The Green Kitchen of My Dreams
How Dakota Johnson’s midcentury home feature on Architectural Digest ruled vision boards and inspired a DIY mindset
Long are the days when it was elusive to look into famous people’s homes — thanks to Architectural Digest’s ‘Open Door’ series. The viral series made celebrities, athletes, and industry figures accessible; amplified lifestyle brands; and nurtured another perspective on design and homemaking to the avid viewer. When you think about it, it’s another tool for influencing, marketing the need to bring an aesthetic to your personal space.
A House of Storied Pasts
I am a lover of all things vintage — something about second-hand purchases enriches my experience with an object knowing that it lived a life before I got my hands on it. This is what drew me to Dakota Johnson’s 2020 AD feature on her Los Angeles abode, pinning images here and there of her rooms and objects, evoking feelings of novelty and nostalgia.
Key moments in this Open Door episode tells a story of a home that is: intersecting with nature through elements of wood and tall windows bringing in sunlight, eclectic with touches of crystals and printed china, quirky with green kitchen fixtures, and personable with books and mementos. All these elements are what keeps me (and 25.8M other viewers!) drawn to content that inspires personality and creativity. Plus, it adds to the list of dream objects to acquire with an extra push from the shopping recommendations on the drop down details of every AD Open Door video.
Making it Your Own
A condition to watching content on celebrity homes is the idea that money and fame could probably buy the best interior designers and furniture so why bother. Although this is true to an extent, I choose to think of AD’s Open Door series as an opportunity to hone in on your own design perspective. The publication has been around since the 1920s and has evolved into a global and omni-channel voice for living well. I credit its evolution to making design knowledge accessible, reaching mine and many others’ feeds and search bars. As an extension of the brand, ‘Open Door’ has literally welcomed viewers to enjoy curation, and fascinating figures of our time.
With every Open Door video uploaded, you never know when a new personality or perspective will arise — the best one can do is to welcome it and treat it as an opportunity to develop personal taste. Swing by your local flea market on the weekend or explore the many vintage stores in New York City. AD is the guide, but all of their published stories are certainly shareable and translatable to the viewer’s personal taste.
