Simone Harouche doesn’t just style looks or design interiors — she creates feeling. Across fashion, product, and space, her work is a study in intentionality: every colour chosen for its mood, every detail in service of story. Raised by grandmothers whose tastes couldn’t have been more different, and shaped by instinct as much as inheritance, Simone’s lens is both deeply personal and universally felt.
In this week’s SIDIA Stories, she reflects on energetic influence, the rituals that help her return to self, and the slow, patient process of creating something that lasts. From moodboards to motherhood, she speaks to the art of protecting your creative pace — and why beauty, at its best, has soul.
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You move between mediums: styling, interiors, product, but there’s a through-line in all of it. What do you think you’re really trying to create, no matter the form?
"Honestly, I think I’m always chasing a feeling — something that feels intriguing, thoughtful, personal. Whether it’s a space, a look, or an object, I want it to have soul. It’s less about making things look perfect and more about creating something that makes people feel something — comfort, beauty, connection. I recently saw this quote that said something to this effect and I just really related to the sentiment and idea behind it. The quote was something to the effect of, if you find that if you love one medium- design, art, fashion, interior design etc, you usually love them all. It’s all in the details. The way fabric creates movement or makes a statement. How colors can create a mood, or how lighting can change a space… The details I choose are intentional. They are part of the storytelling and the choices you make inform what story you want to tell."
So much of how we create — how we care, how we dress, how we decorate — is quietly passed down. Who are the women who shaped your taste, even if they never shared the same mediums?
"I think as a child, you’re shaped by people and you might not even know why, you’re just drawn to certain people whether it be energetically or aesthetically etc. I always observed my friend’s moms and saw how they interacted with the world. Not only that, but both my grandmother’s had very authentic and individual style. My dad’s mom was bold and eccentric with her taste. My mom’s mom was very refined in her elegance. They were like night and day, but I loved how completely different they were, and I believe that I got a lot from both of them.
In my work I can be very eccentric, as well as personally, I have been known to make bold choices, but I also have this other side of me that is very measured and thoughtful and detail oriented.
It’s funny how much of your style is shaped by energy, not just visuals."
You’ve always been ahead of trends. How do you stay rooted in your own eye?
"I try not to look around too much. I tend to keep my eyes down and focus on what moves me or excites me. A lot of what’s happening seems like noise to me with not a lot of substance. I take in what’s happening, of course, but I always check in with how it makes me feel. If something doesn’t genuinely speak to me, I don’t try to force it. I have always trusted my gut, I listen to my initial instincts on things— it usually knows before my brain does."
" If something doesn’t genuinely speak to me, I don’t try to force it. I have always trusted my gut.”
So much of your work is about instinct, but instinct often arrives through repetition. Are there any quiet rituals you return to before creating something new?
"Totally. I need space and quiet before I start anything. Sometimes it’s music, travelling, sometimes it’s just sitting with old books or tear sheets. I have folders full of things I’ve saved forever — random references that still inspire me. It helps me tune out the noise and reconnect with what feels like me. Another ritual I find helpful is making moodboards. When I start something new, I make a new board. It doesn’t even necessarily have to relate to the project itself more just cleaning the slate, starting over with new visuals that excite me."
You’re a mother, a creative, and a curator of beauty in many forms. What’s something you’ve had to learn to protect, whether it’s your time, attention, or energy, in order to keep creating?
"I’ve had to learn that things need time to breathe and that you can . So often as a creative, people expect you to turn out work and ideas the same way People doing non-creative roles would do, but as a creative I think ideas need time to be flushed out. Also, I’ve been in many different phases in my life where sometimes I don’t know exactly what I’m doing and I feel a lot of pressure, but I’ve learned that what’s meant for you will come to you no matter what and sometimes patience is the most important thing when can have."
Simone's Ritual:
