Do you ever look through decorating books/magazines and think...my mother, grandmother, father, aunt, etc. would love this look?

I got some library books yesterday and as I'm looking through them for some inspiration, I kept thinking...Wow, I really like this, but my grandmother would love this room. So I wonder, how many times are we drawn to a certain look or style, not because it's necessarily our style, but one that belongs to a loved one?

So many things remind me of my grandmother's style. She loved books! She never had enough bookshelves for all her books and would have loved to have a dining room that was a library 90% of the time and a dining room for special occasions. She also loved to bake and cook...and always had a kitchen table in the middle of the room, with fresh coffee brewing.

My mom loves everything white wicker and plants, yellow and green and also loves books...but her bookcases are white, not wood. Anything Asian always intrigues her and she has so many accent pieces in her home, but somehow, they all seem to work beautifully together. She also loves to garden...so plants inside and out. Maybe that also explains the wicker, although she always has a few overstuffed, comfy chairs or a sofa to sit on, too.

Me...I like more of a romantic country style. Give me a little crystal, silver and china, but with a cottage style mix of painted and wood tone furniture. I like oval and round tables, with curved legs, chairs with ottomans...and lots of flowers. I also love to cook (especially bake) but I've always wanted a wood stove in the kitchen...we had one when I was really young and I loved it. I do like books in almost every room, but shorter shelves with pictures above...probably the result of having all those books in school! Now the library works fine, unless I really love a book, then I'll think about getting a copy.

What about you? Is your style influenced or enhanced by your loved ones? I thought it might be a fun topic :)