Do You Know Your Personal Design Style?
4 tips for finding your interior design preferences
Whether you’re taking on your home’s interiors yourself or you’re hiring a designer to do the magic for you, it’s more important than you think to have a sense of your own style.
When gearing up to design a room in their home, people often enthusiastically tear photos out of magazines and pin images to their style boards, but they rarely stop to consider whether those beautiful designs are consistent with their own distinct style personalities.
In fact, many people don’t even know what their personal decorating style is. But it’s worth exploring. After all, what’s the point of decking out your favorite spaces if, in the end, they don’t resonate with who you are or feel like they belong to you?
If you choose someone else’s style, the space may be beautiful, but you likely will never feel as if the space is truly yours or right for you.
The first thing to do is discover your own sense of style when it comes to interior design. Then you can apply your unique design fingerprint into every room of your home. Finding your style is surprisingly easy. Consider these 4 tips for staying true to your personal decorating style.
1. Start where you are by taking a good, hard look at your home as it is now and the items you already own and love. What are consistent style themes throughout your living spaces—throughout your life, even—that seem to stand the test of time? What items or motifs tend to stay put, even after you’ve redesigned a room? There is a reason why you continue to choose those pieces; listen to what this says about you and your style. Then you can use those items or themes as the foundation for the rest of the room’s décor.
2. Reflect upon how you spend your time, day after, day in the designated space you’re hoping to decorate. Are you cooking, watching movies, or playing the piano? Perhaps you want to be entertaining guests on a weekly basis—or, perhaps you’re looking to unwind and retreat into a good book after a long, demanding day. By determining the mood and the priorities of a space, you give yourself (and the room in question) a distinct design intention.
3. Look to nature for inspiration. We are so fortunate to live in the beautiful state of Colorado. Kill two birds with one stone and go for a hike while looking for design influences—sophisticated neutrals, rustic reclaimed wood, shimmering metallic accents, brilliant pops of color. What natural elements do you feel most connected to, and how do you want to incorporate that aesthetic into your home?
4. Peruse stores that specialize in home furnishings, art, and accessories. Walk around showrooms, sit on the sofas, and touch the different materials. Take notice to the items that speak to you and the pieces you’re drawn to—you’ll start to recognize a pattern.
Once you start to differentiate between beautiful design and beautiful design that represents you, you can confidently start to acquire furnishings and home décor that will suit you and your style, from room to room.
Brent Simon is one of the owners at Colorado Style Home Furnishings, a Highlands Ranch-based furniture showroom that offers a diverse collection of comfortable, sophisticated furniture and accessories. View their profile or contact a design consultant at (303) 741-4240.
Content for this article provided by Colorado Style Home Furnishings.
