Do you know your decorating style? It feels like a simple enough question, but the answer can be more difficult to find. Deciding on what you’ll like (and what you won’t) is a very personal process.
When it’s your own home, everything in your space inherently must feel like you and that’s why it’s so critical to nail down what that actually means. Will you be happy living in a certain space with a certain style? Will that be a more traditional, modern or bohemian style? Then you need to find the pieces, colour choices and other furnishings that compliment that décor style.
Whether you’re in a new, blank home that needs filling or you want to revamp your existing space, there are some tricks of the trade to help you pinpoint your favourite look. Here are a few things to consider!
Deep dive into your own life
What other interests or lifestyle choices do you consider yourself to know well? Fashion? Cooking? Look for characteristics in these other areas to give you some hints on what you may like. If you’re a minimalist in your style, perhaps you will be minimalist in your home design too.
What was your favourite vacation? Or your favourite country?
If you have fond memories of a tropical vacation and all the bold colours and patterns that go along with it, could this theme play well in your home design? Or if you enjoy the earthy, rustic tones of a Tuscan landscape, you might find those similar colours will lend a beloved feeling to your interiors.
Do your research
Pinterest is a great platform for all-things design, and you can really go down the rabbit hole of inspired home design and décor for some fantastic ideas for your own space. I’m also still fan of home-design magazines. Flipping through pages, you can easily tear out some of your favourite looks that can help you build your own mood board.
Save the photos of rooms that catch your eye. Can you envision yourself living in those rooms? Gather together a list of paint colours and fabric swatches, too. Once you bring all of this together, you should start to see a pattern forming of what you like.
Call it by its name
You may feel like you have a mish-mash of a bunch of styles together after you’ve created your mood board, so now’s the time to take your time and edit it down. What look or style is on the top of your list? Which look is on the bottom? You might actually see a couple of interior design buzz words pop up: Scandi, Industrial, Modern, Minimalist, Classic, Mid-Century, and so on.
Once you name your style, you can then start searching for inspiration – online or in magazines – from just these words. Also, don’t fret if you find yourself in the middle of, say, two styles. That’s OK! I’m always between styles and often combine a few together.
Now, can you live with it?
Seems obvious, but ask yourself the question: Can I actually live in this space with this style? Consider how you live your life and who’s living with you. Your home design has to complement your lifestyle and you have to think about the practicality of it all – your furniture, the flow of your home and everything in between.