When I started working toward a more sophisticated life for myself there were so many different elements to focus on to create this on purpose. Style, posture, home, surroundings and decorum to name a few. But there was one element that had eluded my attention for a long time and that was being mindful of the places I visit. While we may spend most of our time at home and/or in the office, there are still so many other places that we visit that are not home and work that requires just as much discernment (if not more) as the other elements, which is the places you visit. It seems such an innocuous thing that shouldn’t matter, but it does in so many ways.
What I know to be true is that everything has an energetic feeling to it and the places that we visit reinforces the kind of person we want to be in a way that is different from everything else that we may consider. If you have journaled about the essence words of what you want your life to look and feel like, then the places you visit should also match those words as well. If you haven’t done this process, then I highly recommend taking some time to journal the three words you want to use to help guide you through your everyday life. Mine are elegant, sophisticated and luxurious, so I visit places that match these essence words as much as I can. While this isn’t a perfect practice all the time (at some point I will need to stop off to refuel the car or go to the doctor), whenever I go out for either leisure, shopping, entertainment, etc., I always search out the places that align with my essence words as best as I can.
The places we visit leaves an impression on us and can either inspire us to a higher level or drain us. Here’s how the places we visit influences our everyday lives and why it’s important to be diligent about this particular element.
how a place influences your everyday life
-It reinforces our self-image of who we are
Who we think we are guides our decisions more than you may realize. If you are currently working through creating an elevated self-image then putting yourself in elevated surrounding can help reinforce the “new you’ as well as create an elegant mindset for everyday living.
-it provides inspiration for our daily lives
Visiting places that aligns with our essence words can provide inspiration for the many different aspects of our daily lives. Whether it’s meals to make at home inspired by a fine dining restaurant, decor inspiration from an elevated home store like Restoration Hardware or style inspiration from stores like Banana Republic or J. Crew. We are always gleaning inspiration from our surroundings, so pick those that match who you want to be.
-You will be better able to discern true quality
Once you start visiting places that are more elevated, you start to set a higher standard as to what comes into your daily life as well. If you visit a place like a fine dining restaurant and experience a quality meal, you may notice that the meals you start cooking at home are also more elevated too. Same with visiting a clothing store like a Banana Republic. Once you visit a BR store where everything is clean, organized, on beautiful wooden hangers and surrounded by a beautifully decorated store, going to places like a Ross store will feel incongruent and less quality. In order to pursue quality, you must resist the urge to go “bargain” simply due to cheaper (but usually) more subpar items.
-you’ll get better at refining your overall life and tastes
In order to display cultivated taste and showing a high level of sophistication and attention to detail in appearance and behavior, you must put yourself in environments where these attributes are a default, not the exception. Where you visit can help you cultivate these traits more easily. Having refined taste also means the places that you put yourself in too. Look to elevate the places you visit on a normal basis to one that feels more in line with who you want to be. Often people feel scared or worried that they will be “found out” because it is not where they are used to going, but after you visit these places a few times, you will start to not only feel more comfortable being there, but you’ll start to believe that you actually belong there too.
-you’ll find like-minded people to talk with
If you go to places like museums, symphonies, fine dining bars, luxury hotel lounges, spas, etc. There is a good chance that you will find others who are like-minded as you in terms of those who also chose to elevate their lives (and the places they visit) as well. These can be great places to meet new people who can also provide inspiration for you in the way that they too live their everyday life in a finer way.
-it provides an overall quicker self-image reinforcement
Creating a new self-image for ourselves can be hard work, especially when we are in the same surroundings as we’ve always been. Visiting places that align with who we want to be can provider a quicker way to get there. It can reinforce back us that we are refined, sophisticated and an elegant woman and that this is the type of place that you naturally belong in. You will start to refine many elements of your life once you have started visiting elevated places.
elevated places to visit
This has been a process that I have been working on for a few years. I have found that there are some places that are simply more sophisticated than others. Keep in mind that especially for stores, that doesn’t mean that I will purchase something every time I visit, sometimes I will just walk around and be inspired by the elegance. Below is a list of the places that I find personally to be an energetic match to my essence words of elegant, sophisticated and luxurious along with some photos of elevated places I have visited this past year. Make a list for yourself to find the places that match your essence words and start visiting them on a regular basis.
-Art Museums/History Museums
-Symphonies/Operas/Ballets
-Gardens/Arboretums
-Historical Estates
-Fine Dining Restaurants
-Luxury Hotels (including restaurants, lounges and spas)
-Spas (separate from luxury hotels)
-Banana Republic/J. Crew/Ralph Lauren Stores
-Restoration Hardware/Ethan Allen/Arhouse/Pottery Barn
-Williams-Sonoma/Sur La Table
-Paris/London/New York
-Nordstrom/Saks 5th Ave/Bergdorf Goodman
-Airport Lounges
-Wineries/Vineyards
-French Patisseries
-Afternoon Teas
-Luxury Specialty Shops (chocolate, flowers, home goods, stationary, etc.)
I love this post, Katie! 2025 is the year (my last in my 40’s), that I hope to elevate some aspects of my life all while being more mindful of my spending and consumption. Since the pandemic, I’ve been so used to just staying in and not visiting cozy cafes or theaters, like I used to and I miss that. Just like the company we keep, the places that we visit, have an impact on our lives.
I understand that for sure as the pandemic turned us all into homebodies 😄 but I love that you want to get back out there and start to elevate your life and environments. Visiting more elegant spaces is such a great way to get inspired to elevate your everyday life and I hope you’ll post some on Instagram on 2025.