Article - that or our Vintage Mid Century Hutch that we scooped up on Cape Cod with the help of a friend (Thanks Nik!). Our bookshelves reflect everything my partner and I love, with each shelf dedicated (and of course organized) to a different passion or interest of ours. My partner and I both have a predominance of Air in our charts, so books always bring us so much enjoyment. This is a space that truly marries some of the astrological influences in my chart.
BATHROOM
Water Sign Influence: Clean Bathroom, Sanctuary Space, Spa Feel, Good Smells EVERYWHERE, Nautical Elements, Tropical Plant
Air Sign Influence: Modern Touches, Metal Accents, Light Colors, Updated Fixtures & Smart Lighting
Earth Sign Influence: Organized Shelves, Natural Wood, Earthy Accents
Quite honestly, this space is all Water sign to me (I mean it is a bathroom). It is my sanctuary. I come here to cleanse physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. During the New and Full Moon cycles, I take my ritualistic baths (cue the Pisces Sun and Cancer Rising). The focal point is our beautiful Bird of Paradise plant (couldn’t help myself, needed plants in EVERY room). When working in this bathroom, my partner and I wanted it to have a spa like feel. We made these minimalist pine wood shelves with basic ply wood and pipes we found, then we found ways to organize and contain our everyday necessities (Virgo 4th House).
Bedroom & our home studio office
Water Sign Influence: Reflective Surfaces, Nautical Map, Harpoons, Blue’s, Tropical Plants & Wave Texture on Furniture
Air Sign Influence: Metal Accents, Gray’s, Smart Devices & Technology, Balance, Bright Light & Metal Desk.
Earth Sign Influence: Wood Accents, Earthy Colors, MORE PLANTS, Natural Materials, Organized Space
Moving into this house, we gained a bedroom (yay!), but we lost so much master bedroom space (it was the size of both of our bedrooms combined basically). Regardless, the more intimate set up has been nice for my partner and I. There’s a few antiques in our bedroom, a nod to the sentimentality of my Cancer rising and my partner’s Cancer Sun. The harpoons and the nautical map were both antique finds when we were living in Massachusetts. We used mirrors to reflect the light from the windows in the space and to make the space feel a little bigger. Our bedroom is all about that Water sign and Earth energy comfort and escape. We focused on neutrals with a few color pops to keep the space serene and clean.
Our Office on the other hand is all Air sign with pops of Water influence - stark, modern, sleek and full of technological goodies (and hints of the ocean blues). The energy of this room is about serving as a more muted backdrop to our creativity. We wanted it to be a canvas for us, but still aid in our inspiration. Not pictured is our big art cabinet. Both my partner and I are artists, creators and designers, so having a space that allows our minds to roam freely is of the utmost importance. My partner has an identical desk in this room (because symmetry is so important to us - he also has strong Libra placements).
Tips for brightening up and changing your space
Interior design is so specific to many, but there are general tastes that fall under each sign! Here are some ways that you can spruce up your space using your Big Three & 4th House Cusp Sign:
Fire Signs:
New Candles
New Accents: Warmer colors (throw pillows, decor items, etc), new gold accents, new barware, brass wine racks
New Art: Focus on places you want to travel and what inspires you
Earth Signs:
New Plants: Go with easy to care for
New accents: earth tones, new blankets/pillows, new kitchenware/utensils
New Linens: Focus on plush and luxurious materials and comfort with soft tones
Air Signs:
New Organization/Tech Accessories
New Accents: grey and pastel tones, new metal accents, new smart devices/speakers
New Books: Focus books/magazines that are on topics that you love or that you want to know more about
Water Signs:
New Bath Elements: soaps, bath bombs, towels and body lotions
New Accents: cool tones and ocean inspiration, new plants, new room sprays and home scents