Deciding to allocate time and dollars to decorate your home is a seemingly daunting task of its own but what about truly understanding your style? What is style? I think the school I attended; New York Institute of Art & Design says it best: “Interior design is all about how we experience spaces. It’s a powerful, essential part of our daily lives and affects how we live, work, play, and even heal. Comfortable homes, functional workplaces, beautiful public spaces—that’s interior design at work.” With so many options, is there something out there that speaks to me? Yes, and yes! You can mix, match, and customize your home’s design the same way you can with personal style. You make or break all the rules!
First, let’s discuss style types. There are so many things to consider, I’ve only listed a few of the more popular ones.
Shabby Chic – this style includes furniture and objects that give off an antique or vintage look. Pieces are either original and are showing signs of wear and tear or are new but have been distressed to appear old. The chic part of this style is emphasized by using soft, opulent, or cottage like décor. Other design elements include lace, pastel colors, and florals.
Mid-Century Modern – There are many elements where a space can exude Mid-Century Modern. The style features pieces from roughly the mid-1930s to mid-1960s. The distinguishing features of this style consist of a classic, understated look, and clean lines with minimal fuss. Including organic shapes, using new materials and methods to reimagine traditional pieces is a great way to accomplish this design trend (think, futuristic looking pieces, that aren’t a total departure from the past).
Transitional – Incorporating old world traditional with the world of chrome and glass contemporary for a cohesive look brings this style to life. Although transitional can be confused with eclectic, this is a style all its own. This design style works well for those that don’t want extreme traditional pieces but find that modern is too sterile and can appear cold. Combining things from both styles allows for a happy medium.
Modern – Designing a modern space offers form, function, and style. Elements can include steel, concrete, and brick. This style is very minimalistic and has clean lines, with zero ornament. Every selection is very clean and concise. Consider abstraction which translates into plain, simple or basic shapes when choosing this style.
Contemporary – This style is unique as it pulls from several different design styles. Contemporary, at its core, refers to “of the moment,” which illustrates that contemporary interior design styles refer to current design trends while paying homage to the past. Using this style can include traditional, modern, and futuristic elements. Bringing it all together looks intentional and understated.
The internet contains a plethora of information about more styles and how to find your exact design style. Below are a few quizzes I’ve found helpful. Even though I am drawn to many design styles, just about every one of these quizzes determined that my design style was Contemporary. I found this interesting since I thought I was more drawn to Mid-Century Modern with a touch of glam! While these quizzes aren’t set in stone, they are fun to take to see what comes out of it. They can also give you an idea of where to start with your design style and offer ways to achieve the desired look.
Decorist: https://www.decorist.com/lp/style-quiz/
Designer Society of America: https://www.dsasociety.org/resources/interior-design-style-quiz/
Once you narrow down a style that speaks to you, start looking for pieces that can be incorporated into your space. The wonderful thing about interior design is you’re the boss when it comes to selection, style, and placement. This is the number one rule I’ve followed, and thus far, it hasn’t failed me. Since I am attracted to several design styles, I look for pieces that catch my attention and then decide how to incorporate them into my space. I don’t like spaces that are too matchy, matchy so I usually pull together different materials and fabrics to help balance the space. I also like bold pops of color and patterns, as well as, mixing metals. Mixing these effects together carefully defines my space as stylish but functional. I like for the room to have a look of luxury but can still be a place to relax and wind down.
When designing my living room, I ended up selecting a bold cobalt blue for the sofa. When selecting the fabric for this piece I opted for a rich velvet. I then chose a sangria wine colored side chair and balanced the bold colors with a large neutral stained accent rug. From there I selected 2 different types of tables for the space. One, is a modern cylinder marble coffee table with brass-finished inset detailing, that created visual interest. For the side table, I elected a statement piece in a brass peacock table. Proudly trailing its plumage, this table holds a small vignette and offers space for small items when relaxing on the sofa. Once these elements were in place, I began my search for the perfect console. Though our home didn’t include a fireplace, I still wanted that element in this space. Not sure we really needed one with the Texas heat, but the idea of a cool winter night, snuggling warm inside was an idea I didn’t want to let go. Though my research I found a white console table with two storage cabinets on either side and an electric fireplace in the middle. I fell in love with this piece the moment I laid eyes on it. It tied the pieces in my living room together quite nicely. Once I’d selected the bigger pieces, next, I moved to accents that would help tie everything together. Since I had very bold colors, I chose accents that brought out the brass in the two tables and minimized the glam effect the sofa put off. Accent pillows and vases, bookends, and candles were all selected to bring it all together to create a cohesive look.
When it came time to place my selections into the space, I moved things around until it fit in the space. I considered traffic patterns to be sure there were several ways to enter/exit the space and took into account spacing throughout so that things didn’t look too cramped or spread out. It’s all about harmony!
#Foytip - When putting a large accent rug on the floor, you ALWAYS want to include a rug pad. This will prevent your rug from bunching and sliding around the room. It can also help the rug relax at the ends. Be sure to center it in the space and have it at least 18 inches from the wall. Depending on the size of the accent rug will determine where you place the sofa. In this instance I was working with a 9’ x 12’ rug, so I have most of my sofa on top of the accent rug. The accent chair is in a corner of my living room and the front two legs are situated on top of the rug. I centered the sofa and the console with each other, that way no matter what end of the sofa you sat on, you had a good view of our wall mounted television. When working with accent pieces, a good rule of thumb to remember, is the eye is attracted to odd numbers. You want to work with groups of three, five, seven, and so on. You also don’t want to over crowd an area with too many items, so be sure to consider the surface size you’re working with. Also keep in mind the height of pieces when grouping them together. I personally think it looks better when you have pieces of varying height. Once the design was complete, I was thrilled to see my vision come to fruition.
The style of your home is no different than your personal style, it changes with your mood, budget and lifestyle. My favorite piece of advice in interior design is to practice patience. Be kind to yourself and let the space speak to you. Today you could be in love with Mediterranean glam and next year you’re drawn to contemporary modern and that’s okay! Style is ever changing, allow your space to speak to you and watch it all come together…
I’m here to help! Send me your questions. I love hearing from you. Don’t worry...you’ve got this!
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