Learn how to find your true decorating style and create a home your love!
Do you find yourself struggling to decorate your home? If so don’t worry everyone’s been there…
When you suddenly look around your home and realize it doesn’t reflect who you are or that you have “loved” so many different styles that your home is having an identity crisis it can leave you feeling defeated.
You may have even wondered how you’d ever dig yourself out of this hole so you done what any normal human being would do when they have a problem…. You ran to google!
The sad part is interior design style quizzes are a dime a dozen and often times not very accurate so odds are it won’t help much. Even looking at grids of perfectly styled photos online can put you on inspiration overload which causes you to try “all the things” only to end up with a mashed up version of absolutely nothing that you were going for!
I know how frustrating it can be because I’ve been there…. But what if I told you that 90% of the problem comes from that fact that you haven’t found your style or that you aren’t sticking to it.
We can like all kinds of things but to truly love something enough to live with it is a totally different story and in the consume consume consume society that we live in we’ve been taught that bringing all of the stuff that we like into our homes is okay…But its not.
I believe that we all have this inherent drive to create a beautiful home for our families, a home that we can be proud of is at the core of who we are but when you are struggling to find your decorating style that can turn into an expensive game of musical decor but taking the time to find your decorating style can help you completely avoid all of that.
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Most of us have gotten into the bad habit of perusing Pinterest and just willy nilly pinning away until our hearts content never really paying attention to the things that we are drawn to, then somehow we get lost. Our “style” becomes some bunched up mess of different styles and we end up hating it all because the style was never ours to begin with.
Now I know some of you may know exactly what you want your home to look like and that’s great but for others figuring it out can be a bit tricky but believe me when I say there is hope!
Why You Need To Find Your Home Decor Style
Discovering your true decorating style has so many unexpected benefits and it is something that I highly recommend for anyone ready to take on decorating their own home. Knowing exactly what you love and why will prevent mistakes and help keep your decorating process on track.
- Prevents random purchases.
- It is the only true way to create a cohesive home.
- You won’t buy the wrong things because you will know without a doubt if something fits your style.
- Decision making is a breeze… No more stressing out about that rug, you will instantly know if it will work or not!
- You’ll know what to keep and what to get rid of when it comes to decor you already own.
- Your home will be a reflection of the people that live there which in my opinion is the best part.
- You’ll not only discover what you like but what you DON’T like as well which is half the battle!
Finding Your Decorating Style
Look + Feel: One of the most important things you can determine when trying to find your decorating style is how you want your home to look and feel. When you know how you want your home to feel its much easier to create it!
So close your eyes if you have to… but imagine that you just got off work and you’re about to walk through the door after a long day, how do you want your home to feel the moment you walk through that door? Maybe you want comfortable and relaxing or cozy but still glamorous. There is no wrong answer here so think of the main keywords that pop into your head and write them down.
For example, I want a home that feels cozy, light + bright, modern, casual, I love modern elements paired with a few vintage finds and a minimalistic home that works for me and my family is something I crave. Once I realized that the elements of modern farmhouse design mixed with a hint of California cool truly speak to my soul it was like this crazy veil had been lifted. I instantly knew if something would work in our home or if I should just appreciate its beauty and move on.
This exercise will help you to learn the feel you’re going for in your home and what absolutely won’t work which is huge because you’ve just narrowed the “decorating options” down a ton.
Start A Style file: Remember that bad Pinterest habit I talked about earlier? Well, now I’m going to tell you to do it… But this time ONLY pin spaces that truly speak to you, spaces that you would feel 100% happy moving into today.
For people like me that love so many different styles this is where we get down to the brass nuts… Or is it tacks? Or knuckles? Whatever you know what I mean…
For me this was the make or break that helped me hone in on what I love, yes I like boho interiors and think they are gorgeous but I don’t necessarily want to live in one…
That’s more my sister’s vibe, which is great but it would never work for me and when I pin only the images I love boho isn’t going to be one of them so while you’re doing this exercise its critical that you are only pinning spaces you love and not pinning just because its pretty…. Lots of stuff is pretty. That doesn’t mean we have to take it all home.
Look For Common Elements: Once you’ve ruthlessly filled your board with 10-20 pins only allowing the images that you absolutely love to reside there, take a few moments to sit down and really study those images. Look at all of the images as a whole, does anything stand out? Now, look at them individually. What are you drawn to?
Try to determine what it is about each image that you love and write it down. Once you’re finished, check to see if there are any commonalities throughout the images you pinned. These commonalities are golden when it comes to finding your style!
Here is an example of the revelation from our style file:
White walls
White linens
Cognac colored leather
Mid-century modern chairs
Black accents
Vintage rugs + pillows
Clean lines
Natural wood elements
Neutral rugs
Minimal accessories
Lots of greenery
Muted colors
Analyze: Now that you’ve compiled all of the information take a look at the work you’ve done by analyzing what you’ve written down. Do you see a common theme between your answer to how you want your home to feel and the information you gathered from your style file?
You don’t have to use certain decor categories like traditional or contemporary in order to define your style, you simply have to know how you want your home to feel.
Refer Back: Now that you have written down the characteristics of your ideas of the perfect style home you’ll need to look back at this often. For example, while you’re out shopping or while you’re creating a design plan for a space keep this golden nugget close by because referring back to it will allow you to refocus on what is most important to you while creating your home.
Edit The Goods: You can also use this information to edit the items you currently own. If something doesn’t fit and you can’t change it in order to make it work then let it go, that simple. I know this won’t work for everything or everyone but overall you have to decide if you’re willing to let something go in order to let the new happen. Decide what you can still use, then sell or donate the rest.
Once you’ve completed all of the steps you should have a good idea of what your decorating style is and how you want your home to feel. To take it one step further be sure to check out the following posts that will help you put all of the pieces together and you’ll learn some of my best tips on how to decorate more specific areas of your home.
Remember, you can totally do this it just takes a little education and some effort on your part to get on the right track and create a home you love!
Renovate Or Decorate? How To Know Which Ones Right For You
This Mindblowing Decorating Trick Will Change The Way You Decorate Forever
9 Decorating Must Haves For A Well Styled Home
How To Mix Throw Pillows Like A Boss
How To Hang Curtains The Right Way
Top Design Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
Decorating Tips: Things That Nobody Tells You
Decorating Tips For Couples That Clash
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You have dropped so many truth bombs here…I love it. And yes….I know all about the game of “musical decor” . haha! I really hope I have left those days behind me. Great post, girl!
Thank you, Erica. Haha me too girl me too!