'Selby in the House'

Todd Selby in his East Village studio

Most people would hesitate opening their doors to a stranger who wants to photograph their apartment. Not when that stranger is Todd Selby.

The blogger/photographer recently has been gaining popularity in the home décor blog circuit, capturing the essence of his subjects in their private homes on theselby.com. Only for those spaces deemed “cool,” Selby will photograph any one from fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and model Helena Christinensen to an unbeknownst Los Angeles filmmaker and Brooklyn artist.

The space must be: lived in, interesting and original. But not because an interior designer has made it so. As for the subject? The subject must be interesting too, Selby tells The New York Times.

At the bottom of each profile of images will be a hand-scribbled interview, where Selby poses questions like: “Who are your style icons? Could you draw your favorite object in your office? What do you like about New York City?”

The answers are random and offbeat, in keeping with Selby’s persona.

Selby in his own shop window at Colette in Paris

A tour through his East Village studio/office is as telling as those featured on his blog. The studio/office is an eclectic mix of colorful doodads and remnants from past freelance projects. (The photographer has recently shot ad campaigns for Nike and Jack Purcell, in addition to special projects with Louis Vuitton and The New York Times T Magazine.) Mounted against his wall is a tye-dye T-shirt, magazine cutouts and drawings. There are stickers of an alien and peace symbol on his desk drawers and a rug in the shape of a cartoon-like lion lies on the floor.

Selby wearing purple pants and a cat t-shirt

His unkempt, raw interpretation of home décor might very well revolutionize our pre-conceptions about what interior decorating is all about. Nowadays, interior decorating places less importance on ‘cookie-cutter’ setups, but on arranging a home in such a way that color, texture and personality shine through. Usually there is no clutter, no mess generated from the day-to-day. But to Selby and a lot of his subjects, clutter is real. And realness is what a home is all about.

Take a look at theselby.com blog and then ask yourself: “Would you let Selby into your house?”

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of The New York Times, nuninuna.com; fashionindie.com