Marieke
- 19 apr. 2021
- 3 minuten om te lezen

What's in a name? Whispering Bold Style explained

Deze post is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels, want in het Nederlands is het al helemaal niet te verklaren! 😉

My style. Whispering Bold Style.

Whispering Bold. It's my trade name. My interior design signature style. And my Instagram handle. What does it mean, you might ask? Don't be shy, you wouldn't be the first. It's a question many have asked me. Why Whispering Bold? For me it's not necessarily the words as such, but what (when combined) they stand for.

Taken literally it's probably a little silly. And translated into Dutch it makes no sense whatsoever (so I don't). When you look it up in the dictionary it doesn't make it an awful lot clearer either. Particularly when you check my favourite dictionary online, the urban one. 😉 Clearly this is not the one you advise your kids to use for their homework, but it's generally good for a giggle. Or when I am really getting too old for street slang.

Let's take a look shall we?

What does the urban dictionary say about 'whispering'?

Alright, so it's a naughty boys' thing. I get that. (For the sake of complete honesty, there was a girl version with a similar gist too but hey.) This wasn't the only suggestion however. It has something to do with only chatting etiquette too apparently:

The next option is a little more like it:

It starts off alright, and then goes completely off track. I think the funniest thing of this dictionary is the examples they give. So whispering is not really about talking softly, it's apparently also used to describe dating for those with commitment issues, or so it seems.

Be bold

Then what about 'bold'? Part of me wishes I had checked this dictionary before I created my business name as to my shock horror I discovered that 'bold' as an adjective (and even as a noun at times) refers to X-rated activities in the Phillipines. That truly gives an entirely different meaning to the combination Whispering Bold! Oh Em Gee. I apologise to my Filipino friends, and also to online visitors from the Philippines who are visiting my website expecting something entirely different. Just for the record, I have zero intentions to be branching out.

But what else does the urban dictionary say? Luckily the top definition is something a little more of what I had in mind when I thought to describe my design style.

I'll take that thanks! The next one is a little questionable:

Alright then. What a bloody nonsense. The next one, luckily, is a little more straight forward and simply refers to font formatting in bold text:

Either way, it is safe to say, that trying to work out my design style with the urban dictionary probably doesn't give you any idea what my design style actually is. Or at least, what I am trying to convey.

So how DO I explain Whispering Bold then?

I was struggling to find a name that would describe my style. Because what is my style anyway? I tend to go for a bit of industrial chic, urban jungle, or vintage, but mainly just do whatever I like, even if it doesn’t fit in a box anywhere. I don’t follow trends but love eye catchers. Statements. Without going over the top. I asked my husband and he said: “Well, your style is a bit out there and makes a statement. It’s bold, daring but down to earth without screaming it from the rooftops.” And that moment marked the inception of the name ‘Whispering Bold’.