How to Find Your Design Style
Do you find yourself wanting to spruce up your space but you have zero clue of where and how to start? Well, I’m here to help you make sense of all of that by providing a simplified approach for how to find your interior design style. Once you have a firm grasp of what you like, and sometimes more importantly what you don’t like, I promise you have won half the battle!
What are you drawn to?
If I could sum it up into the easiest and least possible steps, the first one would be to assess just what you’re naturally drawn to. Now, I’m not going to imply that even pinpointing what we like is so simple because sometimes it just isn’t, especially when we like everything. So to get down to the bottom of that and to get an idea of what moves & inspires you, it’s best to look at some pictures.
When on the journey to discovering your true style, I encourage you to explore many resources. And the best place for that in this day & age is Pinterest. Pinterest is such a vast database of images categorized by tons of topics that draw us in. You can search different design styles, like mid-century modern, traditional, coastal, rustic, and so on. You can also search by color. You can search by mood. And the list goes on!
Another source for inspiring online images is Houzz. Similar to Pinterest, Houzz is chock full of beautiful images of tons of different interiors. You can create your own profile on both of these sites to save your favorites so you’ll always be able to reflect back on them as you’re putting your space together.
For those of us that may be more into the tactile experience of flipping through books, definitely try picking up a few home decor magazines when you’re in the supermarket. They’re also full of inspiration no matter what stage of the interior design process you might find yourself.
What feels easiest?
While there may be hundreds of photos that you really like, I encourage you to honestly consider which of those interiors you can imagine yourself living in. Would you & your dog really be okay with that extremely shaggy, white rug? Does that leather chesterfield really compliment your wine & popcorn lifestyle? Maybe. Maybe not.
Think about what’s really livable for you. The worst is spending a crazy amount of money on a furniture item and feeling like you cannot live your best life for fear of ruining it. Life is just too short for that kind of unnecessary stress!
Try some things out to see where it goes
Start small and begin with little (i.e., inexpensive) additions to your decor. With the abundance of home decor stores we now have for every budget imaginable, it’s so simple to browse the aisles and see what piques your interest. Adding in small touches like vases, throw blankets, pillows, and picture frames can really tweak your space to be a better reflection of those images that do inspire you.
Style evolves over time & that’s normal
Lastly, in seeking to define your personal interior design style, it’s important to remember that change is normal. It’s okay to change your mind. It’s okay to switch from a colorful palette this year to a more neutral one over time. It’s just how we as people naturally evolve, so don’t ever feel like the design style you choose now is the same one you must have 10 years from now. I think we would all be so paralyzed by fear of choosing the wrong style if that were the case.
To get you started on the right track, I’ve linked another video below where I define 5 of the most popular interior design styles. Using this information will help you assess what you’re most attracted to and help to get you well on your way to defining your own personal style.
